What Is a Goodwill Letter and Does It Work?

A goodwill letter is one of the most underused tools in credit repair — and when it works, it can remove legitimate negative items from your report.

What Is a Goodwill Letter?

A goodwill letter is a written request to a creditor asking them to remove a negative item from your credit report — not because the item is inaccurate, but as an act of goodwill based on your otherwise positive relationship with them.

When Does a Goodwill Letter Work?

Goodwill letters work best when:

• You have one or two isolated late payments on an otherwise good account
• The late payment happened due to a hardship (job loss, illness, divorce)
• You've been a long-term, otherwise reliable customer
• The account is now current and paid in full

What to Include in Your Goodwill Letter

Account information — account number, your name, and the specific late payment date(s) you're requesting removal of.

Brief explanation — what caused the late payment. Keep it short, honest, and factual. Don't over-explain.

Your positive history — highlight how long you've been a customer and your otherwise good payment record.

Polite, specific request — ask them to remove the late payment notation as a goodwill gesture. Don't demand — request.

Will It Work?

There's no guarantee — creditors are not required to honor goodwill requests. Success rates vary widely by creditor. However, CreditGM includes goodwill letters in our Premium and Mortgage Ready plans, and we've seen them succeed frequently when the situation is right.