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Not financial advice: this is general education. Your situation is different, so read every product's full terms and consider free help from a nonprofit credit counselor before taking on new credit.
The only official free site
AnnualCreditReport.com is the federally authorized site for free credit reports. Since 2023 you can permanently get a free report from each of the three nationwide bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, every week. Checking your own report doesn't affect your score. You can also call 1-877-322-8228. Source: FTC.
Beware of look-alike sites that ask for a credit card or push a paid subscription. The official site doesn't require payment.
Step by step
- Go to AnnualCreditReport.com and choose "Request your free credit reports."
- Enter your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number.
- Choose the bureaus you want (you can request all three).
- Answer each bureau's identity questions, then view, download or save each report.
What to check
- Your name, addresses and employers. Unknown addresses can be a sign of identity theft or a mixed file.
- Every account: do you recognize it? Are the balances, limits and payment statuses right?
- Hard inquiries you didn't authorize.
- If you have a thin file, whether your new secured card or loan is showing up.
If something is wrong
Dispute it, for free, with the bureau showing the error and with the company that reported it. Explain what's wrong, include copies of supporting documents, and keep records. Bureaus generally must investigate within 30 days. See the CFPB credit reports guide.
Consider a credit freeze
A freeze stops new creditors from seeing your report, which blocks most new-account fraud. It's free at each bureau, and you can lift it temporarily when you apply for credit.
More guides
- Thin or No Credit File? How to Start Building Credit
- Secured Credit Cards Explained: How They Work and How to Graduate
- How Credit-Builder Loans Work (and When They Make Sense)
- Credit Utilization Explained: The 30% Rule and What Really Matters
- Yendo Credit Card Review: A Card Secured by Your Car
- Yendo vs a Regular Secured Credit Card: Which Fits You?