The Act is a set of clocks. Most disputes fail because someone guessed at one. My Uncle Reginald taught civics with a wall chart of deadlines, and I've kept the habit. Here is the chart.
| What | How long | From when | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bureau must finish a reinvestigation | 30 days (45 if you send more mid-stream) | receipt of your dispute | 1681i(a)(1) |
| Bureau must notify the furnisher | 5 business days | receipt | 1681i(a)(2) |
| Bureau must send you the results | 5 business days | completion | 1681i(a)(6) |
| Bureau must block identity-theft items | 4 business days | receipt of an identity theft report | 1681c-2 |
| Free report after an adverse action | request within 60 days | the adverse action notice | 1681j(b) |
| Lender must tell you why (adverse action) | at the time of the action | the decision | 1681m |
| Freeze placed (online/phone) | 1 business day | request | 1681c-1 |
| Freeze lifted (online/phone) | 1 hour | request | 1681c-1 |
| Most negative items expire | 7 years | date of first delinquency | 1681c(a) |
| Bankruptcy expires | 10 years | the filing | 1681c(a)(1) |
| Sue for a violation | 2 years from discovery, 5 from the event | — | 1681p |
Which means: every step in your plan has a date you can write down the day the green card comes back. Day 0 is receipt. Day 5, the furnisher has your letter. Day 30, the reinvestigation is due. Day 35, the results letter is due. Day 36 with no letter is a violation, and the complaint to the CFPB writes itself.
Print the table. Tape it inside the folder. Step one, before Friday: write Day 0 for every letter you've mailed, from the green cards.
Sources
Every statutory citation in this article was checked against the source listed before publication. Nothing here is legal advice; if your situation has legal consequences, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.