Archive: RDNE Stock project/Pexels (Pexels License). Cropped and resized. General archive photo of paperwork, not a credit report.
A credit report and a credit score are two different things, and checking your own report does not lower your score. Anyone who plans to borrow, rent or finance something can look at their report first without any penalty.
The report is the record: your accounts, balances and payment history, as shared by the credit reporting companies. The score is a number based on the information in that report. If the report has a mistake, the score can be affected by it.
Checking your report is free and safe for your score
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says that requesting your own credit report does not hurt your credit score, because it is not an inquiry about new credit. You can review your report online for free once a week from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, through annualcreditreport.com. You can also request a copy by mail once every 12 months from each company.
The CFPB adds that, until December 2026, annualcreditreport.com lets you request as many as six free copies of your Equifax report in any 12-month period.
What to check first
Start by making sure the information is accurate and up to date. As a simple first pass, look at whether the accounts listed are really yours and whether the balances look right. Reviewing your report regularly helps you catch problems before a lender sees them.
The free reports do not include a score
The CFPB says the free reports from the credit reporting companies currently do not include free credit scores. Your credit card company may give you a score for free, and some put it on your monthly statement.
You can buy a score directly from the credit reporting companies and scoring companies, but the score you buy may not be the same one a lender uses. The CFPB also warns to be wary of programs offering a “free” score. You may have to enroll in a program with a fee, so it is generally not really free unless you cancel in time.
Lenders must also tell you your score in some cases. The CFPB says creditors generally have to disclose it if they use it and deny your application, raise the cost of your credit, or offer you a higher rate than other consumers get. Mortgage lenders must disclose it when they check your score to approve a mortgage loan.
JBizNews Desk | Washington
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