Review your credit report periodically for inaccurate or incomplete information. You can get one free credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—once a year. You can also subscribe, usually at a cost, to a credit monitoring service and review your report monthly.

Contact the creditor to verify their records and confirm the error. You may be able to resolve the issue at this point. If the issue can’t be resolved, contact the credit reporting company.

Credit reporting companies must investigate the disputed items. The process usually takes fewer than 30 days. They’re required to send relevant information to the information provider—meaning, whoever reported the disputed item to the credit reporting companies. The provider must investigate the dispute and report back to the credit reporting company.

Here’s what to expect when the investigation is complete:

But what if the investigation doesn’t resolve your dispute? Ask the credit reporting company to add a brief statement in your file that describes your side of the dispute. Usually for a fee, you can also ask the credit bureau to send a copy of the statement to anyone who has recently received a copy of your report.