Credit repair companies charge between $50 and $200 per month, though some charge per-dispute or one-time fees instead

There is no standard price for credit repair. A company might charge you a flat monthly fee ($75 to $150 is common), a per-dispute fee ($25 to $100 for each item they challenge on your report), or a one-time upfront fee ($200 to $1,000). Some combine these — charging both a monthly fee and a per-dispute cost. A 60-day package specifically might cost $150 to $400 total, depending on the company and what they promise to do.

The Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA), a federal law, sets hard rules on what companies can charge. They cannot charge you before they deliver results. They cannot charge you for results they have not yet produced. They cannot require you to pay upfront for work they will do later. If a company asks for money before disputing anything on your behalf, that company is breaking federal law.

What you actually pay depends on how many items are on your credit report, how many you want challenged, and whether the company charges by the month or by the dispute. A company that charges $100 per month for two months costs $200. A company that charges $50 per dispute and challenges 10 items costs $500. Neither is inherently better — it depends on your situation and what the company actually does.

Key Takeaways

  • Monthly fees for credit repair typically range from $50 to $200, while per-dispute fees run $25 to $100 each, and one-time fees can reach $1,000.
  • Federal law prohibits credit repair companies from charging you any money before they deliver actual results on your behalf.
  • A 60-day package is often marketed as faster, but credit bureaus have 30 to 45 days by law to respond to disputes — no company can speed that up.
  • You can dispute items on your credit report yourself for free by contacting the credit bureaus directly or using their online portals.
  • Legitimate credit repair companies do the same work you can do yourself; they do not have special access to credit bureaus or secret removal methods.

How credit repair pricing actually breaks down

Monthly subscription models are the most common. You pay a set amount each month — usually $75 to $150 — and the company disputes a certain number of items per month on your behalf. After 60 days (two months), you stop paying and keep whatever results they achieved. If nothing changed, you still owe the full amount; the law does not require refunds for lack of results.

Per-dispute pricing means you pay for each item the company challenges. If your credit report has 15 negative items and you want all of them disputed, you might pay $50 to $100 per item, totaling $750 to $1,500. This model can cost more overall but lets you control how much you spend. Some companies set a cap — for example, $300 maximum per month — so your costs do not spiral.

One-time fees are less common but do exist. A company might charge $500 to $1,000 upfront and then dispute everything on your report as part of that single payment. This sounds cheaper until you realize the company has no incentive to follow up if disputes fail, and you have no recourse if results do not materialize.

What the law says about credit repair costs

The Credit Repair Organizations Act requires that companies cannot collect payment until they have actually delivered the promised service. This means a company cannot charge you a monthly fee in advance for work they will do next month. They can charge you after the work is done, but not before.

The law also requires companies to give you a written contract before you pay anything. That contract must state exactly what they will do, what it will cost, and how long it will take. You have three business days to cancel without penalty. If a company skips the contract, refuses to let you cancel, or charges you before disputing anything, report them to your state's attorney general or the Federal Trade Commission.

CROA does not cap what companies can charge — it only prevents them from taking your money upfront. A company can legally charge $200 per month as long as they do the work first and bill you after.

Why 60-day packages are often misleading

Credit repair companies market 60-day packages as if they are faster or more effective than longer timelines. They are not. Federal law gives credit bureaus 30 to 45 days to respond to each dispute. A company cannot speed this up. If they dispute an item on day one, the bureau has until day 45 to investigate and respond. A 60-day package simply means you pay for two months of their service, not that your credit will be fixed in 60 days.

Many negative items take longer than 60 days to remove, even if the dispute is valid. If an item is accurate, the bureau will not remove it at all, no matter how long you wait. A company that promises results in 60 days is either overselling what they can do or planning to dispute the same items repeatedly — a tactic that can backfire and make your credit worse.

The real timeline depends on what is on your report. Accurate negative items stay for seven years (ten for bankruptcy). Inaccurate items can be removed faster, but "faster" still means weeks or months, not days.

Comparing credit repair costs to doing it yourself

You can dispute items on your credit report for free. Contact Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion directly — all three have online dispute portals on their websites. You can also mail a dispute letter to each bureau. There is no cost, and the bureaus have the same 30 to 45 days to respond as they do when a credit repair company disputes on your behalf.

The trade-off is time and effort. Disputing yourself means writing letters, keeping records, following up if disputes fail, and potentially disputing the same item multiple times. A credit repair company handles this work for you. Whether that is worth $100 to $200 per month is a personal decision — some people have the time and patience to do it themselves; others do not.

Credit repair companies do not have access to secret removal methods or special relationships with credit bureaus. They follow the same dispute process you would. The only advantage they offer is doing the work on your schedule instead of yours.

Red flags in credit repair pricing

Avoid any company that asks for payment before disputing anything. This violates federal law. Avoid companies that may provide results or promise to remove accurate negative items — no legitimate company can do this. Avoid companies that charge large upfront fees ($1,000 or more) or require you to sign a contract you cannot cancel within three days.

Be cautious of companies that charge per-dispute fees without a monthly cap. If your report has 50 negative items and they charge $75 per dispute, you could end up owing $3,750 before you know it. Ask for a written estimate of total cost before you sign anything.

Watch for companies that claim to have "removed" items when what actually happened is the item fell off your report naturally after seven years. This is not credit repair — it is the passage of time. A legitimate company will explain what they actually did and why results occurred.

What happens after you pay

After you sign a contract and pay, the company will request copies of your credit reports from all three bureaus (or ask you to provide them). They will then draft dispute letters on your behalf and send them to the bureaus. You should receive copies of everything they send. The bureaus will investigate and respond within 30 to 45 days.

The company should follow up with you on results. If a dispute succeeds, the item is removed or corrected. If it fails, the company may dispute it again — though repeated disputes of the same item can trigger fraud alerts. After 60 days, your contract ends. If you want more disputes, you pay for another month or package.

Keep all documentation. Save emails, letters, and dispute confirmations. If the company disappears or stops responding, you will need proof of what they promised and what you paid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a credit repair company remove accurate negative items from my report?

No. If an item is accurate, credit bureaus are legally required to keep it on your report. Credit repair companies cannot remove accurate items, and any company that promises to do so is committing fraud. They can only dispute items and hope the bureau cannot verify them, which is a different process.

Is it worth paying for credit repair if I can do it myself for free?

That depends on your time and comfort level. The work is identical whether you do it or a company does it. If you have the time to write letters, track responses, and follow up, doing it yourself saves money. If you do not, paying $100 to $200 per month for someone else to handle it may be worth it to you.

What should I do if a credit repair company charges me before doing any work?

Stop communication with them immediately and report them to your state's attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission. This violates the Credit Repair Organizations Act. You may be able to recover your money by filing a complaint or pursuing a civil claim.

How long does it actually take to see results from credit repair?

Credit bureaus have 30 to 45 days to respond to each dispute. Results appear on your credit report after the bureau responds, not before. A 60-day package means two months of service, not two months until results. Many disputes take longer than 60 days, and some items cannot be removed at all.

Do I need a credit repair company, or can I improve my credit on my own?

You can improve your credit without a company. Paying bills on time, lowering credit card balances, and disputing inaccurate items yourself all work. A credit repair company speeds up the dispute process but cannot do anything you cannot do yourself. The choice is whether the convenience is worth the cost.