 TITLE: Can I Get a Paid Collection Removed From My Credit File? CONTENT: How Do Collections Affect Credit?\n---------------------------------\nCreditors view collection accounts as red flags, but likely view paid collections with less disfavor than unpaid ones. The most recent version of the FICO® Score☉ (FICO 9) and versions 3.0 and 4.0 of the VantageScore® credit scoring systems agree: Unpaid collections can hurt your credit score, but paid ones do not.\nSome lenders use older versions of both credit scoring systems that still count paid collection accounts, however, and there's no way to know ahead of time which credit scoring method(s) a lender will use when deciding to approve a loan application. So while paid collections on your credit report may still hurt your chances of approval, paying off the account gives an opportunity to do the least possible damage. END