You're entitled to free credit reports from all three bureaus, now weekly and for good. Here's the one official site, what's inside a report, and how to read it.
Before this: How Credit Scores Work
Key takeaways
- AnnualCreditReport.com is the only official source, and you can now get a free report from each of the three bureaus every week, permanently.
- A credit report is your account history; your credit score is a separate number calculated from it (and often isn't free).
- Checking your own report is a soft inquiry. It never affects your score.
- Errors are common, so read each report closely and dispute anything wrong (that's free too).
Your credit report is the file lenders read before they decide about you. By law, you’re entitled to see it for free. Better still, the three nationwide bureaus now let you pull a report from each of them every week, permanently 2 . There’s no reason to go without.
Report vs Score: Not the Same Thing
This trips people up. A credit report is the detailed history: your accounts, balances, and payment record 4 . A credit score is a single number a model calculates from that report 5 .
The report is free. The score often isn’t bundled in, though many banks and credit card apps now show you a free one. So when you pull your free report, don’t be surprised that a three-digit score isn’t printed on it.
Free-score apps like Credit Karma are handy for watching your number over time, but know what you’re looking at: most show a VantageScore (often version 3.0), which isn’t the same model as the FICO score the majority of lenders actually pull, so the figure can differ from what a lender sees. Treat it as a trend line, not the exact number a lender will use. (Here’s how FICO and VantageScore differ.)
Where to get them, and the one rule
There is exactly one official place: AnnualCreditReport.com (or by phone at 1-877-322-8228) 3 . It’s the site authorized by federal law, run on behalf of all three bureaus 1 .
While you’re there, one reassurance worth banking: pulling your own report is a soft inquiry. It has zero effect on your score 6 , so you can check as often as you like.
What’s inside
Open a report and you’ll find four kinds of information (the CFPB lists them):
- Personal information: names, addresses, and the last four digits of your SSN.
- Accounts: every credit card and loan, its balance, limit, and whether you’ve paid on time.
- Negative items: collections, bankruptcies, or public records.
- Inquiries: companies that have checked your credit.
Why bother reading it closely
Because mistakes are common. In a Federal Trade Commission study, about one in five consumers had an error corrected on at least one report after disputing it 7 , and a wrong late payment or an account that isn’t yours can quietly drag your score down.
Your reports are free, weekly, and the only place a costly error can hide, so go look.
Read each of the three (they don’t always match), flag anything wrong, and dispute it. Like the reports themselves, fixing an error costs nothing.
Sources
Every factual claim in this guide traces to an official source. Last reviewed June 2026.
- Free Credit Reports (only authorized source; free weekly) · FTC
- You now have permanent access to free weekly credit reports (Oct 2023) · FTC
- How do I get a free copy of my credit reports? · CFPB
- What is a credit report? · CFPB
- What's the difference between a credit report and a credit score? · CFPB
- Does requesting my credit report hurt my credit score? (no, it's a soft inquiry) · CFPB
- FTC study on credit report accuracy (Feb. 2013) · FTC
CreditGlow is educational content, not individualized financial advice. We explain how credit works in general, not what's right for your specific situation. For decisions about your credit, check the official sources cited or talk to a qualified professional.