You have a legal right under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to see your credit reports for free. The three nationwide consumer reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — provide them through the official site AnnualCreditReport.com. Many people never check and discover errors or fraud only when they are declined for credit.
How to access your credit report for free
- Experian: Free credit report via experian.com. Free credit score with an Experian account.
- Equifax: Free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com. Free ongoing score via myEquifax.
- TransUnion: Free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com. Free ongoing score via Credit Karma.
- All three bureaus: Request free reports at AnnualCreditReport.com — now available weekly at no cost.
What to look for when checking your credit report
- Personal information: name, Social Security number, date of birth, current and previous addresses — errors here can cause data to attach to the wrong file
- Credit accounts: every open and closed account with balance, limit and payment history
- Payment status: any payment reported 30, 60, 90 or more days late
- Charge-offs: accounts written off by the creditor — check the date of first delinquency is correct, because it controls when the entry must be removed
- Collections: check the amount, the original creditor and whether it is being reported twice
- Bankruptcies: the only public record still generally included
- Inquiries: hard inquiries from credit applications — check you recognize them all
- Fraud indicators: accounts or inquiries you do not recognize may indicate identity theft
How to dispute errors
If you find an error — a wrong payment status, an account that is not yours, an incorrect balance — dispute it with both the credit bureau and the company that furnished the information. You can dispute online, by mail or by phone; disputing in writing with copies of supporting documents creates the clearest record. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act the bureau generally has 30 days to investigate, extended to 45 if you supply additional information during the period. If a genuine error is not corrected, file a complaint with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
How often should you check
Checking once a quarter catches most errors and fraudulent activity before they cause serious harm. Because free weekly access is available, you can check one bureau at a time on a rotation and effectively monitor all year. If you are planning a significant application such as a mortgage or auto loan in the next six to twelve months, pull all three and allow time to dispute any errors before applying.
General guidance only — not regulated financial advice.