How long negative accounts stay on a credit report

General reporting periods

• Late payments: about 7 years from the date of the delinquency
• Collection accounts: about 7 years from the original delinquency with the first creditor — not from the date the collector bought it
• Charge-offs: about 7 years from the original delinquency date
• Chapter 7 bankruptcy: about 10 years from the filing date
• Chapter 13 bankruptcy: about 7 years from the filing date
• Hard inquiries: about 2 years, though they typically affect scoring for about 12 months
• Most judgments and tax liens: generally no longer reported by the nationwide agencies

The date of first delinquency controls the clock

The single most misunderstood field on a credit report is the date of first delinquency — the date the account first went late and never came current. Every 7-year clock runs from that date.

Selling a debt to a new collector does not restart it. Making a payment on an old collection does not legally restart the reporting clock either, although it may restart the state statute of limitations for a lawsuit, which is a separate issue.

Re-aging is a common error

When a collector reports a newer delinquency date than the original creditor did, the item stays on your report past its legal life. This is one of the most productive things a three-bureau audit uncovers, because the comparison across bureaus exposes the inconsistency.

Impact fades before the item disappears

Scoring models weigh recent behavior far more heavily than old behavior. A 5-year-old late payment usually hurts far less than a 6-month-old one, so consistent positive activity starts helping long before the negative item drops off.