Expert: Kathleen Eads - 5/12/2006

Question
Hi! My fiance owes $22,000 in child support arrearage. He is getting the current c/s dropped but the arrears still show on his report as past due (and open) since 7/1999. Will this ever be removed? Does it need to be paid in full before being removed? How does this affect his score? Thanks so much.

Answer
Normally, credit bureau entries fall off after 7 years.  If the child support reporting was the result of a judgment, it could stay for 10 years (judgments extend the statutes and how the item is reported).

It could be shown as a "PAID JUDGMENT" once paid, and still stay on his report.  

I'm not sure of the effect on the score, as I'm not sure how it was reported.  You could check with any of the bureaus for further explanation or help (www.transunion.com, www.experian.com, www.equifax.com).  

Kathleen Crabtree