Lates will continue to report for seven years - even after the account is paid off.
However, you might consider going through the "goodwill" process - basically asking a creditor to remove the lates from your account. You'll find helpful info on how to GW (nicely!) on the Rebuilding Your Credit forum. If you decide to post there, let folks know who the creditor is/was and how many lates/when they occurred. You'll get lots of helpful feedback.
