How to Dispute a Credit Report Error by Mail in Canada (Equifax & TransUnion)

• Disputing is free and it is your right. Both bureaus are legally required to investigate accurate disputes, per the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC).
• Send copies, not originals. Attach photocopies of your report, supporting documents, and two pieces of ID. Keep the originals.
• Expect about 30 days. TransUnion concludes investigations within ~30 days; Equifax processes mailed disputes in roughly 20-25 days.
• Check both bureaus. Lenders do not always report to both, so an error may sit on only one report.
• If you lose, you can still add a consumer statement explaining your side, free of charge.
• Keep proof you mailed it by holding onto a dated copy of your letter plus your PostPal mailing confirmation.

You are looking at your Equifax report and there it is: a $4,200 loan you never took out. Maybe it is fraud. Maybe it is a clerical mix-up with someone who shares your name. Either way, one wrong entry can drop your score or sink a mortgage application, and the bureaus will not fix it until you tell them to. Here are the errors worth a dispute.

• Accounts that aren't yours. A credit card or loan you never opened. Usually that means fraud, or a file mixed up with someone who shares your name.
• Wrong balances or limits. A balance you paid off still showing as owed. An inflated number. A credit limit reported lower than it really is, which wrecks your utilization ratio.
• Fraud or identity theft. Accounts or inquiries opened by someone using your information. Move fast on these, and expect to attach a police report or other identity-theft paperwork.
• Outdated information. A collection, late payment, or bankruptcy that should have dropped off by now but is still sitting there. Negative items only stay for a set number of years under provincial consumer-reporting rules.
• Duplicate accounts. The same debt listed twice. This happens when the original lender and a collection agency both report it, as if you owed two separate balances.
• Wrong personal details. A name, address, date of birth, or employer that is off. Often the first sign your file has gotten tangled with someone else's.

Not sure whether something counts as an error? Flag it anyway. The bureau goes back to the lender that reported it and checks.

You can't dispute what you can't see. Start by pulling your report from each bureau. In Canada you have the right to request your own report, and it costs nothing.

• Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada both give you free access to your own file. Request it online, or by mail with the consumer request form on each bureau's website.
• Pull both. Lenders don't always report to both bureaus, so an error can sit on one report and be invisible on the other. Check one only and you might miss it entirely.
• Read it line by line. Every account, every balance, every inquiry, plus your personal details. Write down what is wrong and what it should say instead.

Print the report and circle the error. That marked-up page goes in the envelope with your dispute. If you want a checklist while you read, the FCAC's guidance on checking for errors is solid.

Each bureau has its own dispute form. That's the cleanest way to go. Can't get to the form? A plain letter does the job. Treat Equifax and TransUnion as two separate disputes, because they investigate on their own and don't talk to each other.

The process, step by step

1. Pin down the error. Name the account, name the company that reported it, and spell out what is wrong. For example: "balance shown as $4,200; correct balance is $0, paid in full on March 3, 2026." Vague disputes get vague answers.
2. Fill out the form, or write the letter. Equifax has a dispute form you download and print. TransUnion takes disputes by mail too. Grab the current versions from the Equifax Canada dispute page and the TransUnion Canada disputes page.
3. Attach your proof. The marked-up report page, copies of your supporting documents, and copies of two pieces of ID.
4. Send it to the right address. It has to land at the dispute department, not general mail. PostPal keeps a verified directory so you have the current one: where to mail your Equifax Canada dispute and where to mail your TransUnion Canada dispute.

When the letter's ready, type or upload it at postpal.ca/send. We print it, fold it into an envelope, and drop it in the mail via Canada Post the next business day, then email you a dated confirmation. No printer, no stamp, no hunting for an envelope.

A complete package gets worked faster and skips the "we need more information" letter that adds weeks. Equifax Canada spells out what it wants, and the list is short:

• The completed dispute form or your letter.
• The report page with the error circled.
• Two pieces of valid government-issued ID (copies, front and back). Add a recent proof of address dated within 90 days if your current address isn't on your ID.
• Copies of whatever proves your case. A bank statement showing a zero balance. A paid-in-full or release letter from the lender or collection agency. Court or bankruptcy discharge papers. A police report, if you are dealing with fraud.

