THE NO JOB LIFESTYLETimelines by type
- Open, active accounts: reported as long as they stay open and the issuer keeps reporting.
- Closed in good standing: bureaus commonly keep these up to about 10 years after closing, and they often continue adding to your history.
- Late payments: up to seven years from the date of the delinquency.
- Collections and charge offs: about seven years, measured from the first delinquency that led to the action, with up to 180 days added.
- Chapter 7 bankruptcy: up to 10 years from the filing date.
- Hard inquiries: up to two years on reports, though FICO counts them only for 12 months.
Authorized user accounts
When you are added to someone's card, the full history of the account may appear on your report for as long as you stay on it and the issuer reports it. Once you are removed, the account often disappears from your file, usually within a billing cycle or two. In some cases it stays until you dispute it, and the bureau can then delete it because it is not yours.
Removal may mean a change in your score, since your average age and available credit can shift. If you had only that account, the effect can be sharp. Plan ahead by opening one or two accounts of your own before the seat comes to an end.
Purchased tradelines
Paid seats are normally rented for a set period, often about 30 to 60 days. When the time ends, the seller removes you, and the account generally disappears soon after. Any benefit tends to go too. That short window is one reason we do not build plans around them, along with the facts that scoring models may discount them and lenders may ask questions.
If you were sold a seat and something seems wrong, for example you do not see the account after the promised date, ask the seller for its documents. Also read its terms before you pay anything, and be careful about sharing sensitive details.
How to make history last
For a tradeline to help you for years, it needs to be yours and stay in good standing. Keep your oldest no fee card open and use it lightly, because a card that sits idle may be closed by the issuer. Keep your balances low and never let a payment reach 30 days late. Check your reports at AnnualCreditReport.com to confirm your accounts are listed as expected.
If an item stays past its limit, dispute it with the bureau. Negative data older than the allowed time should not be reported, and you can dispute it even without other proof beyond your dates. Keep any records that show the original delinquency date, as this date sets the clock and should not change when a debt gets sold.
Questions people ask
Does closing a card remove it right away?
No. A closed account in good standing usually stays for years. Its limit, however, no longer helps your utilization ratio.
Can you ask for an old positive account to stay longer?
Not generally. Bureaus follow their own retention policy, and there is no process to request extending it.
Does a negative mark restart when a debt is sold?
It should not. The reporting clock runs from the original delinquency, so a changed date is worth disputing.