CHECKDISPUTE | FREE PRACTICE CHECKLIST
Reported Balance vs. Past-Due Balance on a Credit Report

1. Write down the account as printed on the report: creditor name, account number, report page.
2. Record the reported balance figure and the report's own date.
3. Find your statement for the same cycle and record its balance and statement date.
4. Confirm whether the two figures describe the same period before treating the gap as an error.
5. Record any past-due or late status separately from the balance figure.
6. Match each past-due entry against your payment record for that month: due date, amount paid, date paid.
7. If the amount traces to a charge you disputed as a billing error, note the date you sent that notice.
8. Write one sentence per discrepancy: the field, the reported value, your document's value, both dates.

Practice: https://checkdispute.com/learn/practice/article-06/
Full guide: https://checkdispute-guides.blogspot.com/2026/09/reported-balance-vs-past-due-balance-on.html
Sources checked: 2026-09-20

General education, not personalized legal advice. No credit or dispute outcome is promised. Disputing errors directly is free.