How Long Does Medical Debt Stay on Your Credit Report? 2026 Update

Unpaid medical debt can stay on your credit report for up to seven years from the date the account first became delinquent. That's the same window as most other collection accounts.

But here's the good news: thanks to changes the major credit bureaus rolled out in 2022 and 2023, a lot of medical debt never makes it onto your report in the first place. Paid medical collections are removed, balances under $500 generally aren't reported and collectors have to wait a full year before they can list unpaid medical debt with the credit bureaus.

MoneyLion

When times are tight, have you paused Dr visits or meds to save money?

Never—health comes firstOnly if absolutely neededAlready doing it 😕

31

If you've got medical bills hanging over your head, the rules are more forgiving than they used to be, but they're not gone entirely. 

The Seven-Year Rule Explained

Once medical debt actually lands on your credit report, federal law allows it to stay there for seven years from the date of the original delinquency. That start date is important; it's the date the account first went past due with the original provider, not the date it was sold to a collector.

So if you missed a payment in March 2025 and the bill eventually got reported in 2026, that account should fall off your report in March 2032, seven years from when it first appeared.

After the seven-year mark, the credit bureaus are required to remove it whether you've paid it or not.

How Medical Debt Ends Up on Your Credit Report

Medical debt doesn't go on your credit report the moment you miss a bill. Here's the typical path:

1. You get treatment and a bill arrives: The provider sends it to you directly. At this stage, nothing touches your credit.

2. The bill goes unpaid: Most providers send several notices before escalating. This still doesn't affect your credit.

3. The account is sent to collections: This usually happens around 90 to 180 days past due.

4. The collection agency waits one year: Under current rules adopted by Equifax, Experian and TransUnion the collector cannot report the debt to the credit bureaus for a full 12 months.

5. The debt appears on your credit report: Only after that one-year waiting period and only if the balance is $500 or more.

That one-year buffer is a big deal. It gives you time to dispute charges, apply for financial assistance, set up a payment plan or work things out with your insurance.

Recent Changes That Help Consumers

Medical debt reporting has gone through a quiet revolution over the past few years. Here's what changed and what's still in effect as of 2026:

Paid Medical Collections Are Removed

As of July 2022, the three major credit bureaus stopped including paid medical collections on credit reports. If you pay off a medical debt that was in collections, it should come off your report, not just get marked as paid.

Medical Debt Under $500 Doesn't Appear

Starting in 2023, medical collection accounts with balances under $500 are no longer reported by Equifax, Experian or TransUnion. 

One-Year Waiting Period

Before 2022, collectors only had to wait 180 days before reporting medical debt. Now they have to wait a full year, giving you significantly more time to resolve the bill before it affects your credit.

How Medical Debt Affects Your Credit Score

Not all credit scores treat medical debt the same way. This matters a lot because different lenders use different scoring models.

FICO

FICO is used by more than 90% of lenders. The newer FICO 9 and FICO 10 models give less weight to medical collections than to other types of collection accounts, and they ignore paid medical collections entirely. Older FICO models, which some lenders still use, treat medical debt more harshly.

VantageScore

VantageScore took a more aggressive approach. In January 2023, it removed medical debt from its scoring calculations entirely. If you're being evaluated using VantageScore 4.0, medical collections won't drag your score down.

Real-World Impact

How much does medical debt actually hurt your score? It depends on your credit profile, but unpaid medical bills sent to collections can knock a credit score down by as much as 100 points under older scoring models. Newer models may soften that blow considerably.

You Might Still Owe the Debt Even if It's Off Your Report

Here's something a lot of people miss: medical debt falling off your credit report is not the same as the debt being forgiven.

Two separate clocks are ticking:

• The credit reporting clock is seven years.

• The statute of limitations for collecting the debt varies by state, typically three to six years for written contracts.

A collector might not be able to sue you after the statute of limitations runs out, and the debt might not show on your credit anymore, but the debt itself can technically still exist. In some cases collectors will continue to call or send letters even after both clocks have expired. Knowing your state's laws matters.

What Happened To the CFPB Rule?

You may have seen headlines in early 2025 announcing that medical debt was being banned from credit reports entirely. Here's the full story.

In January 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule called Regulation V that would have prohibited credit reporting agencies from including any medical debt on consumer reports, and barred lenders from using medical debt in credit decisions.

However, on July 11, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated that rule in Cornerstone Credit Union League v. CFPB. The court found the rule exceeded the CFPB's statutory authority and conflicted with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

What this means in plain English: the sweeping ban never took effect. The voluntary changes the credit bureaus made in 2022 and 2023 are still in place, but a complete prohibition on medical debt reporting is not. Keep in mind that the legal landscape is still shifting.

How To Remove Medical Debt From Your Credit Report

If medical debt is currently hurting your credit, here are your options.

1. Check That It Should Be There at All

Pull your credit reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. Look for medical collections that:

• Are under $500 (should not be reported)

• Show as paid (should have been removed)

• Are more than seven years old from the original delinquency

• Don't belong to you or contain incorrect information

Any of these can be disputed.

2. Dispute Inaccuracies

If you find an error, file a dispute directly with the credit bureau showing the item. They have 30 days to investigate. If the collector can't verify the debt, it has to come off.

3. Negotiate a Pay-for-Delete

If the debt is legitimate, you can sometimes negotiate to pay the balance in exchange for removal of the collection account. This isn't guaranteed and you'll want any agreement in writing before paying.

4. Apply for Financial Assistance Retroactively

Many hospitals offer charity care or financial assistance programs that can wipe out the original bill even after it's gone to collections. Nonprofit hospitals are required to offer financial assistance under federal law. If you qualify, the collection may be recalled.

5. Wait It Out

If none of the above applies, the debt will eventually age off your report at the seven-year mark. Its impact on your score also lessens over time, especially as the account gets older.

The Bottom Line

Medical debt can still stay on your credit report for up to seven years, but the rules around what actually appears are much more consumer-friendly than they were a few years ago. Paid collections come off, smaller balances under $500 don't get reported, and you have a full year after collections start before anything hits your credit.

If you're dealing with medical bills the most important thing is to act before they become a credit problem. Ask about financial assistance, payment plans and itemized billing. Most hospitals would rather work something out than send your account to collections and you've got more time than most people realize to figure it out.

FAQs

Does paying off medical debt remove it from my credit report?

Yes. In July 2022, the three major credit bureaus removed paid medical collections from credit reports. This is different from other types of debt, where paid collections can stick around for seven years.

Will medical debt under $500 ever show up on my credit report?

Not under current credit bureau policies. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion don't report medical collections with balances under $500. If you see one on your report, dispute it.

Can a hospital report me directly to the credit bureaus?

Original medical providers like hospitals and doctors typically don't report to the credit bureaus themselves. Medical debt usually only appears on your credit report after it's been turned over to a collection agency.

Sources

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Medical Debt on Credit Reports

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Prohibition on Creditors and Consumer Reporting Agencies Concerning Medical Information (Regulation V)

• InCharge Debt Solutions: How Long Does Medical Debt Stay on Credit Report?

• The Latest on Keeping Medical Debt Out of Credit Reports

• Prohibition on Creditors and Consumer Reporting Agencies Concerning Medical Information (Regulation V)