how long does a federal tax lien stay on your report after it is paid?
Even worse, under federal law, unpaid tax liens can remain on credit reports indefinitely, though in practice credit bureaus may remove them after a decade or so. (Once paid and released, a tax lien must be removed seven years from the date it was filed.) There is a way to make tax liens disappear from your credit reports completely, and quickly, though. Unfortunately, not all taxpayers who are dealing with this problem know about it.