Federal law gives you free access to what Equifax, Experian and TransUnion say about you, and the bureaus now let you see it every week. The free reports don’t include a credit score, and they come from one official source, not from the many sites that use “free” in their ads. This page covers how to order, how to read the report, and the other free reports most people don’t know they can get. Rules and figures are from the FCRA, the CFPB and the FTC, checked October 22, 2026.

Where to get your free reports

The FCRA (15 U.S.C. § 1681j(a)) requires each nationwide bureau to give you one free report every 12 months through a central source. That source is AnnualCreditReport.com. On top of the annual right, the FTC says all three bureaus have permanently extended a program that lets you view your report from each of them free once a week at the same site.

Source: FTC, “Free Credit Reports”; CFPB, “How do I get a free copy of my credit reports?” Checked October 22, 2026.

You’ll need your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth, and your previous address if you moved in the last two years. Each bureau then asks its own identity questions, and the FTC notes verification can add time to phone and mail orders.

Two cautions from the FTC: AnnualCreditReport.com is the only site authorized to fill the free federal orders, and neither it nor the bureaus will email you asking for your Social Security number. Sites that offer a “free report” and then ask for a card number are selling something else.

A plan that uses the weekly access

Weekly access means you no longer have to ration reports. A sensible pattern:

• Once: pull all three at the same time and read them in full using the section guide below. Each bureau’s file is different because the CFPB notes creditors aren’t required to report to every bureau.
• Every month or two: check new accounts and inquiries on each report. That is where identity theft shows up first.
• Before a big application (mortgage, car loan): pull all three about 60 days ahead, so a dispute has time to finish. A bureau has 30 days to investigate, or up to 45 if you send more information during the first 30 (§ 1681i(a)(1)).
• After you dispute or pay something off: check again a month or so later to confirm the change actually landed.

What’s on a report, section by section

The CFPB describes five types of information. The layout differs between bureaus, but the content falls into these groups:

Sources: CFPB, “What is a credit report?”; Experian, “Public Records That Can Appear on Your Credit Report.” Checked October 22, 2026.

Reading the payment history grid

Each account usually shows a month-by-month row of payment codes. A month marked OK or current means the creditor reported you as paid as agreed. Late marks appear in steps of 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days, per Experian. There is no code for 1 to 29 days late, so a payment a week late should not show as late at all. If you see a 30-day mark for a month you know you paid within the grace period, that is a disputable error. The late payments guide explains how these marks progress and how long they stay.

Working out when an item should disappear

Most negative items, including late payments, collections and charge-offs, can be reported for seven years (§ 1681c(a)). For a collection or charge-off, the seven years start 180 days after the delinquency began (§ 1681c(c)). Example: you first missed a card payment in March 2021 and never caught up. The 180 days run out in September 2021, so the charge-off and any collection account for it should come off by about September 2028, no matter how many times the debt is sold. Chapter 7 bankruptcy can stay 10 years. The removal date calculator does this math for you.

Errors worth disputing

• Accounts that aren’t yours. Could be a mixed file (someone with a similar name or SSN) or identity theft. For theft, also file at IdentityTheft.gov and consider a freeze (see freeze vs. lock vs. fraud alert).
• Wrong credit limit. A card with a $5,000 limit reported as $500 makes a $400 balance look like 80% utilization instead of 8%.
• Paid or settled debts still showing a balance.
• Duplicate collections. The same debt listed under two collectors, both with balances.
• Items past the reporting limit. Use the original delinquency date, not the date a collector bought the debt.
• Medical collections the bureaus say they exclude. Experian says the three bureaus don’t report medical collections under $500, wait 365 days before adding unpaid medical collections, and remove paid medical collections. That is the bureaus’ own policy: the CFPB’s January 2025 rule banning medical debt from reports was vacated by a federal court on July 11, 2025, so no federal rule requires it.

You can dispute with the bureau, with the company that reported the item, or both. The step-by-step process is in how to dispute your credit report.

Other free reports you’re entitled to

Besides the annual and weekly reports, the FCRA gives you a free report in specific situations. You request these from the bureau directly, not through AnnualCreditReport.com.

