How To Get Your Credit Report For Free
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Your credit report has a lot of power over your daily life - whether that's when you go to get a new car or are applying for an apartment. In addition to using credit responsibly, keeping an eye on your credit report is one of the most valuable things you can do to make sure your financial house is as stable as possible. There are three ways to request a copy of your free credit report.
Written by Attorney Tina Tran.
Updated April 19, 2024
Your credit report has a lot of power over your daily life - whether that's when you go to get a new car or you're applying for an apartment. In addition to using credit responsibly, keeping an eye on your credit report is one of the most valuable things you can do to make sure your financial house is as stable as possible.
What Are the Three Major Credit Bureaus?
There are three credit reporting agencies for consumer credit in the United States:
TransUnion
Equifax
Experian
Al three of these credit bureaus are required by law to give you a copy of your credit report for free. You used to one free report a years, but since the covid pandemic, you can pull a free report form each agency once a week. You won't get a report sent to you automatically, though. You have to request it.
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How Do You Get a Free Credit Report?
The fastest and easiest way to get your free credit report is by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the only online provider of credit reports that is authorized to do so by the federal government specifically for this purpose.
You can also request your credit report by phone or mail. To request it by phone, call (877)322-8228. To request your report by mail, fill out and send this request form to Annual Credit Report Request Service, PO Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
You don't have to get all three credit reports at the same time. To learn more about your rights with respect to your credit report, check out the information provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on this topic.
Does Your Credit Report Show Your Credit Score?
No. Your credit report is like transcript, whereas your credit score is like a report card.
Your credit report will shows a detailed summary of your credit history. In fact, you have three different credit reports, as each credit bureau collects its own information. This is why it's good to look at all three reports and compare information across them.
On your credit report, you'll find:
Personal information
A list of your credit accounts, including credit limits and loan amounts (called tradelines)
The status of each account (such as current or delinquent)
Your history of credit applications and inquiries
Notations of any public records that may affect creditworthiness, such as bankruptcies, foreclosures, or tax liens
Your credit score will be a number between 300-850. At least, that's the range for your FICO score, which is the most commonly used of two types of credit scores. VantageScore is the second most common, and it has a slightly different scale.
While your credit report won't show your credit score, many banks and financial institutions now offer free services to show you your current credit score. You can also enroll in paid services to check and track your credit score.
