Credit Karma is not a credit bureau. Its Direct Dispute tool sends disputes only to TransUnion, using preset reasons. For Equifax or Experian, or when you need to send documents and a detailed explanation, dispute directly with each bureau.
Credit Karma and similar apps display credit report data that comes from the credit bureaus. The app is not the bureau, and the bureau is the party with the reinvestigation duties under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i.
How Credit Karma’s Direct Dispute works
According to Credit Karma, its Direct Dispute feature:
- works only for TransUnion report items;
- has you pick a dispute reason from a pre-formatted list; and
- sends the dispute to TransUnion for review.
Information shown from Equifax must be disputed with Equifax itself, and Experian data must be disputed with Experian.
Limits of disputing through an app
- Little room to explain. A menu-based reason may not capture what is actually wrong, such as an account that belongs to a relative or a balance that ignores a settlement.
- Documents. The bureau must consider relevant information you provide (§ 1681i(a)(4)). If the tool does not let you send your proof, the bureau and furnisher may never see it.
- Your record. You may not have a complete copy of what was transmitted on your behalf.
When to go directly to the bureau
- The error appears on Equifax or Experian.
- You have documents that prove the error.
- The problem is complex: mixed file, identity theft, a deceased notation, or an item that was already verified once.
- You want proof of the date the bureau received your dispute, for example by certified mail.
Before disputing, compare the app’s data with your actual bureau reports from AnnualCreditReport.com, because an app’s display may not match the full file a lender sees.
If an app shows you as deceased, see Credit Karma says I’m deceased.
Related
- How to Dispute Credit Report Errors With Equifax, Experian and TransUnion
- TransUnion lawsuit guide
- Credit Karma Says I'm Deceased: Why It Happens and How to Fix It
Sources
- Credit Karma — How to use Credit Karma Direct Dispute
- FTC — Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681i — Procedure in case of disputed accuracy (Cornell LII)
Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.