Written and reviewed by Quick Tax and Credit. Published 2026-10-07. Educational only. Results vary.
For many people, no. The FTC says anything a credit repair company can legally do, you can do yourself for little or no cost: get free reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and dispute errors directly with the credit bureaus. Paid help can make sense if your reports have many errors or identity-theft accounts and you want organized, documented follow-up. No company can remove accurate information.
Yes. Order your Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion reports from AnnualCreditReport.com, mark items that look inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable, and dispute them with the bureau and the company that furnished them. The FTC publishes a sample dispute letter. Disputing mistakes does not cost a fee to the bureaus. Doing it yourself does not mean accurate items will come off.
Paid help can make sense when a report is long, many items look wrong, or identity theft created accounts that are not yours, and you want organized follow-up. A company is still limited to lawful accuracy disputes. You can dispute on your own instead. Results vary either way, and accurate, timely information may remain.
Red flags include a promise to erase accurate negative items, a demand for payment before credit repair services are fully performed where advance fees are prohibited, pressure to lie or to invent a new credit identity, and no written contract with a three-business-day right to cancel. Compare any sales pitch with FTC guidance before you pay.
Under the Credit Repair Organizations Act, a credit repair organization generally may not charge you before its services are fully performed. You should receive a written contract, and you can cancel within three business days. This page does not list dollar amounts. Tax preparation fees, if you hire that service, are separate. See our disclaimer.
Doing it yourself costs little or nothing beyond your time, using free reports and bureau disputes. Hiring help adds organization and follow-up, and credit repair fees come only after services are fully performed where advance fees are prohibited. Neither path can remove accurate, timely negative information or promise a score change.
| Do it yourself | Hire help | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | You track letters and deadlines | Someone else organizes follow-up |
| Cost | Little or no cost for reports and disputes | Fees only after services are fully performed, where advance fees are prohibited |
| What it can do | Dispute inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable items | The same lawful disputes, plus organization |
| What it cannot do | Remove accurate, timely negatives or promise a score | The same limits. Results vary |
Quick Tax and Credit, 939 W Jefferson Blvd, Suite 109, Dallas, TX 75208. (214) 647-1669. This article is general education, not a promise of any score change, deletion, refund, or IRS result.
