How long to show on credit report that a account is paid off

If you pay a collection account off it can take up to 45 days for the CRAs to update their info. You really should try to get PFD since they do much more for your credit then 'paid collections' accounts

The negative mark of delinquency stays on your credit report for seven years from the date of delinquency even if you pay off the debt. So the best way is to send a pay for deletion agreement letter to your creditor or CA before paying the remaining balance. If they agree, it is good. Else you can pay off your debt because after the full payment of your debt, it will be automatically mentioned in your credit report as paid off, but the negative mark will not be deleted which will hamper your credit score. However, still it will be easier for you to get the home loan if the credit report shows that the debt has been paid in full.

I agree with Scott but, what I meant was it will take up to 45 days for the CBs to change the debt status from collections to paid in full etc. Then the listing will remain for 7 years from the original date

Yes I agree with you. The status will change to paid in full after 45 days from the date of full payment, but the delinquent listing will remain in the credit report for 7 years from the date of delinquency.

A good idea is to keep a copy of the check or reciept for the money order in which you used to pay off your debts. Always remember to write the account number on the memo of the check. Than as soon as it is paid you can file a dispute with the credit bureaus to update the account info which should only take 30 days. Some collection agencies/creditors can take a long time to update your credit info.

If you have the time I would first try Scott's suggestion about the pay for deletion letter. Not all places will agree to it but it is well worth the wait if they do.

Paying off balances is always a good thing, but it might not be the most important thing for you to do in your specific situation. The credit score report will explain what from your credit report most impacted your creditworthiness. You can use that information to take action that will over time improve your creditworthiness, which will be reflected in your credit scores. I think that you can subscribe to a credit monitoring service. This provides you to determine the what you need to do and then track your progress by watching the credit score improve as time goes.