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Use AnnualCreditReport.com to obtain your free Equifax, Experian and TransUnion credit reports, then look in your existing bank or credit-card account for a score specifically labeled FICO. A credit report and a FICO score are different products: the report records your credit history, while the score is a number calculated from information in a report. Checking your own report is a soft inquiry and does not lower your score.
The instructions below apply to U.S. consumers. Availability, bureau coverage and scoring versions can change, so identify exactly which score and report date you are viewing before using it for a loan decision.
Where to get free credit reports
The federally authorized source for reports from all three nationwide credit reporting companies is AnnualCreditReport.com. You can request an Equifax, Experian, TransUnion report, or all three together. USAGov’s credit-report guide, updated November 13, 2025, also lists two alternatives to the website:
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- Mail: Complete the Annual Credit Report request form and mail it as directed by USAGov.
Use the address exactly as written. Many other sites advertise “free” reports or scores but may ask you to start a monitoring trial or provide payment information. The official route does not require buying identity protection, monitoring or a score.
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Report versus FICO score: know what you are requesting
A report is the underlying file. It can contain identifying information, credit accounts, payment history, balances, credit limits, collection accounts, public-record information where applicable, and inquiries. In most cases, a report you obtain through AnnualCreditReport.com does not include a credit score.
A FICO score is a numerical risk estimate calculated with a particular FICO model using data from a particular bureau at a particular time. A lender can use a different bureau, model or update date, so a score shown in your banking app may not match the number used for a mortgage, auto loan or credit-card application.
| What you receive | What it tells you | What it usually does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Credit report | Which accounts and inquiries are recorded, reported balances, payment history and other file details | Your FICO score in most cases |
| FICO score | A number produced by a named FICO model from one bureau’s data, plus possible score factors | The complete account history or the score a different lender will use |
| Other educational score | An estimate calculated with a non-FICO model or a different scoring version | Assurance that a lender will use the same model |
How to request the reports step by step
- Open AnnualCreditReport.com. Check the spelling before entering personal information. Avoid reaching the service through an advertisement or an unfamiliar domain.
- Choose the bureau reports. Request Equifax, Experian and TransUnion together if you are preparing for a major application or checking for identity theft. You can request one bureau at a time if you prefer to spread out your reviews.
- Complete identity verification. The service may ask questions based on information in your file. Answer only on the official site, phone line or mail process.
- Save or print each report. Record the bureau name and the date retrieved. Reports can change when furnishers send new information.
- Review all three, not just one. A creditor may report to one, two or all three bureaus, and the contents can differ.
USAGov identifies AnnualCreditReport.com as the authorized source for free annual reports. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) currently says each nationwide bureau also makes an online report available weekly at no charge. That more frequent access is a current policy statement, not a promise that every future year will have the same schedule.
How often can you obtain a free report?
Weekly online access
CFPB guidance says consumers can review an online report from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion weekly for free. If you are monitoring a disputed account, a recent payment or possible identity theft, set a review schedule and save each version so you can see what changed.
Temporary Equifax provision
The same CFPB guidance states that consumers may obtain up to six free Equifax reports during a 12-month period through December 2026. This is a time-limited provision. Confirm the current terms on the official service before relying on that allowance, particularly after December 2026.
Requesting all three at once or separately
There is no requirement to request all three reports in one session. A single-session request gives you a convenient side-by-side snapshot. Separate requests can help you monitor changes over time, but keep a written record of which bureau you requested and when.
How to find a free FICO score
Start with financial accounts you already use. Many banks, card issuers and lenders display a score on the website, mobile app or monthly statement. The presence of a number does not by itself prove that it is a FICO score.
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Check the account label and details
Open the score information or disclosure page and look for these details:
- Whether the score is explicitly identified as FICO rather than an educational or proprietary score.
- The bureau supplying the underlying data: Equifax, Experian or TransUnion.
- The exact FICO model or version, such as a base or industry-specific model.
- The date the score was calculated or last refreshed.
- Whether the score is updated monthly, when a statement is issued, or on another schedule.
CFPB guidance says many card companies and other lenders provide a score, sometimes monthly. It also warns that an educational score can differ considerably from a score used by a lender for some consumers. Treat the model, bureau and date as part of the score—not as optional fine print.
FICO Score Open Access
FICO says it works with more than 130 financial institutions through its FICO Score Open Access program. A participating bank, card issuer, auto lender or mortgage servicer may provide some FICO scores and score factors to customers at no charge. Participation does not mean every customer receives a score, every bureau is covered, or every FICO version is available. Ask the institution which model and bureau it supplies.
Scores disclosed in lending notices
You may receive a FICO score in certain required lending communications, including some mortgage score disclosures or notices sent after an adverse-action or risk-based-pricing decision. Eligibility depends on the transaction and the notice you receive. Read the notice to identify the bureau, model and date rather than assuming it is a current score for every purpose.
