Your Credit Report and Score

By law, you have the right to obtain a copy of your credit report and dispute any inaccurate information it contains. Reports cost between $9 and $12, and include a detailed history of your credit practices for the last 7-10 years and a credit score. Reports also include information and tips on how to improve your credit rating.

Legally, you are allowed to have a free copy of your report if you have been denied credit, a job, insurance, etc. within the last 30 days due to information your report contains. Directly contact the credit bureau that issued the erroneous report.

You are also legally allowed to obtain a free copy of your report from each of the “big three” reporting agencies each year. Contact one or all of the following primary credit bureaus:

Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
800-685-1111

Experian
955 American Lane
Schaumburg, IL 60173
847-517-5600
888-397-3742

TransUnion
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022
800-916-8800

Dun and Bradstreet
The D&B Corporation
103 JFK Parkway
Short Hills, NJ 07078
800-234-3867
Provides business and nonprofit credit reports only.

Or, you can visit www.annualcreditreport.com to easily apply for your free annual report.

Because your creditors might not report information to each "big three" bureau, obtain reports from all of them in order to get the most accurate assessment of your credit rating.

Your report will explain how to interpret its contents. For additional assistance, call the issuing credit bureau, or a nonprofit organization that specializes in credit counseling/debt management or home-buying, or offers accounting services.