Home › FCRA damages and deadlines
Fair Credit Reporting Act
The FCRA lets consumers sue companies that break it, and it makes the company pay your attorney fees if you win. That's why many consumer attorneys take these cases without charging you up front. Here's what the law allows, and how long you have.
If a company knowingly or recklessly violated the law, you can recover either your actual damages or statutory damages of $100 to $1,000, plus punitive damages if a court allows them, plus court costs and reasonable attorney fees.
If a company was careless, you can recover your actual damages, plus court costs and reasonable attorney fees. Statutory damages aren't available for negligence alone.
Courts have recognized higher interest you were charged, a loan or card you were denied, a job or apartment you lost, and in many courts emotional distress, damage to reputation, and the time and expense of fixing the problem. Documentation matters: denial letters, rate quotes, and a record of what you went through.
An FCRA lawsuit must be filed by the earlier of:
Each new failure can be a new violation. A new dispute that's mishandled, or an error that's reinserted, can start its own clock. But don't count on that. If an error has cost you something, talk to an attorney well before the two-year mark.
We can't tell you what a claim is worth. That depends on the facts, the court, and the evidence, and only an attorney can assess it. What we can do is help you build the paper trail an attorney will want to see.
Everything on this site you can do yourself, for free. If you'd rather have help, pick the path that fits.
BCR Consulting prepares and sends disputes on your behalf and tracks every deadline.
The Deletion Machine walks you through disputes step by step and keeps your paper trail organized.
If a violation cost you a loan, a job, or an apartment, or it keeps happening, a consumer attorney can tell you what the claim is worth.
Being called by a debt collector too? See FDCPAViolations.org for what collectors are and aren't allowed to do.