✨ 30-Day Credit Cleanup Checklist
Free 4-Week Plan — UpFromZeroHQ.com
WEEK 1 Know What You’re Dealing With
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Pull all 3 free credit reports — Go to AnnualCreditReport.com (the only truly free site). Get Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion reports.
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Check every account for errors — Wrong balances, accounts you don’t recognize, duplicate accounts, or incorrect personal info.
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List all accounts — Write down every open account: credit cards, loans, medical collections. Note which are in good standing and which aren’t.
WEEK 2 Start Fixing Problems
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Dispute any errors in writing — Write a dispute letter and send certified mail to the reporting bureau. Include copies of any proof. They have 30 days to respond.
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Pay down your highest utilization card first — Credit utilization is 30% of your score. Getting any card below 30% can give you a quick score boost.
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Set up autopay on every account — Even if it’s just the minimum. Payment history is 35% of your score. Never miss again.
WEEK 3 Handle Old Problems
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Check if old collections are past the statute of limitations — Each state is different (usually 3–7 years). If it is, paying it could restart the clock. Research before you pay.
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Send goodwill deletion letters — For accounts that had late payments but are now current, write a goodwill letter asking the creditor to remove the late mark. Some say yes.
WEEK 4 Lock In the Gains
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Set up free credit monitoring — Credit Karma or Experian free tier. You’ll get alerts if anything changes or new accounts are opened in your name.
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Create your 6-month payment plan — Write out which debts you’ll pay down next and by how much. Make it a monthly habit.
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Check your score — Compare to where you started. Even a 20–30 point improvement is real progress worth celebrating.
💡 Quick Tips to Keep in Mind
- Keep your credit utilization under 30% — ideally under 10% for the best score impact
- Never close your oldest credit card — it reduces your average account age, which hurts your score
- Hard inquiries fall off your report in 2 years, but they stop affecting your score after about 12 months
- You can request free weekly credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com through the current program