N
The Daily Insight Hub

Is repo the same as charge-off?

Author

Sophia Koch

Updated on February 16, 2026

A car loan charge off is not the same as a car repossession, but they both hurt your credit. You can have your car repossessed and have an auto loan charge-off on your credit report. One way to avoid this is to make payment arrangements or refinance your car loan to get your car back.

Will my credit score go up if I pay a charge-off?

Paying a closed or charged off account will not typically result in immediate improvement to your credit scores, but can help improve your scores over time.

Will Capital One approve me after a charge-off?

Yes you can. It has to be one year after charge off and/or Bankruptcy discharge to be approved for their secured card which is best for rebuilding credit. You get an initial $200 credit limit. You will have to make a $49, $99, or $200 deposit to access the $200 credit limit.

What’s the difference between a charge off and a repossession?

A charge off and a repossession are two very different things—although both could happen to one debt. In this article, you’ll learn what each term means as well as how the bankruptcy court handles these events in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Most people come across the term “charge off” after reviewing a credit report.

What happens when a charge off is taken off your credit report?

Your debt may be written off, but that does not mean the obligation goes away. (Getty Images) A charge-off on your credit report signals to potential lenders that you’re a risky borrower, so getting a charge-off removed from your credit report could help you qualify or get better rates on credit cards and loans.

What does a charge off on a loan mean?

A notation of a charge off indicates that the lender is no longer showing the account as a bad debt on the bottom line. Instead, the lender has transferred or sold the debt to a collection agency. In turn, the collection agency either collects the debt for the lender or, if the collection agency purchased the debt, collects it for its own benefit.

What’s the difference between a charge off and a collection?

The Difference Between a Charge-Off and Collections Once a creditor has charged off an account, it often sells the debt to a third-party collection agency, which then takes over efforts to collect what’s owed.