Source: 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681j and 1681c-1; CFPB, “How do I get a free copy of my credit reports?” Checked October 22, 2026. The CFPB adds that some states give residents additional free reports.

If none of these apply, a bureau may charge for an extra report, but the fee is capped. For 2026 the cap is $16.00 (12 CFR part 1022, appendix O), up from $15.50 in 2025. With weekly free access online, you shouldn’t need to pay.

Specialty reports most people never check

“Nationwide specialty consumer reporting agencies” also must give you a free report every 12 months on request and offer at least a toll-free number to ask (§ 1681j(a)(1)(C)). The CFPB says these companies track things like bank account history, rentals, insurance claims, employment and medical information, and that people usually find out about them only after being turned down. A few worth checking:

Sources: each agency’s own request page; CFPB list of consumer reporting companies (current as of January 2025). Checked October 22, 2026.

If a bank turns down your application because of a report, the adverse action notice must give the agency’s name, address and phone number (§ 1681m(a)), and the 60-day adverse-action right applies to that agency too. A ChexSystems record is a common reason people can’t open an account, which matters if you plan to use a share-secured loan or a bank’s credit builder loan.

What the free report won’t show

• Your credit score. The report is the raw data; scores are calculated from it. See credit score ranges and how scores are calculated.
• Creditors that don’t report to that bureau. A card that appears on TransUnion may be missing from Equifax.
• Rent and utilities, unless you or your landlord use a reporting service. See rent and utility reporting.

FAQ

Sources

Only primary sources: statute and regulation text, federal agencies, the reporting companies’ own pages and a court judgment. All checked October 22, 2026.

1. FTC, “Free Credit Reports” — consumer.ftc.gov/articles/free-credit-reports. Weekly reports, ordering methods, turnaround, accessible formats, scam warnings, special free-report situations.
2. CFPB, “How do I get a free copy of my credit reports?” — consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/…-en-5. Weekly access, extra free reports, $16 fee cap, specialty companies.
3. CFPB, “What is a credit report?” — consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-report-en-309. Report contents; creditors not required to report to every bureau.
4. 15 U.S.C. § 1681j, “Charges for certain disclosures” — law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681j. Annual, adverse-action, unemployment, welfare and fraud reports; specialty agency duties.
5. 15 U.S.C. § 1681c and § 1681i — law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681c and law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681i. Reporting periods and dispute deadlines.
6. 15 U.S.C. § 1681m, “Requirements on users of consumer reports” — law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681m. Adverse action notice contents.
7. CFPB, “Does requesting my credit report hurt my credit score?” — consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/…-en-1229.
8. 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-1 — law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681c-1. Free reports with fraud alerts.
9. 12 CFR part 1022, appendix O, “Reasonable Charges for Certain Disclosures” — consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1022/o. $16.00 cap for 2026.
10. CFPB, “What are specialty consumer reporting agencies?” — consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/…-en-1813, and the CFPB list of consumer reporting companies (current as of January 2025) — consumerfinance.gov/…/companies-list.
11. Experian, “Public Records That Can Appear on Your Credit Report” — experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/public-records-that-appear-on-your-report; “When Do Late Payments Get Reported?” (October 31, 2024) — experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/when-do-late-payments-get-reported; “How Does Medical Debt Affect Your Credit Score?” (October 9, 2025) — experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/medical-debt-and-your-credit-score.
12. Cornerstone Credit Union League v. CFPB, No. 4:25-cv-00016 (E.D. Tex.), Final Judgment, July 11, 2025 — copy hosted by Georgetown Law litigation tracker (PDF). Vacatur of the CFPB medical information rule.
13. ChexSystems, Consumer Disclosure request — chexsystems.com/request-reports/consumer-disclosure; Innovis, Credit Report — innovis.com/personal/creditReport; NCTUE, Consumers — nctue.com/consumers.

Educational information, not legal or financial advice. Phone numbers, forms and bureau policies change; if something here no longer matches the source, tell us. · Advertiser disclosure

Keep going

• How to dispute your credit report →
• When will it fall off? (calculator) →
• Freeze vs. lock vs. fraud alert →
• Late payments on your credit report →
• Credit glossary →
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