I’ve seen a lot of talk on personal finance blogs about buying credit scores and credit reports. If you don’t care what your credit score number is and just want to make sure everything on your actual credit file disclosure (commonly referred to as a credit report) is accurate this post is for you.
Don’t Pay For a Credit Report If You Don’t Want Your Score
If you live in the United States you are entitled to one free credit report each year from the three credit reporting bureaus, Experian, Equifax and Transunion. This report will not include your credit score but will contain all of the information that they use to calculate your credit score so it is imperative you verify that everything is correct and nothing seems out of line.
Since you essentially can receive 3 reports a year (one from each bureau) I pull one every four months just in case an identity thief ever tries to take over my identity. You can also pull all three at one time if you’d like. Whichever way you pull your reports I highly recommend setting up a reminder on your calendar application of choice a year from each credit report pull. This way you won’t forget when you can pull it again. Let’s continue to how to pull your free annual credit report.
1) Go to AnnualCreditReport.com and select your state from the drop down menu. Click Request Report.
2) Enter all requested information and click CONTINUE.
3) Select one or more credit reporting companies you wish to pull your credit report from and click NEXT. (From this point forward I will be going through the steps for Experian.)
4) Click NEXT like the website says…
5) Enter the last four digits of your social security number and click submit.
6) Click Annual Credit Report
7) Click Submit
8) Answer the Identity Verification Questions and click CONTINUE. I have whited out my questions to protect my personal information. You will see questions and multiple choice answers next to each number.
9) View your Report Summary. To see your entire report on one page click the Print Your Report link under Credit Report Toolkit.
Congratulations! You now have successfully pulled your credit report! Look through the report and make sure you don’t see any erroneous information. If you do make sure to report it. I found an incorrect address listed and promptly reported it.
When was the last time you pulled your credit report? Did you find anything that was wrong?
An accountant by day and blogger by night, Lance is the owner of this site. 
Thanks, Lance.
How do you find your credit score? I’ve heard so many people talk about their credit scores, but I’ve honestly never seen mine.
William @ Drop Dead Money recently posted..The Economy: Where Are We? Q2/2012
You can buy reports from the major bureaus but I don’t know if it is the true FICO score or not. I know there are free websites that will give you a score while trying to sell you other products. Ornella mentioned one of them.
Yes, we do this every year! One year I actually found a mistake on my credit report and I was lucky that I did. I protested it and had it removed. It’s a good idea to check it every year!
Holly@Clubthrifty.com recently posted..My Biggest Financial Regrets
I only had a wrong address so it didn’t matter that much. I did ask to get it removed though.
Besides the reports from the three traditional credit bureaus you name, consumers should add to their review list the CoreScore Report from CoreLogic. You can get this one free once per year too, and FICO is using it to produce a new mortgage-targeted score.
Kurt @ Money Counselor recently posted..New FICO Mortgage Score
Very cool, I’ll have to look into that.
Great step-by-step info Lance! I just checked one of my credit reports last week and make it a habit to check all of them throughout the year. Annualcreditreport.com rocks!
Jason @ WSL recently posted..Recipe: Turkey Enchiladas
I agree, it is free and if you don’t need your score for anything it gets the job done.
Simple process yet many people (myself included) do not do this every year. Since we just met with a mortgage lender he pulled our credit reports and credit scores from all three organizations. In the future I will probably just set a date once a year so that I remember to pull them.
DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted..Advantages of Owning a Home vs Renting
Put it on a calendar with reminders so you don’t forget!
Since I just bought a new car, I just saw my FICO score. More importantly, I routinely check the report to see if any eroneous stuff is reported. 25 years ago, a mistake reported and it took me 6 months to have it corrected.
krantcents recently posted..Buy New Appliances and Save Money!
I would believe it takes forever to get it fixed… sad but probably true.
We also check our credit report every year. In fact we just did it this week. We usually end up paying though. It seems there aren’t as many free options in Canada as there are other places.
Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter recently posted..How to Save Cash and Your Health With a Garden
Ah that stinks. Sorry I don’t know the rules for Canada
I really like your screen shot visuals! by the way, some states offer more than just one free credit report per year.
Effective June 1, 2005, 11 Southern states (including where I reside–Georgia) allow two free credit reports from each credit bureau per year. You would have to contact each credit bureau directly, such as through their website. Therefore, you can recieve more than one free credit report as permitted by your state law.
Also, if you are denied credit because of information that is on your credit report you can get a free copy from the credit bureau that supplied the report.
@William you can get your credit score but you will have to pay. those that advertise FREE credit score—be careful of the trial period Credit Karma is the only site that offer FREE credit score, but be mindful the personal information you provide is “in order to ensure that you receive offers that are tailored to you.”
Ornella @ Moneylicious recently posted..Investing Fears to a Bottle of Wine: Change Your Perspective of Money
Cool, I didn’t know that! I wonder if Florida offers multiple reports a year…
Google it!
Ornella recently posted..Investing Fears to a Bottle of Wine: Change Your Perspective of Money
I’m very familiar with mine since we almost purchased a property. We were so close to closing but we found out a huge foundation problem that would cost tens of thousands of dollars. My credit score was at a 782 and dropped to 740-something because we had to do many credit pulls for mortgages and I applied to 2 credit cards all within 6 months.
From Shopping to Saving recently posted..I Don’t Even Have a Backpack
That’s still a good score! Glad you guys found the problems before you bought.
Thanks, Ornella!
@William you are very welcome. glad it was helpful
Ornella @ Moneylicious recently posted..Investing Fears to a Bottle of Wine: Change Your Perspective of Money
We check at least once a year for my wife and I. Those verification questions are super tricky for those of us who’ve moved a lot and had multiple phone numbers. I actually failed one of the three because I can’t remember all the places I’ve lived!
Brent Pittman recently posted..Why Pay Off Student Loans Early?
I know what you mean. I’ve lived so many places it is really sad but I’m finally somewhere I plan on being for more than a year or two!
This is a really great tutorial! Nicely done. Funny story – I used to think (but I don’t know why) that free annual credit report was actually a fraud site. It took me about a year to trust it. I think I was just paranoid to enter my SS number over the Internet. I’m getting too old ….
My Money Design recently posted..Using the Dogs of the Dow to Buy the Best Dividend Paying Stocks
It does look a little bit scammy but I don’t blame you for being worried about entering your SSN online… you really need to be sure before you do it.
I usually check mine at least once a year. It would make since to check more often but I always forget. Great tutorial for someone who has never used the site.
Katie recently posted..Life and Financials on the Rocks
Katie, do you have a calendar application that you can set reminders up on?
I judiciously checked ours as we were preparing to move and take out a new mortgage. Now I’ve gotten lazy about checking. Good idea to set up a reminder.
Barbara Friedberg recently posted..Reader Question; DO YOU THINK BOND’S ARE A GOOD PLACE TO INVEST NOW?
I love calendar reminders. They have saved me multiple times