How can i remove a tax lien from my credit report?

Remove IRS tax lien from credit reports

• How do I remove my IRS tax lien from credit reports? My lien has just passed the 10 year statute of limitations and has been released by statute, but I understand from the IRS recorded message at the lien help desk that I must notify the credit reporting services. Must I do it? How do I do it? Where do I do it? Will there be a resistance or stigma or notation on my record? How long to purge this? (This is the single negative on my 2006 credit reports.)

• Answer:

  Hi rustytoo, It's possible that the IRS informed the bureaus for you, but since they told you to do it yourself, you should make an effort to contact each of the bureaus in order to ensure that the lien is removed. You could take as long as you want to do this-- if the credit bureaus haven't removed the item, you have the right to dispute an incorrect item at any time. However, it is best to do this as soon as possible to make sure your reports are correct in case you need them at some point, for a loan or a mortgage. There should not be any kind of notation in the credit report, unless the lien is unpaid, in which case it will not be removed. It only stays on the credit reports for seven years if it has been paid. First, you should write letters or call each of the credit reporting agencies and request that the lien be removed from your records. Sign and date the letter, and include your full name, address, date of birth, and social security number. If you have a copy of your report, include it for their reference. Send it by certified mail, return receipt requested, to ensure that they receive it. It's important that this lien gets off your record. Alternatively, you could call each agency, but this could be a time-consuming process filled with long waits on hold. It is a possibility, however. You'll have to send a letter to all three bureaus. Here are their addresses: Equifax P.O. Box 105873 Atlanta, GA. 30348 (800) 685-1111 or (770) 612-3200 For Georgia, Vermont or Massachusetts (800) 548-4548 For Maryland, (800) 233-7654 Web site address: www.equifax.com Experian P.O. Box 2104 Allen, Texas 75013-2104 (888) 397-3742 Web site address: www.experian.com Trans Union Corporation Consumer Disclosure Center P.O. Box 390 Springfield, PA. 19064-0390 (800) 916-8800 Web site address: www.tuc.com Then, you should obtain a copy of your credit report. You can do this for free once a year from here: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp If any of your credit reports from the three agencies still show the lien, you can call them to dispute it or dispute the item online. Experian Dispute Page http://www.experian.com/disputes/index.html Trans Union Dispute Page http://www.transunion.com/content/page.jsp?id=/personalsolutions/general/data/DisputeCreditReport.xml Equifax Dispute Page https://www.econsumer.equifax.com/consumer/sitepage.ehtml?forward=online_dispute Overall, you should be free and clear of the lien on your reports relatively easily. Sources: http://www.allaboutcreditreports.com/CleanYourCreditReports.cfm Search terms: remove tax lien credit reports If you need any additional help or clarification, let me know and I'd be glad to assist! Cheers, --keystroke-ga