Used to verify your identity; errors here can signal identity theft.

List of open and closed accounts, payment history, balances, and credit limits.

You can get a free report once every 12 months from each of the three major bureaus— Equifax , Experian , and TransUnion. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, these bureaus have extended a program allowing weekly free online access to your reports. Requesting Methods:

Hard inquiries (from loan applications) can slightly lower your score. Regularly checking your credit history allows you to: