When Does TransUnion Update?

TransUnion updates most entries within 24‑48 hours after a furnisher sends the data, but the exact timing depends on the furnisher's reporting cycle - many transmit nightly, some batch weekly, and a few only once a month, so changes can appear the next day, after a few days, or at the end of the reporting period; if a report lands on a weekend or holiday the file may not refresh until the following business day,

and larger items such as a bankruptcy filing can take up to 30 days to show, so you can usually expect a new account, payment, or balance to be reflected within two business days for real‑time feeds or by the next scheduled batch (see TransUnion's update schedule).

TransUnion refreshes most furnisher data on a nightly basis, but the credit file can also see weekly or monthly batches depending on the source.

• Nightly batch: most banks, credit cards, and major lenders typically push updates each night; changes usually appear in the credit file by the next business day.
• Early‑morning weekly batch: smaller credit unions and utility companies often submit once per week; those updates can land within 24 - 48 hours after the batch runs.
• End‑of‑month bulk upload: collection agencies, government programs, and some legacy furnisher systems may send a monthly file; items often do not appear until the last few days of the month.
• Holiday or weekend delay: when a nightly or weekly batch falls on a non‑business day, TransUnion holds it and processes on the next open day, adding an extra day or two.
• Manual or special‑case update: in rare dispute‑resolution situations a furnisher can request an immediate push, which can override the regular schedule.

TransUnion may need 30 + days when a furnisher's data lands in a monthly batch, when weekends or holidays pause processing, or when the agency runs extra validation checks that flag inconsistencies. A late‑night upload, a backlog from high‑volume reporting periods, or a required manual review can push the update from the typical nightly‑to‑weekly window into a multi‑week delay.

Additional delays arise when a dispute triggers a re‑verification cycle, when a collection agency transfers an account and must resubmit information, or when large‑scale corrections (for example after a data‑breach) overload the system. These scenarios explain why the credit file sometimes moves slower than the regular schedule discussed earlier, and they set up the next section on how lenders' reporting schedules affect your TransUnion update.

Lenders (the furnishers) choose when they send your account data, and TransUnion can only reflect a change after it receives that file. If a lender reports daily, your credit file may update within the nightly batch; weekly reporting usually shows up the following week; monthly reporting can take up to 30 days, especially if the lender posts at month‑end.

• Daily or nightly furnishes - most credit‑card issuers and some auto lenders run a nightly feed; updates appear in the next TransUnion processing window, often within 24 hours.
• Weekly furnishes - many banks upload on a set day (e.g., every Tuesday); TransUnion incorporates the batch during its weekly cycle, so changes appear 3 - 7 days later.
• Monthly furnishes - credit unions, student‑loan servicers, and some collection agencies post once per month, usually at the month's end; the credit file may not change until the following month's update window, sometimes 30 days or more.
• Quarterly or irregular furnishes - a few specialty lenders submit only when a major event occurs (e.g., a charge‑off); updates can be delayed well beyond typical windows, causing gaps of 60 days or longer.

Because TransUnion processes incoming files in defined batches, the speed of your credit‑file change hinges on the furnisher's schedule, not on TransUnion's own timing. Knowing your lender's reporting cadence lets you anticipate when a payment, balance reduction, or new account will actually appear on your TransUnion report.

TransUnion must finish a dispute within 30 days under the FCRA, but most simple cases close in 7‑15 days; complex items can stretch to about 45 days.

Once TransUnion records a decision, the change rolls into its regular feed - usually nightly, sometimes weekly - so the credit file reflects the update within 24‑48 hours after the dispute is resolved.

If the dispute exceeds the typical window, you can request a manual update; see the next section for steps to prompt TransUnion to re‑run the file. (FTC guide to credit dispute timelines)

You can trigger a manual TransUnion update by contacting the bureau directly and supplying proof that a furnisher has already reported the change.

