Gain clarity and control with a credit report review

Weekly, if you want to. The three bureaus made free weekly access permanent in 2023, so there's no real reason to only check once a year anymore. Pull all three reports, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, through AnnualCreditReport.com, especially before applying for credit, while disputing an error, or if you suspect identity theft.

Common errors include incorrect personal information, a credit card or loan account that isn't actually yours, duplicate accounts, payments marked late when they were actually on time, old negative items that should have aged off, and wrong balances or credit limits.

Most negative information stays on your credit report for seven years. Chapter 7 bankruptcies can stay up to 10 years. Exactly how long depends on the type of item, a late payment ages off differently than a collection account or judgment.

Your counselor can explain the dispute process, help you understand what information and documentation may be needed, and provide guidance for contacting the credit bureaus. Credit.org cannot remove inaccurate information or guarantee that a disputed item will be changed.

It's not free the way a general credit counseling session is. Credit.org offers this service at a low, nonprofit rate rather than at no cost, and your counselor can tell you the exact fee when you schedule. If cost is a barrier, ask, fee assistance is sometimes available.

Your credit report is a detailed history: every account, every payment, every inquiry. Your credit score is a three-digit number pulled from that history, not the same thing, though people often use the terms interchangeably. Your counselor can walk through exactly which parts of your report are moving your score and which aren't.