---
title: "Work out how long each item may stay on a consumer report"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/privacy-data-protection-and-cyber/work-out-how-long-each-item-stays-on-a-consumer-credit-report/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A25-QU20261022-5-US"
practice_area: "Privacy, Data Protection & Cyber"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Work out how long each item may stay on a consumer report

> Classify each item as a bankruptcy, a collection or charge-off, a civil suit or judgment, a paid tax lien, an arrest record, a conviction, or another adverse item.…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/privacy-data-protection-and-cyber/work-out-how-long-each-item-stays-on-a-consumer-credit-report/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Privacy, Data Protection & Cyber](https://ailawframework.com/practice/privacy-data-protection-and-cyber.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | Classify each item as a bankruptcy, a collection or charge-off, a civil suit or judgment, a paid tax lien, an arrest record, a conviction, or another adverse item. Apply only the period stated for that class, and flag a report to be used for credit or life insurance over $150,000 or a job over $75,000. |
| What the lawyer must review | 15 U.S.C. § 1681c excludes from a consumer report, unless subsection (b) applies, bankruptcies that antedate the report by more than 10 years, civil suits, civil judgments, and arrest records that antedate the report by more than seven years or until the governing limitation period has expired, whichever is longer, paid tax liens more than seven years after payment, and accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss that antedate the report by more than seven years. Any other adverse item, other than records of convictions of crimes, is excluded after seven years. The CFPB page states the same shape: most negative information for seven years, bankruptcies for up to ten years, and lawsuits or judgments for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs, whichever is longer. Both sources say the seven-year limits do not apply to a report used for a job paying more than $75,000 a year or for more than $150,000 of credit or life insurance. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Work out how long each item stays on a consumer credit report](https://ailawframework.com/practice/privacy-data-protection-and-cyber/work-out-how-long-each-item-stays-on-a-consumer-credit-report.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Classify each item as a bankruptcy, a collection or charge-off, a civil suit or judgment, a paid tax lien, an arrest record, a conviction, or another adverse item. Apply only the period stated for that class, and flag a report to be used for credit or life insurance over $150,000 or a job over $75,000.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- For a collection account, § 1681c(c) starts the seven-year period for the paragraphs it names at the end of 180 days after the delinquency that led to the collection or charge-off.
- Positive payment history may stay longer. The CFPB page says credit reporting companies may keep information on file even after they stop reporting it.

## Sources

- [15 U.S. Code § 1681c - Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681c) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [CFPB: How long does information stay on my credit report?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-long-does-information-stay-on-my-credit-report-en-323/) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*