Copies only. Never originals. The bureau does not mail your documents back, and you will want the originals down the road.

Here is a letter you can adapt:

Once the dispute lands, the law makes the bureau investigate. This is how it usually plays out.

• It goes back to the source. If your documents are enough to fix the error outright, the bureau fixes it. If not, it contacts the company that reported the information and asks them to confirm.
• The clock. TransUnion Canada wraps up investigations within about 30 days of getting your request. Equifax Canada turns mailed disputes around in roughly 20 to 25 days. Ask for more information from either of them and the clock resets longer.
• You hear back in writing. Mail your dispute in and the answer comes back by mail. If the disputed item can't be verified, it gets corrected or pulled off your report.

Got the fix? Request a fresh copy of your report and confirm the change actually shows up. Then go check the other bureau for the same error.

Proof here is not fancy. You just want a record of what you sent and the date you sent it. Two things do it.

• A dated copy of everything you mailed. The letter or form, plus every document you attached, with the date on it. This is your paper trail if you ever have to escalate.
• Your PostPal mailing confirmation. When we mail your letter, you get a dated email confirming it went out. That is your timestamp. No receipts to chase, no forms to fill in.

The dated copy and the confirmation together show you filed, and when. That is the whole bar. You don't need a service counter or anything more elaborate.

Sometimes the bureau checks the item, calls it accurate, and refuses to budge. You are not stuck. A few moves are still open to you.

• Add a consumer statement. If the investigation didn't go your way, you can attach a short statement to your file explaining your side, for free. Equifax gives you up to 800 characters. TransUnion allows about 100 words. It shows up every time someone pulls your report, so lenders read your version too.
• Send more evidence. Dig up a document you didn't have the first time and file a fresh dispute built around the stronger proof.
• Escalate to your provincial regulator. Consumer reporting is regulated province by province. If the bureau botched the investigation, blew past the deadline, or won't fix something that is plainly wrong, take it to your province's consumer protection office.
• Loop in the FCAC. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada has guidance on credit-report errors and your rights, and can steer you to the right escalation path.

A consumer statement or an escalation letter goes in the mail the same way your original dispute did.

Should I dispute with the bureau or with the lender?

Either works, and doing both often helps. Disputing with the bureau kicks off a formal investigation, and the bureau goes to the lender to verify. Going straight to the lender can fix it at the source. When the mistake is clearly the lender's reporting error, hitting both at once tends to move faster.

Does disputing hurt my credit score?

No. Filing a dispute doesn't touch your score, and it costs nothing. If the dispute wins and an inaccurate negative item comes off, your score can actually go up.

How long does the investigation take?

About 30 days for most people. TransUnion Canada finishes within roughly 30 days of receiving your request, and Equifax Canada turns mailed disputes around in about 20 to 25 days. It runs longer when the bureau asks for more information.

Do I have to dispute with both Equifax and TransUnion?

Only if the error shows up on both. Lenders don't always report to both bureaus, so pull both reports and dispute wherever the error appears. Each one is handled on its own.

What if the error is from identity theft or fraud?

Move on it fast. Pull together your identity-theft paperwork, a police report included, and send copies with the dispute. It's also worth placing a fraud alert on your file and calling your bank about any account you don't recognize.

Can I send originals of my documents?

No. Copies only. The bureau won't mail your documents back, and you will need the originals again.

What if the bureau says the information is accurate but I disagree?

Add a free consumer statement to your file laying out your position, file a new dispute with more evidence, or escalate to your provincial consumer protection office or the FCAC.

The dispute itself is free and it is your right. The bureaus are slow and bureaucratic, but they do have to investigate, and a clean package with your proof and ID attached is what gets that $4,200 phantom loan off your file. Give it about 30 days. If they dig in, the consumer statement and the escalation routes are still there.

Honestly, the part that stalls most people isn't the letter. It's getting it into the mail. Type or upload your dispute at postpal.ca/send and we print it, stuff the envelope, and send it via Canada Post the next business day, then email you a dated confirmation for your records.

Mail your credit dispute with PostPal →

Related Posts

• Where to Mail Your Equifax Canada Dispute
• Where to Mail Your TransUnion Canada Dispute
• Mail Documents Remotely