Yes, under federal law, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) once every 12 months. This is known as your annual credit report. You can request your annual credit report online at AnnualCreditReport.com, by phone at 1-877-322-8228, or by mail using the Annual Credit Report Request Form.
Your credit report is a detailed record of your credit history, including information about your credit accounts, payment history, and credit inquiries. It does not include your credit score, but it does provide the information that is used to calculate your credit score. By reviewing your credit report, you can get a better understanding of your creditworthiness and identify any errors or discrepancies that may be impacting your credit score.
In addition to your annual credit report, you may also be able to get a free copy of your credit score from some credit card companies or credit reporting agencies. Some credit card issuers offer free credit scores to their customers as a benefit of using their card. Additionally, some credit reporting agencies and financial institutions offer free credit scores to consumers as a way to promote their products or services.
It’s important to note that free credit scores may not be the same as the credit scores used by lenders to make credit decisions. Lenders may use different credit scores or multiple credit scores to evaluate an individual’s creditworthiness, and the specific credit scoring model and credit reporting agency used can affect the credit score. Additionally, free credit scores may not be updated as frequently as credit scores used by lenders, which may not provide a completely accurate picture of an individual’s creditworthiness.
In summary, you are entitled to a free annual credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies, which provides a detailed record of your credit history but does not include your credit score. You may also be able to get a free credit score from some credit card issuers or credit reporting agencies, although these scores may not be the same as the ones used by lenders and may not be updated as frequently.