What do I say to get late payments removed?
I truly believe that it doesn't reflect my creditworthiness and commitment to repaying my debts. It would help me immensely if you could give me a second chance and make a goodwill adjustment to remove the late [payment/payments] on [date/dates]. Thank you for your consideration, and I hope you'll approve my request.
Ask the lender to remove it with a goodwill letter
In some cases, creditors are willing to make a goodwill adjustment if your payment history has been good or if you have a good relationship with them. The process is easy: simply write a letter to your creditor explaining why you paid late.
- Address the creditor or lender respectfully and thank them for their time.
- Clearly explain the situation that led to the late payment with relevant details and/or documentation to support your explanation.
- Own up to the mistake without excuses.
If you act quickly by paying within 30 days of the original due date, a late payment will generally not be recorded on your credit reports. After 30 days, you can only remove falsely reported late payments.
Contact Your Credit Card Issuer
There are many scenarios where the late payment is understandable, and your credit card issuer may be willing to work with you. Apologize for the late fee, and explain why it happened. Make sure to highlight your history as a good customer and ask if they'll be willing to waive the fee.
It may also characterize a longer credit history with a few mistakes along the way, such as occasional late or missed payments, or a tendency toward relatively high credit usage rates. Late payments (past due 30 days) appear in the credit reports of 33% of people with FICO® Scores of 700.
I am sincerely sorry for the delay in payment on {loan type}. I apologize for any inconvenience or frustration this caused you. The delay was caused by {reason}. While I take full responsibility for my mistake, I would like to assure you that this was a one-time error on my part.
Section 609 gives consumers the right to request information related to debts listed on their credit reports. Examples of information that you may want to dispute include: Accounts opened due to identity theft. Late payments that were paid on time.
If old debt has not fallen off your credit report after seven years, contact the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) and request that they remove the delinquent debt from your credit report. You may also have a delinquent debt on your credit report that is not actually yours.
But you can lessen the blow of a missed payment by writing a goodwill adjustment letter. There are no guarantees that your lender will be willing to change the way it reports your credit activity, but writing a late payment removal letter is well worth your time.
What is a good reason for a late payment letter?
- Sorry! We forgot to make the payment. ...
- We are facing issues with your order. ...
- We have already paid the invoice. ...
- The cheque has been sent. ...
- The person responsible for payment has a family emergency. ...
- We are switching to a new bank. ...
- We're experiencing cash flow problems. ...
- Claimed bankruptcy.
Event | Average credit score recovery time |
---|---|
Missed/defaulted payment | 18 months |
Late mortgage payment (30 to 90 days) | 9 months |
Closing credit card account | 3 months |
Maxed credit card account | 3 months |
Even if this is the first and only your payment is late by 30 days, it can still impact your score—by about 100 points or more, depending on the scoring model and your current credit score.
Late fees are levied when you don't pay a bill by a certain date. For instance, if you fail to make your monthly credit card payment—at least the minimum—by the due date, the card company may impose a late fee that will show up on your next statement. Or a landlord may charge a late fee if you don't pay rent on time.
Contact Your Card Issuer
Penalty rates vary, but could be up to 29.99% annual percentage rate (APR). If you pay late, credit card issuers may be willing to waive the late fee and reverse the penalty interest as a courtesy if you call in and request it.
Even a single late or missed payment may impact credit reports and credit scores. But the short answer is: late payments generally won't end up on your credit reports for at least 30 days after the date you miss the payment, although you may still incur late fees.
- Review Your Credit Reports. ...
- Pay Bills on Time. ...
- Lower Your Credit Utilization Ratio. ...
- Get Help With Debt. ...
- Become an Authorized User. ...
- Get a Cosigner. ...
- Only Apply for Credit You Need. ...
- Consider a Secured Card.
The margin for error on payment history is really low: 100% is excellent, 99% is good, and 97% is poor. This means it can take some time to recover from just a few missed payments. For example, if you made 100 payments and just 3 of them were late, you've got a poor score of 97%.
Highlights: While older models of credit scores used to go as high as 900, you can no longer achieve a 900 credit score. The highest score you can receive today is 850. Anything above 800 is considered an excellent credit score.
- Check payment terms and invoice due date. ...
- Review records to ensure accuracy of the invoice. ...
- Consider alternative payment methods and plans. ...
- Use a polite and professional tone. ...
- Check that the client received the invoice. ...
- Provide invoice number and amount due. ...
- Remind the recipient of the payment terms and due date.
What to say instead of "sorry for the delay"?
"I'm sorry for the delay."
What to say instead: Rather than highlighting the delay, show that you value the other person's time by recognizing their willingness to be patient and accommodating. "Thank you for your patience." "Thank you for waiting. I appreciate your understanding and flexibility."
“Hi there [Name], We hope this email finds you well. We understand that it may be a busy time, but we wanted to remind you of your outstanding payment on invoice # [number] due [date]. We have attached an additional copy of the invoice for easy reference.
A business uses a 623 credit dispute letter when all other attempts to remove dispute information have failed.
You can ask the creditor — either the original creditor or a debt collector — for what's called a “goodwill deletion.” Write the collector a goodwill letter explaining your circ*mstances and why you would like the debt removed, such as if you're about to apply for a mortgage.
Note that your 609 letter doesn't need to be notarized. It is recommend sending the letter via certified mail through the U.S. Post Office. This way, you can receive a mail receipt confirming delivery.