1. Call TransUnion's consumer line (1‑800‑916‑8800). Explain which account you expect to change, give the creditor's name, and request a 're‑file' of that data. Ask for an estimated processing window; updates typically appear within 7 - 10 days.
2. Submit an online dispute at TransUnion's dispute portal. Choose 'already corrected' as the reason, upload the creditor's statement or payment receipt, and select 'expedite review' if the option appears.
3. Mail a certified‑mail request to TransUnion, 555 West 28th St., New York, NY 10001. Include a copy of the creditor's confirmation letter, your ID, and a brief cover note that you are requesting a manual re‑file of the specific account.
4. Ask the furnisher to resend the data. Call the creditor's credit‑reporting department, reference your account number, and request they 'push' the updated information to TransUnion. Furnishers can submit a corrected file at any time, and TransUnion will process it on the next upload window (usually nightly).
5. Follow up after the expected window. Check your free TransUnion report or use a credit‑monitoring app to verify the change. If the update still missing, repeat step 2 and flag the dispute as 'unresolved' to prompt a secondary review.

These actions give you the only practical ways to force a manual TransUnion refresh; without a furnisher's correction, the bureau cannot alter the file on its own.

• Log into your TransUnion portal or request a free 24‑hour credit report; the new balance, status, or reporting date should now appear under the relevant account.
• Match the reporting date shown on the entry with the date the furnisher said it would transmit the update; a matching or later date usually confirms receipt.
• Locate a 'last updated' timestamp or 'data as of' note in the account line; TransUnion typically adds this after its nightly or weekly batch.
• Use a credit‑monitoring app that highlights recent changes; a 'recently updated' flag generally means the file was refreshed.
• Ask the furnisher for a confirmation code or reference number and verify it against the transaction ID listed on your TransUnion report; matching IDs can prove the file was actually changed.

Paying a collection triggers the furnisher to send an updated status - usually 'Paid Collection' - to TransUnion, and the agency reflects the change during its regular nightly or weekly batch run, often within 1 - 2 weeks but sometimes up to 30 days. The entry remains on your credit file, now marked as paid, which can modestly improve your score compared with an outstanding balance.

If the updated status does not appear after the typical window, verify the update schedule first, then consider submitting a request for a manual change; you can learn how to do that in the 'request a manual TransUnion update' section or see how collections are reported to TransUnion. Once the file shows the paid designation, you can move on to the next verification steps.

Bankruptcies usually hit your TransUnion credit file within 30 days of the filing date, stay for the statutory period (seven years for Chapter 13, ten years for Chapter 7), and then disappear after the next update cycle, which can add up to a month beyond the exact expiration date.

• Example: Maria filed a Chapter 13 on January 15, 2024. The court's furnishers sent the record to TransUnion on January 20, and the weekly update window posted the entry on January 25. The discharge date is January 15, 2031; the entry remains through the January 2028 monthly batch and finally drops off on February 5, 2031, when TransUnion processes the removal.
• Example: Leo filed a Chapter 7 on April 2, 2024. The filing appeared on his TransUnion file around April 12, 2024, after the nightly update. The ten‑year clock runs to April 2, 2034, but the record stays until the next nightly refresh after that date, typically disappearing by April 30, 2034.

For more details, see the FTC guide on bankruptcy reporting.

Identity‑theft corrections show up on your TransUnion credit file as a dispute tag, a fraud‑alert flag, and eventually as a removed or corrected entry.

When a furnisher acknowledges the theft, TransUnion updates the line with:

• 'Disputed' next to the creditor name, indicating an open investigation,
• a 'Fraud Alert' indicator (90 days) that appears in the file header,
• 'Removed - Identity Theft' or 'Closed - Fraud' once the account is cleared, and
• any related inquiries labeled 'Inquiry - Fraud'.

These markers normally appear in the next nightly batch, but if the furnisher needs more than 30 days to verify, the correction may not post until the 45‑day window closes; after that, use the 5‑check checklist to confirm the update. For detailed steps on filing the FTC report, see FTC's guide to reporting identity theft.

When a debt is transferred or sold, the original furnisher stops sending data to TransUnion, and the new owner must first set up its own reporting system, which can take weeks.

Unlike active accounts that typically update nightly or weekly, a newly‑acquired debt often waits until the buyer verifies the balance, registers with TransUnion, and aligns with the monthly batch schedule; consequently the credit file may not reflect the change for 30 + days, and some buyers only report after the account is settled.