How to Repair Bad Credit Quickly and Effectively

Learn how long it takes to repair bad credit and what steps you can take right away to get back on track.

How to Repair Bad Credit Quickly and Effectively

If you are 30 days behind on your mortgage payment, you can repair your credit in approximately 9 months to three years. The higher your initial score, the longer it will take you to fully recover from the setback. Unfortunately, there is no quick way to repair or fix your credit. How long it takes to rebuild your credit history depends on the severity of your credit problems and how your credit history was affected. It could take just a few months, or it could require several years of commitment.

In either case, there are steps you can start taking right away to help you get your credit back. The process still takes between 1 and 6 months, depending on the number of disputes you need to file. The average consumer typically completes the credit repair process in approximately 3 to 6 months, but it may be less if their reports only contain a few errors to correct. The short answer is that it usually takes at least a year to recover from bad credit, assuming you do everything right. But it all depends on your starting point, the length of your credit history, and the steps you take in the future.

The length of the credit repair process depends on the status of your credit reports. Inaccuracies that affect your credit rating can be eliminated much faster than a history of late or unpaid payments. With the right approach, many items may be eliminated, which could increase your FICO score. Every year, many consumers make the decision to try to speed up the process by going to a credit repair company. Sure, you can escape the depths of bad credit long before that date by compensating for negative credit report records with an avalanche of positive information. So, while the repair process may only take 3 to 6 months, the time needed to rebuild your credit may take longer.

The best credit repair company with the longest track record of success may not be the cheapest option, but it has a history of getting the job done as quickly as possible. If you are repairing your credit on your own, you determine how quickly this part of the process takes place because you are in control. If you have hired a representation, your credit repair company should be able to give you an idea of how long it should take in your situation. Of course, if you just have to fix a few mistakes or repair your credit every year, it might not take that long; it might be over in just over a month. Because people often repair their credit with a specific goal in mind, such as buying a home or negotiating an interest rate with a creditor, it's important to know how long the process may take in order to plan effectively. Every year, thousands of Americans turn to credit repair services to provide them with the education and help they need to jumpstart their financial lives.

If you pay for a credit repair service, the company will help you streamline so that you do it as quickly as possible. In addition, you can learn more about the causes and consequences of bad credit by exploring all the reasons why credit ratings go down. A few months of responsible credit card use will help rebuild your credit, and 12 to 18 months may be enough to turn a bad credit score into a good or good one. Bad credit isn't a life sentence, which is good news for about one-third of people with credit scores lower than 620. Legitimate negative items can't be eliminated through credit repair disputes, so you may simply have to wait for them to happen. There is no standard time frame for how long it can take to repair past credit errors and increase your score to the “good credit” range, which means a FICO score of 670 or higher.