Good stories about this all the time when an individual pays off a debt collection and their score goes down significantly in some cases. Here's my my point do not pay a debt collection. Not until they verify and validate that that paying off a debt lowers your score. Sounds counterproductive but here's the reason. A credit score is a snapshot in time. The further you go back, the less a derogatory item affects your score.

But when you pay it off, the date of last activity changes in brings it to the front and as a double whammy, it will stay on your credit report for seven years from the date you last paid it off, and making one payment for even $1 could reestablish the date of last activity, thus starting the timeframe and reestablishes The statute of limitations