How Long Does Bankruptcy Stay on Your Credit Report?

Last updated 07/10/2026 by

Andrew Latham

Edited by

Andrew Latham

Summary:

Bankruptcy is a legal process that erases or reorganizes debt you cannot repay, and it leaves a public record on your credit report for years.

How long it stays depends on which type you filed.

Chapter matters: A liquidation and a repayment plan clear off on different timelines.
When the clock starts: The countdown runs from the date you filed.
Fading impact: The damage is heaviest early and eases as it ages.
Removal: Only an inaccurate bankruptcy can be forced off early.

Bankruptcy can be the fresh start you need, but the mark it leaves on your credit is what makes people hesitate.

That mark runs on a fixed schedule, and knowing when it clears, and how fast its sting fades, makes the road back to good credit far more predictable.

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How long does bankruptcy stay on your credit report

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy stays on your credit report for up to 10 years, and a Chapter 13 bankruptcy stays for 7 years, both measured from the date you filed.

The difference reflects the two types: Chapter 7 wipes out most unsecured debt at once, while Chapter 13 repays it through a court-approved plan over three to five years. That filing date is fixed and does not reset, so the countdown begins the moment your case is opened.

Bankruptcy type	How long it stays	Measured from	What it does
Chapter 7	Up to 10 years	Filing date	Liquidation that clears most unsecured debt
Chapter 13	7 years	Filing date	Repayment plan over three to five years

When bankruptcy falls off your report

The bankruptcy must be removed automatically once its window closes, 10 years for Chapter 7 and 7 years for Chapter 13, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.It comes off on its own, with no action required from you.

If it is still showing past that point, that is an error you can dispute with the credit bureaus.

The individual accounts included in the bankruptcy follow their own seven-year clock from their original delinquency, so many of them clear before the public record does.

How bankruptcy affects your credit over time

Bankruptcy is one of the most serious marks a credit report can carry, and the impact is heaviest in the first year or two. Its weight on your score lessens steadily as it ages, especially as you add new on-time accounts and let the filing recede into the past.

Many people qualify for credit again, often a secured card or a car loan, within a year or two of filing, well before the record disappears.

How to rebuild credit after bankruptcy

Start rebuilding right away, since new positive history is what offsets the filing.

Check that every discharged account reports a zero balance and an “included in bankruptcy” status.
Open a secured credit card or credit-builder loan to add fresh on-time payments.
Keep balances low and pay every bill on time, since payment history rebuilds the fastest.
Dispute any account still showing a balance or a wrong date after discharge.
Monitor your reports so you can confirm the bankruptcy drops off on schedule.

Pro Tip: Check that discharged accounts report correctly.

A common post-bankruptcy error is a discharged debt still showing a balance owed or an active status, which drags your score down unfairly. Each account included in the filing should read as discharged with a zero balance, and you can dispute any that does not.

Can you remove a bankruptcy early

You can remove a bankruptcy early only if it is inaccurate. The credit bureaus must delete a record that is wrong, unverifiable, or past its reporting window.

An accurate bankruptcy cannot be removed ahead of schedule, and no company can legally erase a correctly reported one, despite what some credit-repair pitches claim.

What you can do is make sure the details are right, since errors in the filing date or the discharged accounts are grounds for a dispute.

Key takeaways

Chapter 7 bankruptcy stays on your credit report for up to 10 years from the filing date.
Chapter 13 bankruptcy stays for 7 years from the filing date.
The filing date is fixed and does not reset.
The score impact is worst early and fades as the record ages.
Discharged accounts follow their own seven-year clock and often clear first.
Only an inaccurate bankruptcy can be disputed off before its window closes.

Frequently asked questions

Does bankruptcy fall off after 7 or 10 years?

It depends on the type. Chapter 13 falls off seven years after filing, while Chapter 7 stays for up to ten years. Both are removed automatically once that window closes.

Can you get credit with a bankruptcy on your report?

Yes. Many people qualify for a secured card or a car loan within a year or two of filing, though often at higher rates. The bankruptcy matters less to lenders as it ages and as you build new positive history.

Can a bankruptcy be removed early?

Only if it is reported inaccurately. An accurate bankruptcy cannot be removed before its seven or ten-year window, and any service promising otherwise is overpromising.

If you are weighing bankruptcy against other paths, comparing your debt relief options can show whether settlement or a repayment plan might resolve the debt without a filing.