Collection accounts typically remain on your credit report for 7 years from the date of first delinquency (DOFD) – the date you first fell behind on the original debt that led to the collection. This timeline is established by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and applies to most types of collection accounts.
Important timeline details to understand:
- Starting point: The 7-year clock starts from the date of first delinquency on the original account, not from when the account was sent to collections or when the collection agency first reported it
- End point: After 7 years plus 180 days (in some cases) from the DOFD, the collection account must be automatically removed from your credit reports
- Multiple collections for the same debt: If a debt is sold to multiple collection agencies, the original DOFD remains the same – multiple collections for the same debt cannot extend the reporting period
Exceptions to the standard 7-year rule:
- Tax liens: Unpaid tax liens can potentially remain on credit reports indefinitely, though major credit bureaus voluntarily removed them from reports in 2018
- Certain bankruptcies: Chapter 7 bankruptcies stay for 10 years from filing date
- Federal student loans: Can be reported until they’re paid in full
- Judgments: While previously reported for 7 years, the major credit bureaus removed civil judgments from credit reports in 2017-2018
It’s important to note that paying a collection account does not remove it from your credit report in most cases. However, newer credit scoring models (FICO 9, VantageScore 4.0) do ignore paid collections or weigh them less heavily than unpaid ones. Additionally, many lenders look favorably upon paid collections even if they still appear on your report.