When no free FICO option is available
CFPB identifies myFICO as a place where a consumer can purchase a score. Buying a score is optional and is not necessary to obtain free credit reports. Do not accept an identity-protection or monitoring add-on merely to access a score; review the price, renewal terms and cancellation process first.
How to compare two scores that do not match
Different numbers are normal when any of the inputs differ. Compare the entries in this order:
| Comparison | Why it changes the result | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring model | FICO versions and non-FICO models weigh and interpret information differently | Full model name and version shown in the disclosure |
| Credit bureau | Not every lender reports to every bureau, and each file can contain different balances or accounts | Equifax, Experian or TransUnion |
| Data date | A payment, balance or newly reported account may appear at different times | Score date and report date |
| Loan type | Some lenders use industry-specific models for mortgages, auto loans or cards | The product you are preparing to apply for |
| Update schedule | A monthly account score may lag behind a recent payment or balance change | Refresh or statement frequency |
If you are preparing for a specific application, ask the lender which bureau and scoring model it expects to use. That is more useful than trying to make an unrelated score match a lender’s number.
Does checking your own credit hurt your score?
No. CFPB’s consumer guidance, last reviewed May 14, 2024, states: “Checking your own credit report is not an inquiry about new credit, so it has no effect on your score.” A personal review is not a hard inquiry for new credit. You can obtain and read your reports without lowering the score you are monitoring.
A hard inquiry is associated with applying for credit and is a separate event. Requesting your own report, viewing a score supplied by your institution, or disputing an error does not turn into a hard inquiry.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to check for errors
Read each report line by line, especially after a move, name change, suspected fraud or denied application. Look for:
- Incorrect name, address, employer or other identifying information that could indicate a mixed file.
- Accounts you never opened or authorized.
- Late payments reported for a month when you paid on time.
- Incorrect balances, limits, account status or dates.
- A closed account still shown as open, or an account shown as closed by the wrong party.
- Duplicate collection accounts or other duplicate entries.
- Hard inquiries you do not recognize.
How to dispute an inaccurate entry
- Identify the exact error. Note the bureau, account name or inquiry, account number as displayed, and the specific field that is wrong.
- Gather supporting documents. Use statements, payment confirmations, identity-theft reports, correspondence or other records that directly support your explanation.
- Contact the credit reporting company. Submit the dispute through its current online, mail or other accepted process and keep a copy of everything sent.
- Contact the information furnisher too. The furnisher is the bank, lender, collector or other company that supplied the data. Explain the same error and include relevant documents.
- Monitor the result. Review the updated report from the affected bureau and check the other bureaus if the same furnisher reports to them.
CFPB advises contacting both the reporting company and the company that supplied the information. A score change is a consequence of corrected data; paying for a score does not correct an inaccurate report.
Safety checks before using a “free score” offer
- Verify the product. Confirm that the offer says FICO and names the bureau and model. “Credit score” alone is not enough.
- Read the trial terms. Some offers bundle a score with monitoring and automatically begin charging when a trial ends.
- Check recurring cost and cancellation. Look for the renewal amount, billing interval and cancellation method before entering payment details.
- Do not buy unnecessary extras. CFPB says consumers are not required to purchase credit protection or identity monitoring offered alongside a score.
- Use official report access. A paid score or monitoring membership is not a substitute for obtaining the underlying reports from AnnualCreditReport.com.
Which free route fits your goal?
| Your goal | Best first step | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| See what lenders may have reported | Request the relevant bureau reports through AnnualCreditReport.com | The reports normally do not include a FICO score |
| Check for identity theft or mixed-file errors | Request all three reports and compare accounts, inquiries and personal details | One bureau may contain information the others do not |
| Track a score month to month | Use the score display or statement from your existing bank, card issuer or lender | It may be an educational or non-FICO score, or use a different bureau |
| Prepare for a named mortgage, auto or card application | Ask the lender which bureau and model it uses, then seek a matching disclosure if available | A free score from another model may not predict the lender’s exact number |
| Obtain a FICO score when no institution supplies one | Consider a paid myFICO score only after checking all free account and notice options | Buying a score is optional and does not replace report review |
A practical checking routine
For ordinary monitoring
- Retrieve a report from the official service.
- Save the retrieval date and bureau name.
- Review new accounts, payment status, balances, limits and inquiries.
- Check your bank or card account for a score and record its model, bureau and date.
- Dispute any inaccurate item with both the bureau and furnisher.
Before applying for important credit
- Review all three reports far enough ahead to allow time for disputes.
- Ask the lender which score model and bureau it uses.
- Compare that information with any score available through your existing institutions.
- Avoid opening unnecessary accounts or making changes solely to chase an unrelated score display.
This approach gives you the free documents you control—the reports—while helping you interpret a score without assuming that every number is the one a lender will use.
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