Most negative credit entries remain on your credit report for seven years. This includes late payments -- such paying a credit card bills more than 30 days after the due dates -- foreclosures, Chapter 13 bankruptcies and debt being sent to collections.There are, however, a few exceptions to the seven year practice.owever, as long as it's unpaid it can stay on your credit report indefinitely. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy, once completed, stays for 10 years. Keep in mind that the older a bad credit mark is, the less it counts against your credit score.