- 1). Visit www.annualcreditreport.com and order a free copy of your credit report. In 2003, Congress passed The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) which requires the three major credit bureaus to provide the free report once a year to consumers; this website was designed expressly for that purpose. Consumers can order their reports through the mail and by phone also.
- 2). Locate the section entitled "public records." There you will find all judgments, bankruptcies or tax liens associated with your name and social security number. Make sure your credit report isn't merged with that of another consumer.
- 3). Look on the report and find the name of the courthouse where the tax lien was entered. Take note of the date the lien was filed against you and the dollar amount.
- 4). File an online dispute with the credit bureau indicating that the appearance of that federal tax lien on your report is in error. If more than one lien is on your report, specify exactly which one is incorrect. State why you believe the information is false: that the lien has been paid or is beyond the seven-year statute of limitation for appearing on a report as outlined in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA); the tax lien does not belong to you; or the IRS made an error since you never owed any back taxes.
- 5). The credit bureau will investigate your dispute within 30 days. They will contact the IRS and/or the clerk of the court where the lien was filed. Once the investigation is complete, the bureau will send an email to you with your results. If your dispute was requested via phone or by mail, the results will be mailed to you.
- 6). If the credit bureau is unable to resolve the discrepancy, contact the IRS directly. You can also enlist the help of Taxpayer Advocates, IRS employees whose sole responsibility is to advocate on behalf of taxpayers in order to help them solve their problems with the agency.
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