What a credit history report shows and where to get it

A credit history report is a detailed record of every credit account you have opened, closed, or defaulted on, plus payment history, balances, and inquiries made by lenders. It is not the same as your credit score — the score is a number based on the information in the report. The report itself is the raw data.

You can get your complete credit history report free once per year from each of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The official source is AnnualCreditReport.com, run by the three bureaus together. You can also request reports directly from each bureau's website, or by mail or phone if you prefer not to go online.

Some card issuers and financial institutions also show you a version of your credit report through their apps or websites — often called a "credit report card" or "credit snapshot" — but these are summaries. The full report from AnnualCreditReport.com or the bureaus themselves is what lenders see when they decide whether to approve you.

Key Takeaways

  • Your credit history report lists every account you have opened, your payment history on each one, current balances, and hard inquiries made by lenders.
  • You can get one free report per year from each of the three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) at AnnualCreditReport.com without entering a credit card.
  • The report does not include your credit score, but lenders use the information in it to calculate one when you explore for credit.
  • Errors on your report — wrong account names, missed payments you made on time, accounts that are not yours — can lower your score and should be disputed with the bureau.
  • Hard inquiries (from lenders you applied to) appear on your report and can slightly lower your score, but soft inquiries (from employers or yourself) do not.

How to order your report from AnnualCreditReport.com

Go to AnnualCreditReport.com and click "Request Your Reports." You will be asked to enter your name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number. The site will verify your identity by asking security questions based on your credit history — questions like "Which of these addresses have you lived at?" or "Which lender issued your car loan?"

After you pass verification, you can choose to view all three reports at once or order them one at a time. Most people order all three together so they can compare them for errors. You will see your report on screen when ready, and you can read or print it. Do not pay for a report on this site — the free annual report is a legal right under federal law.

If you cannot verify your identity online, AnnualCreditReport.com will give you the option to request your reports by mail. You will fill out a form, sign it, and mail it with a copy of your ID. The bureaus will send your reports by mail within 15 days.

What each section of your report means

Your credit report is divided into sections. The personal information section lists your name, address, phone number, and Social Security number as the bureaus have them on file. Check that your current address is listed and that no addresses you do not recognize appear — that can signal identity theft.

The account history section is the largest. It lists every credit account: credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, student loans, and other debts. For each account, you will see the creditor's name, the account number (usually partially masked), the type of account, when you opened it, your credit limit or loan amount, current balance, payment status, and your payment history for the last 24 months. A payment marked "30," "60," or "90" means you were that many days late. "Current" or "Paid as agreed" means you paid on time.

The inquiries section shows two types. Hard inquiries appear when you explore for credit — a mortgage, car loan, credit card, or apartment rental. Each hard inquiry can lower your score slightly and stays on your report for two years. Soft inquiries appear when you check your own credit, when an employer runs a background check, or when a company you already do business with reviews your account. Soft inquiries do not affect your score and do not appear to other lenders.

The public records section lists bankruptcies, tax liens, or civil judgments if any appear in court records under your name. This section may be empty if you have no public records.

How to spot errors and what to do about them

Read through the account history section carefully. Look for accounts you do not recognize, payments marked late that you made on time, or balances that do not match what you owe. Errors are common — the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau receives thousands of complaints about inaccurate reports each year.

If you find an error, contact the bureau that issued the report in writing. You do not have to use a special form, but your letter should include your name, address, the specific error (the account name, account number, and what is wrong), and a copy of your report with the error circled. Send it certified mail so you have proof of delivery. The bureau must investigate within 30 days and tell you the result in writing.

You can also dispute the error directly with the creditor — the bank or card company that issued the account. Send them the same information. If the creditor agrees the information is wrong, they will tell the bureau to correct it. If the bureau's investigation finds the information is accurate, you can add a statement to your report explaining your side.

Many online credit monitoring services offer to dispute errors for you, but you can do this yourself for free. There is no advantage to paying someone else to send a letter on your behalf.

How often to check your report and when to order extra copies

You are may have access to to one free report per year from each bureau. That means you can order three reports total per year at no cost. Some people order one report every four months — one from each bureau in rotation — so they see updated information more frequently without paying.

You can order additional reports from any bureau at any time by paying a fee, which varies by bureau but is usually $10 to $15. You may want to order an extra report if you are about to explore for a mortgage or car loan and want to check for errors first, or if you suspect identity theft.

If you have been denied credit, employment, or housing because of information in your report, the company that denied you must give you the name and contact information of the bureau that provided the report. You can then request that report free within 60 days of the denial.

The difference between your report and your credit score

Your credit report is the information. Your credit score is a number — usually between 300 and 850 — calculated from that information. Different scoring models weight the information differently. The most common model used by lenders is FICO, which weighs payment history (35%), amounts owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), credit mix (10%), and new credit (10%).

Your report does not include your score. When you order your free annual report from AnnualCreditReport.com, you will not see a number. You can buy your FICO score from Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion for about $20, or you can check your score free through many credit card issuers, banks, or credit monitoring websites. Those free scores are usually accurate, though the exact number may vary slightly depending on which scoring model is used and when the data was pulled.

A lender may see a different score than you do because they use a different scoring model or because they pull your report on a different date. What matters is that the underlying report — the accounts, balances, and payment history — is correct.

What to do if you spot signs of identity theft

If your report shows accounts you did not open, addresses you do not recognize, or hard inquiries from companies you never applied to, you may be a victim of identity theft. Order your reports from all three bureaus and compare them — sometimes fraud appears on one bureau's report before the others.

Contact the creditor for any fraudulent account and tell them the account is not yours. Ask them to close it and remove it from your report. Then contact the bureau that issued the report and dispute the account in writing, stating that it is fraudulent and not authorized by you.

You can also file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC does not investigate individual cases, but the report creates an official record and gives you a recovery plan. You can use this report when you contact creditors and bureaus.

Consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze on your accounts. A fraud alert tells lenders to verify your identity before opening new accounts in your name — it lasts 90 days and you can renew it. A credit freeze blocks lenders from seeing your report entirely unless you temporarily unfreeze it, which prevents new accounts from being opened without your permission. Both are free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to pay to see my credit report?

No. You are may have access to to one free report per year from each of the three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) at AnnualCreditReport.com. You can order additional reports by paying a fee, usually $10 to $15 per report, but the annual free report is your right under federal law.

Will checking my credit report lower my score?

No. Checking your own report is a soft inquiry and does not affect your score. Only hard inquiries — from lenders you applied to — can lower your score slightly. You should check your report regularly for errors and signs of fraud.

How long do errors stay on my report if I do not dispute them?

Errors do not go away on their own. Negative information like late payments stays for seven years, and bankruptcies stay for ten years, but errors should be removed once you dispute them and the bureau investigates. If the bureau finds the information is inaccurate, they must remove it.

Can I remove a hard inquiry from my report?

Hard inquiries stay on your report for two years, but you can ask the creditor to remove it if you did not authorize the inquiry. If the creditor agrees, they will ask the bureau to remove it. Most creditors will not remove authorized inquiries, but it does not hurt to ask.

What if the three bureaus show different information about the same account?

Creditors do not always report to all three bureaus, so it is normal for reports to differ slightly. If one bureau shows an error that the others do not, dispute it with that bureau. If all three show the same error, dispute it with all three.