How to Request and Review Your Annual Credit Report and Follow Up on Errors

  • A credit report is a breakdown of a person’s credit history, including financial accounts, loans, bankruptcies and judgments. It also includes personal information like your name and address history.
  • To receive a complete view of your credit history, obtain a separate report from the three credit reporting agencies (CRAs) Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It will have a detailed list of past and current lines of credit. 
  • When reading through your annual credit report, make sure all the sections are correct. They will include personal information, accounts, public records, collections and credit inquiries. Contact the appropriate CRA if you find inaccurate information on your annual credit report. 
  • To learn more about how to review your credit report, or if you have additional questions, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center. You can speak with an expert advisor toll-free by phone (888.400.5530) or live chat by visiting www.idtheftcenter.org

A credit report is a breakdown of an individual’s credit history, including all financial accounts, loans, bankruptcies and judgments. It also contains personal information, including your name and address history. Each credit reporting agency (CRA) maintains its own report; by law, U.S. citizens can receive at least one free credit report from each of the three main CRAs (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) every twelve months.

Due to an increase in fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic, annual credit reports can be requested for free weekly. Stay tuned to the annualcreditreport.com website for updates on availability.

By obtaining an annual credit report from each agency, you can see every line of credit that has been obtained using your personal information and check for errors and fraudulent activity.

Are you looking for information on how to check for and review a credit report for your child or someone under 18? Click here

Ordering Your Credit Report

To receive a complete view of your credit history, you should obtain a separate report from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion since they could vary. An annual credit report will not include your credit score. However, it will have a detailed list of past and current lines of credit. There are three ways to obtain this report: online, over the phone and by mail.

You can request to receive your free annual credit report online at www.annualcreditreport.com. This is the only website authorized by the federal government to provide this information at no cost. Be extremely cautious of imposter websites by ensuring that the spelling and domain type is correct (e.g., sites like annualcreditreport.net, yourcreditreport.com, anualcreditreport.com, etc., are not valid).

Enter your personal information, choose from each of the three (3) main CRAs to make your request, and view or download your report.

Call the AnnualCreditReport.com hotline at 877.322.8228. You will need to request each credit report individually from the three major CRAs.

Fill out the Annual Credit Report Request Form and send your completed application to the address listed on the form. Note that this is a PDF form that must be printed and filled out by hand and mailed using your own postage. Your reports will then be sent to you from the three major CRAs.

Reading Your Annual Credit Report

Each CRA uses a different format for its annual credit reports. However, the main sections are essentially the same. Read through each section carefully to identify any incorrect information.

This is your personally identifying information (PII), including your name (and aliases), addresses (both current and former), date of birth, last four (4) digits of your Social Security number (SSN) and employment history.

Look for changes or variations in your personal information, such as last names or addresses you’ve never used. Note that minor variations, such as a misspelling, may result from data entry errors; there is no cause for alarm unless you also notice fraudulent lines of credit, as described below.

Each account should show the company’s name, partial account number, type of account, date opened, activity on the account, payments made and status of the account.

Look for accounts that you do not recognize and did not open.

Look at previously closed accounts and verify that they have not been re-opened.

Look for any filings for bankruptcy, judgments or liens unfamiliar to you. If you find any erroneous liens or judgments in your report, contact the CRA as soon as possible, as well as the party holding the lien or judgment, to get more information on how to proceed.

While you would typically expect to receive collections notices through the mail, you can also check for them on your annual credit report. Much like bankruptcies, judgments and liens, you should contact the CRA and the listed collections agency as soon as possible if you notice anything unfamiliar or suspicious.

Credit inquiries show you which companies have been checking your credit score and other indicators through the CRAs to offer or complete a credit application.

  • Initiated by the Consumer (hard inquiries): These are inquiries based on an application you filled out for credit, such as a financed vehicle or student loan. Look for companies to whom you did not apply for credit, keeping in mind that some companies may be listed by an unfamiliar name. For example, a local retailer may show on your credit report under their global corporation name or vice versa.
  • Initiated by Other Entities (soft inquiries): These are inquiries done by companies that may want to send you pre-approved credit card or loan offers. To opt-out of pre-approved offers, visit www.optoutprescreen.com or call 888.567.8688.

Problems on Your Credit Report

Contact each CRA individually to notify them about any inaccurate information on your annual credit report.

You can fill out a dispute form online with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You may still be asked to mail information after filling out the online form.

If you see a fraudulent inquiry or account, such as from a bank or insurance company with which you have never done business, speak directly to the reporting entity’s fraud department about removing the inquiry or account.

Contact the ITRC 

To learn more about how to review your annual credit report or if you believe you were the victim of an identity crime, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center. You can speak with an expert advisor toll-free by calling 888.400.5530 or visiting our website to live chat during our regular business hours Monday-Friday 6 a.m.-5 p.m. PST. You can leave a message for an advisor if you contact us outside of our business hours and we will respond the next business day. Just visit www.idtheftcenter.org to get started.

This information should not be used in lieu of legal advice. Any requests to reproduce this material, other than by individual victims for their own use, should be directed to [email protected].

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