Your credit report and your credit score are not the same thing. The report is a ledger of your history. The score is a number built from that ledger. Because they do different jobs, you get them in different ways, and the rules for each are different.

A person at a tidy desk reviewing a printed ledger beside a laptop displaying a gauge, illustrating how a credit report and a credit score are two separate views of the same financial picture.
Accessing your credit data through official channels helps you track your financial health over time.

Start with the free credit report

By law, you can get a free credit report every year from each of the three nationwide agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can request all three at once. You can also space them out through the year and check your file more often. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says you can currently check your reports for free every week at AnnualCreditReport.com. USAGov and myFICO both describe that site as the only one the federal government authorizes for free annual reports. For a plain-language overview, see the USAGov guide to credit reports.

You do not have to use the internet. You can call 1-877-322-8228 (TTY: 1-800-821-7232). You can also mail a request form to Annual Credit Report Request Service, PO Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Your report lists payment history, loans, current debt, bankruptcies, and lawsuits. It usually does not include a credit score.

Some people also qualify for extra free copies. You may be entitled to one if you are on welfare, if you are unemployed and plan to job-hunt within 60 days, or if you are a victim of identity theft. After a denial of credit, insurance, or employment, you must ask within 60 days of that action.

Know where free credit scores come from

Scores come from a wider mix of sources than reports. Many major card issuers and lenders show a score on your monthly statement or in your online account. Check the statement you already get before you search anywhere else. It may be sitting in the top corner.

Nonprofit credit and housing counselors are another route. The CFPB says counselors trained by HUD can often provide a free report and score and help you read them. That help matters if the number alone leaves you with more questions than answers.

Be careful with sites that advertise a "free" score. The CFPB notes that some are run by credit reporting companies, scoring companies, or lenders, and some make money from the service. Paid score services may bundle in credit monitoring. The sources do not list prices, so ask what a service costs and what it includes before you enter a card number.

Understand why your scores may not match

You have more than one credit score. That surprises many people. The CFPB says scores can differ because they use different data, are calculated at different times, or are built for different types of loans. A gap between two numbers does not by itself mean something is wrong.

What does matter is the report underneath. Your scores are based on the information in your credit reports, and mistakes there can lower them. A wrong balance or an account you never opened can drag a score down. When you see a score, ask where it came from and which report data it used.

Here is a simple routine for checking your file:

  1. Pull your reports from the official source, one bureau or all three.
  2. Read each account line by line. Look for accounts you do not recognize and balances that look off.
  3. Compare the three reports. An error may show up at only one bureau.
  4. Note anything wrong and contact the bureau that shows it.

The sources provided here do not explain how to dispute an error or place a security freeze or fraud alert. Look for that guidance from the bureaus or the CFPB directly.

Avoid impostor sites and unclear offers

Impostor websites imitate the free report offer. Type the official address yourself rather than clicking a search ad. If a site asks for payment, or pushes premium extras you did not ask for, stop. Ask whether the service is the authorized free source or a company that charges for add-ons. Ask whether it signed you up for monitoring you did not request.

If a reporting agency denies your request for a report, contact that agency first. If the problem is not resolved, contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Keep a note of the date and who you spoke with. It makes the second call easier.

Please seek a professional. This article is general information, not financial, tax or insurance advice. Please seek a licensed financial, tax or insurance professional about your own situation.