Medical Debt on Your Credit Report: The 2026 Rules
By Dalton Goodyear · Fact-checked October 31, 2026 · 7 min read
The short answer
As of 2026, there is no federal ban on medical debt in credit reports. A federal court vacated the CFPB's 2025 rule in July 2025. The three national credit bureaus still say they leave off paid medical collections, medical collections under $500, and unpaid medical debt less than a year old. Some states add their own limits.
- The CFPB's rule to remove medical bills from credit reports was vacated by a federal court in Texas on July 11, 2025. It never took effect.
- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion voluntarily exclude paid medical collections, medical collections with an initial balance under $500, and unpaid medical debt less than one year old.
- If a medical collection breaks those policies, dispute it with the credit bureau. It generally has 30 days to investigate.
- A debt collector must send validation information. A written dispute within the validation period makes it pause collection until it verifies the debt.
Medical debt is common. KFF estimates that about 20 million adults, nearly 1 in 12, owe more than $250 in medical debt, based on federal survey data from late 2021.
The rules on whether that debt can hurt your credit changed several times between 2022 and 2025. Here is where things stand as of October 2026, and what you can do about a medical collection on your report.
Can medical debt still go on your credit report in 2026?
Yes, in some cases. There is no federal rule that bans it. What limits it today are the credit bureaus' own policies and, in some states, state rules.
| Medical debt situation | Shows on Equifax, Experian, TransUnion? |
|---|---|
| Paid medical collection | No. Removed since July 1, 2022. |
| Unpaid medical debt less than 1 year old | No. The bureaus wait one year before it can appear. |
| Medical collection with an initial balance under $500 | No. Removed since April 2023. |
| Unpaid medical collection of $500 or more, over 1 year old | Yes, it can appear. |
| Medical bill paid with a credit card | Yes. It is credit card debt, not medical debt, for these policies. |
Collection accounts generally can't stay on your report for more than seven years. The clock starts 180 days after the debt first became delinquent.
What happened to the CFPB medical debt rule?
On January 7, 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule that would have kept medical bills off most credit reports. Industry groups sued. In 2025, the CFPB joined them in asking the court to vacate its own rule.
On July 11, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated the rule in Cornerstone Credit Union League v. CFPB. The court found the CFPB went beyond its authority under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The rule never took effect.
Then, in October 2025, the CFPB issued an interpretive rule saying federal credit reporting rules generally override state laws that keep medical debt off credit reports. The CFPB itself says that interpretive rule is not binding, and courts have not settled the question.
Do state laws protect me?
Possibly. According to the National Consumer Law Center, about 15 states and Washington, DC had passed laws limiting medical debt reporting as of September 2026. They vary a lot. Some limit what providers or collectors can report, and some limit what the bureaus can include. Whether some of these laws survive court challenges is still being fought.
Check with your state's consumer protection office for what applies to you. Wyoming residents can start with Wyoming's medical bill rules.
How do I check for medical debt on my credit report?
Get your free reports from AnnualCreditReport.com, the central site for free reports from all three bureaus. Free weekly reports are available there. Look for any collection that is marked medical or that names a hospital, clinic, lab or ambulance company.
Then check each one against the table above. Is it paid? Was the original balance under $500? Is it less than a year since it went unpaid? Any yes means it likely should not be there under the bureaus' policies.
How do I dispute a medical collection on my credit report?
File a dispute directly with the bureau that shows it. The bureau generally has 30 days to investigate, which can stretch by up to 15 days if you send more information during that time. If the item is wrong, incomplete or can't be verified, the bureau must delete or fix it.
“I am disputing the medical collection listed as [collector name], account [number], balance $[amount]. This item should not appear on my report because [it was paid on (date) / the initial balance was under $500 / the debt is less than one year delinquent / I do not owe this debt]. I have attached [proof of payment / the original bill]. Please delete this item.”
What is a debt validation notice?
When a debt collector first contacts you, it must give you validation information, either in that first message or within five days after. Federal debt collection rules (Regulation F) say this notice must include, among other things:
- The name of the creditor the debt is owed to now
- An itemization date and the amount owed on that date
- Interest, fees, payments and credits since that date, and the current amount
- A section you can use to dispute the debt
The validation period generally ends 30 days after you receive the notice. The collector may assume you got it five business days after it was sent. Mark that date.
How do I dispute a medical debt with a collector?
Dispute in writing, within the validation period. If you do, the collector must stop collecting the disputed debt until it sends you verification. If you ask in writing for the name and address of the original creditor, it must also pause until it sends that.
“[Date] Re: Your reference number [number] I dispute this debt. Please send verification, including an itemized statement from the original medical provider and the name and address of the original creditor. Until you do, please stop collection of this debt. If you have reported this debt, please tell the credit reporting companies that it is disputed. [Your name and mailing address]”
Other ways to keep medical debt off your report
- Check the bill first. Errors are worth fixing before anything reaches collections. See how to dispute a medical bill.
- Apply for financial assistance. Nonprofit hospitals generally can't report you to the credit bureaus until at least 120 days after the first post-discharge bill, and must pause once you send a complete application. See hospital financial assistance.
- Use the Good Faith Estimate dispute. If you are uninsured and the bill is $400 or more over your estimate, a federal dispute bars the provider from sending it to collections while it is open. See the No Surprises Act guide.
- Be wary of paid promises. The CFPB warns against paying anyone who promises to remove medical bills from your credit report.
If a bureau or collector won't fix a clear error, file a complaint with the CFPB online or by phone at (855) 411-2372. For a credit report error, the CFPB asks you to dispute with the bureau first.
Common questions
Is medical debt removed from credit reports in 2026?
Not all of it. The CFPB rule that would have removed most medical bills was vacated by a federal court on July 11, 2025. The three national credit bureaus still voluntarily leave off paid medical collections, medical collections under $500, and unpaid medical debt less than a year old. Larger, older unpaid medical collections can still appear.
Does paying a medical collection remove it from my credit report?
Under the policies of Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, paid medical collection debt is no longer included on U.S. credit reports, a change that took effect July 1, 2022. If a paid medical collection still shows, dispute it with the bureau and include your proof of payment. Get a receipt whenever you pay a collector.
How long can medical debt stay on my credit report?
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, collection accounts generally can't be reported for more than seven years. The seven years start 180 days after the debt first became delinquent. Separately, the national bureaus say unpaid medical debt does not appear at all until it is one year old, and paid medical collections are removed.
What should I do when I get a medical debt collection letter?
Don't ignore it, and don't pay right away. Find the validation notice, mark the end of the validation period, and compare the debt to your original bill and EOB. If anything is wrong, dispute it in writing within the validation period. The collector must then pause collection until it sends verification.
Sources
- CFPB finalizes rule to remove medical bills from credit reports (archived, with court update) · CFPB
- Medical debt: anything already paid or under $500 should no longer be on your credit report · CFPB
- Can medical debt impact credit scores? · Equifax
- Fair Credit Reporting Act; preemption of state laws (interpretive rule) · Federal Register
- The latest on keeping medical debt out of credit reports · National Consumer Law Center
- The burden of medical debt in the United States · Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker
- 15 U.S.C. 1681c: Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports · Cornell LII
- 15 U.S.C. 1681i: Procedure in case of disputed accuracy · Cornell LII
- 12 CFR 1006.34: Validation information · Cornell LII
- 12 CFR 1006.38: Disputes and requests for original-creditor information · Cornell LII
Ahem is a self-help tool. It is not a law firm, a medical provider, or an insurer. This guide is general information, not advice about your situation. Rules change; we recheck each guide and show the date above. Spot an error? Tell us.