Lesson · Facts first · Free
Collections and medical debt — what changed and what didn't
Medical collections got gentler; everything else still runs on the old clock. Know which rules apply to your item.
The facts
- 01Since July 2022, unpaid medical bills do not appear on your credit report until they are at least one year old — the old 180-day waiting period was doubled to give insurance disputes time to resolve.
- 02Since April 2023, the three bureaus remove medical collections once they are paid — paid medical collections no longer appear on your report at all.
- 03The bureaus stopped reporting collections under $500 beginning in 2022 — many small balances never hit the report.
- 04Negative items generally stay seven years from the date of first delinquency (FCRA §605); Chapter 7 bankruptcies stay ten. Nobody legitimate can delete an accurate, in-window item — pay-for-delete is a negotiation some collectors accept and no one is required to.
- 05Paying an old collection does not remove it — it can even reset the reporting clock in some states. Check the date of first delinquency before paying anything old.
Sources
- CFPB — Medical debt and your credit: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/medical-debt/
- Cornell LII — 15 U.S.C. §1681c (§605 reporting limits): https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681c
- Experian — paid medical collections policy: https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/medical-collections-removed-from-credit-reports/
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Disclaimer: Educational information only — not credit repair, legal, or financial advice. You can always dispute items yourself for free directly with the bureaus.