<prompt> Human: I opened a Home Depot card through Citibank 2 months ago and used it to make a large purchase. I wasnt satisfied with my purchases so I promptly returned them back to the store and the amount was credited back to my account. I kept a 7 item though that was purchased through the card and forgot all about it. Two months later, today, I checked my creditkarma report and saw the 7 balance. I had completely forgot about it and hadnt receive any statement nor email from Citi. I made the 7 payment and found out that it was 36 days past due. Prior to this 100 of my payments were made on time and I had no derogatory marks in my credit history.Is there any way I can dispute this and get it off my credit history? especially because I didnt receive any notification of a balance due. How can I be proactive and protect my credit score?  <response>: Is there any way I can dispute this and get it off my credit history? No, you agree that the payment was late. There is no reason to dispute it. You can contact the bank and ask them if they would be willing to reverse the late feereporting as a courtesy for the reasons youve explained in your post good payment history otherwise, low balance that was easy to forget. You should also ask them how to set up notifications about statements and payment due dates if you arent able to figure that out yourself. How can I be proactive and protect my credit score? Check every account you have at least once every 30 days to ensure that any balances are paid, and any errorsfraud are caught quickly and reported timely. Dont rely on a bank to contact you, use tools like the appwebsitenotification system to keep yourself informed. 