Send a written dispute to the screening company identifying each error and why it is wrong, with supporting documents. Under the FCRA, it generally must reinvestigate within 30 days, delete or correct anything inaccurate or unverifiable, and send you the results.
The screening company that produced your background check is a consumer reporting agency, and § 1681i of the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to dispute anything in its file that is inaccurate or incomplete.
How to dispute
- Get your file. Use the copy the employer gave you, or request your file from the screening company under § 1681g.
- Identify each error specifically. For example: a case that belongs to someone else, a charge shown as pending that was dismissed, a duplicate entry, a record too old to report, or wrong employment dates.
- Attach proof. Court dispositions, expungement or sealing orders, identification showing a different date of birth, diplomas, W-2s, or offer letters.
- Send it in writing through the company’s dispute portal or by mail with tracking, and keep copies of everything.
What the screening company must do
Under § 1681i, the company generally must:
- Conduct a reasonable reinvestigation and record the current status of the item, or delete it, within 30 days of receiving your dispute (extendable by up to 15 days if you send additional relevant information during that period).
- Notify the source of the information within five business days.
- Consider all relevant information you submit.
- Delete or modify information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or cannot be verified.
- Send you written results within five business days after it finishes.
If the company decides your dispute is frivolous or irrelevant, it must tell you why within five business days.
Tell the employer too
The dispute process can take weeks, and employers do not always wait. Let the employer know in writing that you have disputed the report and ask it to hold its decision. If the company corrects the report, ask it to send the corrected version to the employer.
If the screening company refuses to fix a clear error, or the error has already cost you a job, a free case review can help you understand your options, with no fee unless we win.
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Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.