How do I check my credit report for free and fix mistakes?

Your credit report is a record of your accounts, payments, and debts, kept by three private companies called credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Lenders, landlords, insurers, and some employers look at it. Checking it yourself is free, safe, and does not lower your score.

Report vs. score

People mix these up all the time.

• The report is the full file: every credit card, loan, late payment, and address on record.
• The score is a number, usually 300 to 850, that a formula calculates from the report. There are many scoring models, so your score can differ a bit depending on who is asking.

Fix the report, and the score follows. That is why checking the report matters more.

Where to get it for free

AnnualCreditReport.com is the only site authorized by federal law to give you free reports from all three bureaus. You can get your reports there every week at no cost. You can also call 1-877-322-8228.

Be careful with look-alike sites. Anything that asks for a credit card number or a “free trial” is not the official site. Many banks and card apps also show a free score, which is handy, but the official reports are the ones to review closely.

If you have an ITIN instead of an SSN, you may need to request your report by mail or phone, since the website’s identity check is built around SSNs. Each bureau also has its own request process.

What to look for

Read each report slowly. Check:

• Your name, addresses, and date of birth
• Every account listed. Do you recognize all of them?
• Payment history. Is anything marked late that you paid on time?
• Balances and credit limits
• “Hard inquiries,” which show who checked your credit recently
• Public records, like bankruptcies

About one in five people finds an error. Common ones include a paid debt still showing a balance, an account that belongs to someone with a similar name, or the same debt listed twice.

How to dispute an error

1. Write to the credit bureau that shows the mistake. You can dispute online, by mail, or by phone. Mail with a copy of your ID and any proof (a receipt, a statement) is often the strongest.
2. Say exactly what is wrong and what you want changed. Keep it short.
3. Also tell the lender that reported the information. They have to investigate too.
4. The bureau has 30 days (sometimes 45) to investigate and respond. If they agree, the item is fixed or removed.
5. If they disagree and you still think it is wrong, you can add a short statement to your file and file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Keep copies of everything. Disputing is free; you never need to pay a company to do it for you.

Signs of identity theft

Someone may be using your information if you see:

• Accounts or loans you never opened
• Addresses you have never lived at
• Hard inquiries from companies you did not apply to
• Bills or collection calls for things you do not owe
• Mail from a bank or lender you do not use

If you see these, place a free fraud alert or credit freeze with each bureau and report it at IdentityTheft.gov, which walks you through a recovery plan step by step.

Important

This article is general education, not personalized financial or legal advice. Procedures can change, so confirm current steps with the credit bureaus or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.