Your credit report is the data. Your credit score is a number generated from that data by a scoring model like FICO or VantageScore. Two different scoring models can look at the exact same report and produce different scores, because they weigh the information differently.
What’s in a Credit Report
- Personal information: Your name, current and former addresses, date of birth, and Social Security number (partially masked).
- Account information (tradelines): Each credit card, loan, or line of credit you have or have had, including the open date, credit limit or loan amount, balance, and payment history.
- Credit inquiries: A list of who has checked your credit and when — split into hard inquiries (from applications) and soft inquiries (like checking your own score).
- Public records and collections: Bankruptcies, and accounts sent to collections. Civil judgments and tax liens are no longer included on credit reports as of recent years.
Note that your three bureau reports can differ from each other, because not every lender reports to all three bureaus.
How to Read Your Credit Report
- Check your personal information first. Wrong addresses or a misspelled name can sometimes signal mixed files or identity theft.
- Go through each account. Confirm the balance, limit, and payment history match what you expect. Look for accounts you don’t recognize.
- Review your inquiries. A hard inquiry you didn’t authorize is a red flag.
- Check the “negative items” section. Late payments, collections, and other derogatory marks typically stay on your report for seven years (bankruptcies can stay up to ten).
How to Check Your Credit Report for Free
Federal law entitles you to a free copy of your report from each bureau every week at AnnualCreditReport.com — this is the only site authorized to provide the legally mandated free reports. Many banks and card issuers also offer free access to at least one bureau’s report as an account benefit.
What to Do If You Find an Error
If you spot an account that isn’t yours, an incorrect late payment, or a balance that’s wrong, you can dispute it directly with the bureau reporting the error, and separately with the company that furnished the information. See our guide on how to dispute a credit report error for the step-by-step process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does checking my own credit report hurt my score?
No. Checking your own report or score is a soft inquiry and has no effect on your score.
How often should I check my credit report?
At least once a year from each bureau, though checking more often — many people do it monthly — makes it easier to catch errors or fraud early.
Why do my three credit reports look different?
Not every lender reports to all three bureaus, and reports can be pulled at slightly different times, so the details won’t always match exactly.
How long do negative items stay on a credit report?
Most negative items, including late payments and collections, stay for about seven years. Chapter 7 bankruptcies can stay up to ten years.
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