How Much Does Credit Repair Cost?

The price of credit repair is easy to find and hard to interpret. Companies publish a monthly fee and a setup fee. The number that matters is the total over the months the work actually takes — and what the same work costs when you do it yourself. This page puts both side by side, with the federal rule that decides when a company is even allowed to charge.

Key points

• The published range as of 2026-09-01 is roughly $79–$139.99 per month and $45–$195 to start, per Money.com's survey of companies it reviews. Prices change; the source is dated for that reason.
• CROA § 1679b(b) bars charging "before such service is fully performed." Lawful companies bill after a month's work, not before it. The CFPB says payment plans designed to collect earlier are still illegal.
• No fee, at any level, buys the removal of an accurate and current item. The CFPB's answer is "No one can do this."
• The free alternative is the same process: pull reports at AnnualCreditReport.com, dispute genuine errors with each bureau and furnisher, keep records.
• A fair way to judge the price: what is the fee per hour of your time it actually saves, given that the company can only do what you could do?

What do credit repair services charge?

The published ranges below come from Money.com's roundup dated 2026-09-01. They are quoted as ranges, not as recommendations, and this site takes nothing from any company on that list.

Fee type	Published range (as of 2026-09-01)	What it usually covers
Setup or first-work fee	About $45 to $195	Pulling reports, an initial review, opening the file
Monthly fee	About $79 to $139.99	A round of disputes to the bureaus, sometimes furnisher letters
Flat multi-month package	Around $599 for six months, where offered	The same work, prepaid as a bundle
Couples or joint pricing	Discounted second person at some companies	Two files worked at once

When is a credit repair company allowed to charge you?

The CFPB adds two clarifications that matter for pricing:

• Monthly plans do not get around the rule. The CFPB warns that some companies structure monthly payments to try to avoid CROA, and that all forms of upfront payment before services are completed are illegal.
• Phone sales carry a stricter rule. If a company sold to you by telemarketing, the Telemarketing Sales Rule bars it from charging until it gives you a consumer report, generated more than six months after the promised results, showing those results.

State law can add its own layer. Texas, for example, requires a credit services organization to register with the Secretary of State and post a $10,000 surety bond (Texas Finance Code ch. 393). Your state may require registration, a bond, or both. The state consumer protection directory is where to ask.

How does the total compare to doing it yourself?

Six months of disputes	Low published price	High published price	Do it yourself
Setup / first-work fee	$45	$195	$0
Monthly fee × 6	$79 × 6 = $474	$139.99 × 6 = $839.94	$0
Credit reports	Included or free	Included or free	Free weekly
Total	$519	$1,034.94	$0 plus optional certified postage

What does a money-back guarantee actually cover?

Two things to check in the fine print: whether cancellation itself carries a fee (it should not), and whether the refund covers the setup fee or only monthly charges. A pause-and-resume option, where offered, can matter more than a guarantee for someone waiting on a 45-day investigation.

Common mistakes to avoid

• ✕Paying a setup fee at sign-up, before any report is pulled — CROA bars charging before the service is performed.
• ✕Judging cost by the monthly fee alone instead of the total across the three or four dispute cycles the work usually takes.
• ✕Paying for credit reports or monitoring that are free at AnnualCreditReport.com and from the bureaus.
• ✕Assuming a higher tier that disputes “unlimited” items is better — blanket disputes of accurate items can be treated as frivolous.
• ✕Reading a money-back guarantee as a results guarantee.
• ✕Forgetting the 3-business-day cancellation window while deciding whether the price is worth it.

When to talk to a professional

Frequently asked questions

Is there a legal cap on credit repair fees?

No federal cap exists. CROA controls the timing of payment, not the amount: no charge before the promised service is performed, a written contract stating the total cost, and a 3-business-day cancellation right. Some states add registration and bonding rules on top.

Why do companies bill monthly if advance fees are illegal?

Because monthly billing for the prior month's completed work is consistent with CROA. Billing at the start of a month, for work not yet done, is not. The CFPB warns that payment structures designed to collect before services are completed are still illegal.

Do cheaper credit repair services get worse results?

Price does not predict results, because the result depends on whether the items are actually inaccurate. A company at any price can only dispute what is wrong; an accurate item stays no matter what tier you buy.

Is credit repair worth the cost?

It can be, for someone with many genuine errors across three bureaus and no time to manage the letters and deadlines. It is not worth any amount if the goal is removing accurate history, because that cannot be done by anyone.

Are credit reports free?

Yes. Each bureau provides a free report every week through AnnualCreditReport.com. A fee for "pulling your reports" is a fee for something you can do at no cost.

What does the do-it-yourself path cost?

Nothing beyond postage if you choose certified mail. Our dispute guide and free bureau dispute letter cover the full process.