Things that may go into a collection or judgment that will hurt you credit include unpaid medical payments, unpaid utility payments, and unpaid cell phones or cable payments.

There are several ways to increase your credit. However the fundamental principle is the bills must be paid on time. This doesn’t mean by the due date. For the sake of your credit a payment must never be more then 30 days late. If you are acquiring 30 day lates on your credit then your credit standing will deteriorate quickly. Judgments also hurt your credit even if you pay them.

watch on your credit report for companies that are illegally renewing the charge off date every month in order for the account to never gain history. These companies you should call and address this immediately.

There are services that will help you monitor your credit report for a fee. Generally they are a waste of money. Take your credit seriously and review it twice a year. Have the numbers to the repositories ready to dispute any items reporting incorrectly. Damage to your credit can cost you thousands.

Even though negative items are only supposed to remain on your credit report for 7 years, sometimes the credit bureaus fail to update your file. In this case, a simple dispute should get the old item removed and may improve your credit score.

Keeping your credit clean should be a priority. You should be diligent enough to give yourself a credit checkup every year, much like you would make it a priority to get a medical or dental checkup.

If you find errors on your credit report, pay close attention to which credit bureaus are reporting the erroneous items. Be sure to dispute or initiate a request for investigation with all the credit bureaus reporting these incorrect entries. Disputing with only one bureau does not automatically correct the records of the other two bureaus.

The easiest way to keep your credit report clean is to pay your bills on time. This will give you the best chance of having good credit, qualifying for the best rates on everything and having a nice looking credit report. While things do happen and items do get placed inaccurately on credit reports you should still monitor your credit and get a copy of your report at least once per year even if you have never been late on anything.

You can also contact your creditors directly to inform them if they are reporting inaccurate information. It is important to get their promises in writing and keep good records. You must follow up with both the creditors and credit bureaus to make sure that they have made the corrections they promised.

You can receive a free copy of your credit report from all three credit bureaus yearly at www.annualcreditreport.com. If you find any erroneous information be sure to dispute the information right away.