How to pull your credit report - free
Check each box as you go. Your progress saves on this device, so you can stop and come back.
- Step 1
Set aside about 10 minutes.
Have your Social Security number, date of birth, and every address you've lived at in the last two years handy. Use a computer so you can save PDFs. Keep two tabs open - this guide, and the report site.
- Step 2
Open annualcreditreport.com in a new tab.
This is the official site for the free annual credit reports provided under federal law. It never asks for a credit card.
Watch out: Lookalike "free credit report" sites exist to sell you monitoring. Skip search-ad links and type annualcreditreport.com straight into the address bar. - Step 3
Start the request for your free reports.
Follow the site's prompt to request your credit reports, fill out the personal-information form, and continue. The exact wording and layout change from time to time.
- Step 4
Choose ALL 3 reports.
When asked whether you want 1, 2, or 3 reports, check the boxes for all three. Each bureau's file can look different, and you're entitled to all of them free - as often as weekly these days.
- Step 5
Verify your identity for each bureau.
On each bureau's page, first confirm the displayed info is accurate (name, date of birth, SSN, current address) - if any of it is off, go back. Then enter your email and phone, accept the terms, verify by text or call, enter the code you receive, and continue.
Watch out: If online identity verification fails, follow that bureau's instructions on screen or use the official phone or mail options to request your report. A security freeze does not block you from getting your own report, so don't assume you have to lift one. - Step 6
Save each report as a PDF.
Right-click → Print → set Destination to "Save as PDF"; or use File → Print → PDF. Name each file like "Equifax Credit Report 2026-07-22" so future-you can find it.
Watch out: Save BEFORE closing the tab - otherwise you may have to re-verify from scratch.Important: Save your report first, then identify the exact entry and field that looks wrong. If you dispute, you can use the bureau's official online, mail or phone process - keep copies of what you send, the records that support it, and any confirmation you get back. CreditHound does not write, send or file disputes for you.
Found something that looks wrong?
Read each report line by line and mark anything you don't recognize: accounts that aren't yours, wrong balances, wrong payment history, addresses you've never lived at, or a status that says something you know isn't true.
Keep the original PDF exactly as you saved it. For each thing that looks off, write down the bureau it came from, the date of that report, the exact account or entry, and the specific field you think is wrong - balance, status, dates, payment history, or personal information. Then compare your own dated records (statements, payment confirmations, letters, police or identity-theft reports) against the dated report before you conclude anything is actually wrong. Two documents from different dates can both be accurate.
You can start while you are still gathering records. No credit card. No obligation to hire a law firm.
Already disputed it and the response did not fix it? Read what to do when a dispute comes back "verified" but the item is still wrong.
Official sources
- CFPB: How do I get a free copy of my credit reports?
- CFPB: What is a credit freeze or security freeze?
- CFPB: How do I dispute an error on my credit report?
- AnnualCreditReport.com (official free report site)
Last substantive update: September 18, 2026.
CreditHound is not a credit repair organization and does not provide credit repair services.
CreditHound never charges consumers fees of any kind.
No outcome, deletion, or score change is guaranteed. You review and control every dispute before it's sent.