# Credit Repair Question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/credit-repair-question/197255>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 24, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/credit-repair-question/197255 "2003-08-24T01:48:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KingLupid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/839c29/32.png) [@KingLupid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KingLupid)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/credit-repair-question/197255/1 "2003-08-24T01:48:16Z")

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Ok, I will try this again.

I have some items that have been on my Credit Report for 3 or 4 years. I am wondering if I should pay them, or wait them out for the remaining few years until they are legally expunged. I mean, if I pay them, will that ‘Update’ the account, allowing it to stay on my report longer?

Does anyone have any expertise in this area?

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**Author:** ![cstamets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/credit-repair-question/197255/2 "2003-08-24T04:35:52Z")

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Paying them will not make them stay on your report longer. Accounts come off the report 7 years after they went bad. Paying on them later has no effect on the date it went bad originally.