How Long Do Collections Stay On Your Credit Report In Arizona?
Imperial Ethics Credit Repair · Glendale, Arizona · 5 min read
Seven years, but from one specific date that most people get wrong, and one that collectors sometimes move illegally.
The clock starts at the date the account first went unpaid
A collection account comes off your credit report seven years from the date the original account first went delinquent and never recovered. Not seven years from when the collection agency bought the debt. Not seven years from when they started calling you. The clock is anchored to the original creditor’s records.
This matters because debts get sold repeatedly. A single old bill can pass through three agencies, and each time it changes hands there is an opportunity for the date to be reported incorrectly, sometimes carelessly and sometimes not. When the date the account first went unpaid has been moved forward, it is called re-aging, and it keeps the account hurting you past the point the law allows. It is one of the most common violations we find.
How long everything else lasts
Collections and charge-offs
7 years
Chapter 13 bankruptcy
7 years from filing
Chapter 7 bankruptcy
10 years from filing
Paying it does not reset the seven years
This surprises people. Paying a collection does not restart the reporting clock and it does not remove the entry. The account simply changes from unpaid to paid, and it still falls off on the same date it always would have. Some newer scoring models ignore paid collections, but plenty of lenders are still using older models that do not.
There is a separate risk worth knowing about. Arizona’s statute of limitations on most consumer debt, six years for written contracts and open accounts under state law, governs how long a creditor can sue you. Making a payment or acknowledging the debt in writing can restart that clock in some circumstances, which means a debt that was legally unenforceable can become collectible again. Before you pay anything old, find out how old it is.
Two clocks, not one
Credit reporting: seven years, federal, governs how long it shows on your report. Statute of limitations: six years for most written contracts and open accounts in Arizona, state law, governs how long they can take you to court. They run separately, and one expiring does not end the other.
What to check on your own report
This article is general information, not legal advice. Imperial Ethics Credit Repair is not a law firm.
Not sure how old your collections really are?
Send us your report and we will tell you which accounts are close to aging off, which look re-aged, and which are worth disputing.
