One of the most visible indicators of your financial health is your credit score. By analyzing it, lenders know your level of responsibility when using credit. The higher your score, the easier it is for you to get loans or credit. Also, a higher credit score will give a lower interest rate when applying for a loan. However, at times, life happens and one (or more) of your accounts gets sent to collections because you failed to pay a debt to a lender, creditor, landlord etc. Whatever your circ*mstance, it can significantly reduce your credit score. The question is how many points your credit score will increase if a collection is deleted. Let’s find out!
What is a Collection Account?
A collection account is a record made on someone’s credit report. It serves as a warning to others that they have defaulted on a monetary obligation. It’s one of the most harmful items that can appear on your credit report. Collection accounts can decrease your credit score by up to 100 points. That is particularly true if your credit score was good before. A collection account can significantly reduce your credit score because it affects your payment history, which deems for 35% of your credit score. So, people with collection accounts will have lower credit scores than those who don’t.
A Long-term Strategy to Improve Your Credit After a Collection
Making timely payments on your loan and credit accounts is a good long-term way to improve your credit score after your credit report receives a collection. Doing that is essential as your payment history accounts for 35% of your credit score. Moreover, pay any unpaid debts on time, so they are not sent to a collection agency. If they are, the agency can add a new collection to your credit report. That will only further reduce your credit score. Also, you can decrease the amount of debt you owe to improve your credit score because the more available credit you’re using, the lower your credit score will be. Try to keep your credit utilization below 30% because anything above 30% will negatively affect your credit score. Lastly, don’t apply for many loans or credit cards in a short time. Every time you submit a credit request for a loan or credit card, the creditor or lender puts a hard inquiry on your credit report, which may reduce your credit score by up to 10 points. So, minimizing your credit requests can improve your credit score. Even though one hard inquiry won’t lower your credit score too much, submitting several requests in a short time can decrease your score by a few valuable points.
Paying off a Collection
Paying off a collection will, in most cases, have either no impact or a negative impact on your credit. Let’s say you had a collection reported on your account back in 2017. As it gets older, your credit score slightly improves, but if you decide to pay it off now in 2021, it will appear as current on your credit report. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of how that can negatively impact their credit score. Still, paying it off won’t remove it, as the law doesn’t demand collection agencies to delete paid collections from credit reports. Unless you’re patient enough to wait until it hits the limitation period (approximately seven years), the only way to remove it is to negotiate its deletion. However, if you think the collection added to your credit report doesn’t belong to you, you can dispute it through the credit reporting bureaus. If they find it true, they will delete it from your credit report.
Does the Amount of a Collection Matter?
The amount of the collection is irrelevant. It will influence your credit score in the same way, whether that’s 200 or 2000 thousand dollars. What counts is the number of collections you have. The more you have, the more they affect your credit score. The critical alteration will happen when the first one appears on your credit report. Subsequent collections will have an effect, but smaller. However, if the agencies discontinue reporting more, your credit score will gradually improve.
Exactly How Much Will My Credit Score Increase if a Collection Is Deleted?
There’s no concrete answer to this question because every credit report is unique, and it will depend on how much the collection is currently affecting your credit score. If it has reduced your credit score by 100 points, removing it will likely boost your score by 100 points. A credit analyst can give you a better idea of how it will affect your particular situation.
How To Remove Collections From Credit Report
One of the ways to delete a collection account is to call the collection agency and try to negotiate with them. Ask them to delete the collection in exchange for paying off your debt. Also, get the agreement in writing. If they accept it, your credit could increase by as much as 100 points. However, if they refuse, don’t hesitate to call credit experts to help you out.
Consult a Credit Expert
Negotiating with debt collectors by yourself can be tricky. Why not consult credit experts who are educated in this field and can give you valuable advice on such matters? White, Jacobs & Associates is always available for free counsel for those of you who want your buying power back.
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