Does medical debt go on your credit report?

The short answer

Medical debt can still appear on a credit report, but much less often than before. No federal law keeps it off Source 11. The three national credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) follow their own policy:

• Paid medical collections are left off your report Source 22.
• Small medical collections are left off too. The key facts above give the limit. The bureaus said this change removed most medical collection accounts from reports. Their share was 70% (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion joint release, Effective April 11, 2023).
• Unpaid medical collections must wait a year before they can appear Source 22.

This is a voluntary policy, not a law. Larger unpaid medical collections that are more than a year old can still be reported in states without a ban of their own Source 11.

What happened to the federal rule?

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule to keep medical bills off the credit reports lenders use Source 33. It never took effect: a federal court struck it down Source 11.

After that, the CFPB published an interpretation saying federal credit reporting law overrides state laws on what credit reports may contain, including state bans on medical debt. The CFPB says this interpretation is not legally binding, and the courts decide Source 44.

Which states restrict medical debt on credit reports?

Some states have their own laws. Each row below gives the law, the date it took effect, its status in court and the date we last checked it.

Court cases can change these rules quickly:

• A federal court held that federal law overrides a Texas law that kept certain out-of-network medical debts off credit reports, and blocked it. That ruling conflicts with an earlier appeals court decision on a Maine law Source 55.
• Colorado's law is being challenged in federal court, and so is Maine's newer, complete ban Source 66.

A state law can protect you, but check its status in the table before you rely on it. Our medical debt laws by state tracker will show these laws next to each state's other medical debt rules.

How many people still have medical debt on their reports?

Far fewer than before the bureau changes. After the changes, the share of Americans with medical bills on their credit reports fell. It was about 5% (CFPB, March 2022 to June 2023) Credit report data, March 2022 to June 2023.

More recent credit bureau data counts people with a credit record who have medical debt in collections. Their share was 3.2% (Urban Institute, Debt in America interactive map (2025 update), August 2025 credit bureau data) Credit report data from August 2025. It undercounts, because seven states restrict reporting.

Other rules that protect you

• Medical details stay private. A credit bureau may report medical debt for credit purposes only if it does not name the provider or the kind of care, and lenders generally may not use medical information in credit decisions Source 99.
• Time limit. A collection may not be reported once it reaches a set age. That limit is 7 years (15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)(4), (c)(1) (Cornell LII), published 2026). The count does not start the day you fall behind. It starts once you have been behind for 180 days (15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)(4), (c)(1) (Cornell LII), published 2026).
• Veterans. The bureaus must remove a veteran's medical debt once it is fully paid or settled, and may not report it until it reaches a set age, counted from the date of care Source 1010. That wait is 1 year (15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)(7)-(8) (Cornell LII), Since 2018).
• A collector must reach you first. Before reporting a debt to a credit bureau, a collection agency must speak to you, or send you a notice and wait a reasonable time to see whether it came back undelivered Source 1111.

How to check your credit reports

You can get free weekly reports from each of the three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com, the only official site, or by phone at 1-877-322-8228 Source 1212. Look at all three: they don't always match.

How to dispute medical debt on your report

1. Find the account on each report and note the name of the company that reported it.
2. Check whether it should be there. Dispute it if the debt was paid, is under the bureaus' threshold, is still inside the bureaus' waiting period, was cancelled, was covered by financial assistance or is not yours.
3. Dispute it with each credit bureau that shows it, online or by mail, and send copies (never originals) of your proof. The bureau must look into it for free and, in most cases, finish within 30 days (15 U.S.C. 1681i(a), United States Code via GovInfo, published 2024). It must delete or correct the item if it is wrong, incomplete or can't be verified, and send you the results Source 1515.
4. Dispute it with the collector too. A written dispute sent in time makes it pause collecting the disputed amount until it answers Source 1313. The time you have, counted from its first notice, is 30 days (CFPB, published January 29, 2024). This is called debt validation.
5. Keep a record of what you sent and when.

If a bureau or collector does not fix a mistake, you can complain to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint or 1-855-411-2372 Source 1414.

Does paying a medical collection remove it?

Under the bureaus' current policy, yes: once a medical collection is paid, it is left off your report Source 22. If it is still there after you pay, dispute it with the bureau and send your proof of payment. Before you pay an old debt, read about time limits in our guide on what happens if you don't pay a medical bill.