Mistakes on business credit reports can occur for lots of reasons. If you find incorrect information on your business credit reports, here’s what you can do about it.
How to correct incorrect information on a business credit report
Business credit disputes work differently than personal credit disputes. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives consumers specific rights when disputing errors on personal credit reports.
Business credit reports aren't covered by the FCRA. There's no specific federal law requiring business credit bureaus to investigate disputes or respond within a certain timeframe.
But business credit bureaus allow you to dispute incorrect information, and you can take several steps to help keep your reports accurate.
1. Check your business credit reports for accuracy
The first step to make sure your business credit reports are correct is to review them. Checking your credit reports allows you to confirm that the information included on them is accurate. Unlike consumers, businesses are not entitled to free annual credit reports from each of the major commercial credit bureaus.
Here are three ways you can access your business credit reports:
- If you've been denied for financing and are offered a free credit report by the lender, take advantage of that opportunity.
- Contact Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax directly and purchase a copy of your business credit report from each commercial credit bureau.
Access free business credit summaries by setting up an account with Nav. Or subscribe (a paid service) to Nav Prime to monitor detailed business and personal credit reports from multiple bureaus.
2. Dispute incorrect information
If you identify errors on your business credit reports when you review them, you'll need to notify each credit bureau reporting the incorrect data about your company.
You can dispute a mistake with the credit bureau reporting it. They don’t share information with each other, so if you find the same mistake with more than one credit bureau, you’ll need to contact each one.
- Experian: Visit BusinessCreditFacts.com or call (888) 211-0728 to learn how to dispute or update information.
- Equifax: Visit the Equifax small business website for instructions on how to dispute mistakes.
- Dun & Bradstreet: Visit the Dun & Bradstreet website to learn how to request corrections to your business information.
An alternative strategy is to reach out to the lender or vendor reporting the wrong information.
Keep in mind that disputing or submitting information to D&B or other business credit bureaus does not mean that data will appear in your credit reports, or that your scores will change positively as a result.
3. Follow up
If your first dispute doesn’t resolve the mistake, you may want to reach out again. Be sure to include supporting documents, if possible.
4. Monitor your business credit reports moving forward
Once you've made sure the information on your business credit reports is accurate, your job doesn't end there. Your reports can change any time information is updated or added to them. You will need to monitor your business credit reports on a regular basis.
5 common business credit report errors (and how to fix them)
Here are some of the most frequent errors business owners discover on their credit reports.
Company information errors
Your business address, phone number, and industry codes (NAICS/SIC) are among the most common errors on business credit reports. While these mistakes aren’t always critical, they can be, especially if they raise concerns with lenders about the legitimacy or risk of your business.
Why it matters: Industry codes can affect how lenders view the level of risk your business presents. Wrong contact information can delay loan processing or make your business appear less stable.
How to fix it: Contact the credit bureau to update your information. The bureau may ask you to provide proof of your current business registration documents or bills showing your correct address and contact details.
Employee count and key personnel
Credit reports may not have current employee counts or may list former owners and executives who are no longer with the company. These details may matter in some cases; a discrepancy between what you list on an application and the information on your credit reports could raise a red flag with some lenders or vendors.
Why it matters: Lenders may use employee count and leadership information to help gauge your business size and stability. Outdated information may make your company appear smaller or less established than it actually is.
How to fix it: Contact the credit bureaus to request an update. Also be sure to update your business registration with the Secretary of State if ownership has changed.
Unrecognizable or negative tradelines
Tradelines are accounts that appear on credit reports. Because business credit reports don’t list the names of companies reporting a tradeline, deciphering which accounts appear on your credit reports can sometimes be confusing. Still, it is worth trying to figure it out by matching balances, recent activity, or other information.
Once you do this, you may find accounts on your credit reports that you don't recognize, or negative payment history that doesn't match your records. Sometimes these accounts belong to another business with a similar name.
Why it matters: Unknown accounts could signal identity theft or data mix-ups. Incorrect payment history directly damages your credit scores.
How to fix it: If you don't recognize an account, dispute it immediately with documentation showing it's not yours. For payment disputes, provide bank records, canceled checks, or vendor statements proving your actual payment history.
Years in business and revenue data
Business credit reports may show incorrect start dates or revenue figures.
Why it matters: Many small business lenders have time in business requirements and may only lend to established businesses. If your business credit report doesn’t match what you list on your credit applications as the date you started your business, that mismatch could cause scrutiny or even rejection for credit.
How to fix it: If your start date is not accurate on your credit reports, dispute it. You may need to provide documentation such as business incorporation documents, EIN registration, or tax returns from your first year of operation to prove your actual business start date and/or revenue history.
Incorrect credit inquiries
Inquiries on your credit reports are created when someone checks your credit report. Some business owners find inquiries on their reports they don't recognize or remember authorizing. While inquiries don't affect business credit scores the way they affect personal credit, multiple inquiries may affect credit scores and/or credit decisions.
Why it matters: Unexplained inquiries might signal unauthorized credit checks or even identity theft. They can also indicate to some lenders that you've been shopping for credit extensively.
How to fix it: If you don't recognize an inquiry, contact the credit bureau to dispute it.
Why business credit errors can be a big deal
As a business owner, there are probably dozens of pressing concerns on your plate right now. You may feel overwhelmed by other priorities, but correcting credit report errors is important. Ignoring incorrect information on your business credit reports can create more work and headaches.
When your business credit reports are damaged by incorrect negative information, your business may:
- Pay higher insurance premiums
- Incur higher rates for financing
- Get rejected when you apply for new loans or credit cards
- Have difficulty securing leases for equipment, office space, retail space, etc.
Even if you think an error is minor, like the wrong number of years in business or an incorrect industry code (e.g. SIC or NAICS code), don't ignore it. If your company is classified as belonging to a riskier industry, for example, that wrong code could impact your business credit scores or financing options. The same can be true if your reports make the age of your company appear to be a lot younger than it really is.
If there are mistakes on your company's credit reports, it can make your business look more risky to anyone who checks them, and not just when you apply for a loan. This is one more reason why checking your credit regularly is a good idea, both for your personal and business credit reports.
As a business owner, it's understandable to feel overwhelmed. However, it may be a mistake to ignore errors on your commercial credit reports — especially those that may hurt your ability to get credit. If you put your business credit errors on the back burner and tell yourself you'll deal with them later, you might regret the decision.
No one cares more than you
In a perfect world, your business and personal credit reports would contain only accurate information. But mistakes happen.
Ultimately, it's up to you to review your credit reports – both business and personal – to make sure they are error-free. No one else can do this job for you. And the truth is, no one cares more about the health and accuracy of your credit reports than you.
Ready to review your personal and business credit? You can check both with Nav.
Frequently asked questions
This article was originally written on September 8, 2025 and updated on October 22, 2025.
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Michelle Black
Michelle Lambright Black, Founder of CreditWriter.com and HerCreditMatters.com, is a leading credit expert with over a decade and a half of experience in the credit industry. She’s an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring, identity theft, budgeting, and debt eradication. Michelle is also an experienced personal finance and travel writer. You can connect with Michelle on Twitter (@MichelleLBlack) and Instagram (@CreditWriter).