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Free Resource · Beginner

How to Get Your Free Credit Report

By Maria Santos, MS · 5 min read · Updated March 2025

Home › Guides › How to Get Your Free Credit Report
✅ Last updated: March 2025

By law, you can get your credit report for free. Not once in a lifetime — free every week if you want. Here is exactly how to do it.

The One Website You Need

There is only one official free credit report website: AnnualCreditReport.com

This is the website the government requires all three credit bureaus to use. It is completely free. No credit card. No subscription. No tricks.

Warning: FreeCreditReport.com is NOT the government site. Despite the name, it is owned by Experian (a credit bureau) and will ask for your credit card to enroll in a paid service. Always use AnnualCreditReport.com — with "Annual" at the start.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Go to AnnualCreditReport.com on your phone or computer.

Step 2: Click the big button that says "Request your free credit reports."

Step 3: Enter your name, current address, date of birth, and Social Security number. This is secure — the site uses the same encryption as banks.

Step 4: Choose all three bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can get all three at once.

Step 5: Answer the identity verification questions. These are based on your history — things like "Which of these is a previous address?" or "Which bank holds a loan you had?"

Step 6: Download each report as a PDF right away. They will not stay on the site forever.

Your Report vs Your Score

Your report and your score are two different things. Your report is a big document listing every account you have ever had and your payment history. Your score is a single number calculated from that report.

The free report from AnnualCreditReport.com does not include your score. To get your score for free, use one of these options:

• Credit Karma (creditkarma.com) — Free. Shows your TransUnion and Equifax scores.
• Discover Credit Scorecard (creditscorecard.com) — Free FICO score. Open to everyone, even non-Discover customers.
• Your bank or credit card — Most major banks show your FICO score for free in the app.

What to Look for When You Read Your Report

Read through the whole thing and ask these questions:

• Is my name and address correct?
• Do I recognize every account listed?
• Are there any late payments I did not actually miss?
• Are all closed accounts shown as closed?
• Are there any applications (hard inquiries) from companies I do not remember?

If anything looks wrong, that is an error you can dispute for free. See our guide on fixing bad credit for how to file a dispute.

❓ Will checking my report hurt my credit?
No. Looking at your own report is a soft inquiry and does not affect your score in any way. Only hard inquiries (when a lender checks because you applied for credit) affect your score.
❓ What is the difference between the three bureaus?
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion are three separate companies that each collect information about your credit history. They often have slightly different information because not every lender reports to all three. That is why you should check all three — an error might appear on one but not the others.
❓ What if I find an error?
Go to the website of the bureau that shows the error and file a dispute online. Attach any evidence you have (bank statements, letters, etc). The bureau has 30 days to investigate. If the item is inaccurate, they must correct or remove it.

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