Reading your credit report
Get your free reports at AnnualCreditReport.com, then go through each one for accounts you don't recognize, wrong balances and late payments that aren't yours.
You'll need
- Your Social Security number and past addresses, to verify who you are
- A quiet half hour
Do it like this
- Go to AnnualCreditReport.com, the official free site, or call 1-877-322-8228. You can check each bureau's report once a week for free (FTC).
- Request all three reports: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. They can differ, because lenders don't have to report to every bureau (CFPB).
- Check your personal details: name, addresses and employers.
- Go account by account. Do you recognize it? Are the balance and the payment history right?
- Write down anything wrong, with the account number, then dispute it.
Watch out. Look-alike sites advertise "free" reports and then sign you up for a paid plan. AnnualCreditReport.com is the official one.
If it doesn't work
- If the site can't verify who you are, you can request by phone at 1-877-322-8228 (FTC).
- If you find accounts you never opened, that may be identity theft. Go to IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan.
- If one bureau shows something the others don't, that's normal. Dispute it only with the bureau that has it wrong.
Good to know
Who looks at your report
Lenders use your report to decide whether to give you credit. Other businesses may use it too, for insurance, renting you a home, or phone, internet and utility service (CFPB).
Checking doesn't hurt
Requesting your own report doesn't affect your credit score (CFPB).
Watch old accounts
Keep an eye on old cards you don't use, so an identity thief isn't using them (CFPB).
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission Free credit reports
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau What is a credit report?
- AnnualCreditReport.com The official site for free credit reports
Lesson M4.2 · Last checked October 2, 2026 against the sources listed. See a mistake?
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