Reading your report · Free practice
How to Get Your Free Credit Report at AnnualCreditReport
One useful skill to practice.
AnnualCreditReport.com is the only federally authorized source. The three ways to order, what the identity check asks for, and what to do if it fails.
Read the full guide on CheckDispute Guides (opens a new tab)Check what you know.
3 questions. No sign-up. Your answers stay in this page.
An email signed "AnnualCreditReport.com" asks Renee to confirm her Social Security number before her reports are released. What does that tell her?
Review all questions and explanations
- An email signed "AnnualCreditReport.com" asks Renee to confirm her Social Security number before her reports are released. What does that tell her?
Answer: The email is not from them, because the site and the bureaus do not email asking for that
The FTC states that AnnualCreditReport.com and the credit bureaus will not email you asking for your Social Security number or account information, and that imposter sites deliberately misspell the name. Type the address yourself.
- One bureau will not verify Renee online, so she calls 1-877-322-8228 instead. What has the failed online check established?
Answer: Only that what she typed did not match what that bureau holds
A failed identity check is a mismatch between the answers given and the information the bureau has, which commonly happens after a recent move. It proves nothing about the accuracy of the file itself.
- True or false: your free credit report comes with your credit score.
Answer: False — in most cases the report will not include a score
USAGov states that in most cases your credit report will not include your credit score. The report is the record of your accounts; a score is a separate number produced from that record.
Your take-away checklist
- Write today's date and which of the three official channels you used: the website, 1-877-322-8228, or the mailed Annual Credit Report Request Form.
- Check the address bar letter by letter before typing anything, or dial the number from this page rather than from an email or an ad.
- Have ready what the identity check asks for: name, current address, Social Security number, date of birth, and any address you lived at in the last two years.
- Record the outcome for each bureau separately — released, mailed, or not verified — because you answer the identity questions once per bureau.
- If a bureau would not verify you, note the exact screen or question that stopped you, then request that one report by phone or by mail and write down the date you expect it.
- Note where each report file or envelope is stored, and set a reminder for your next request if you are spacing them out.
- For any field that disagrees with your own paperwork, record five things: the bureau, the report date, the account, the field name, and both values.
- Name the document you are comparing against and its date — a statement, a contract, a closing disclosure — so the comparison can be repeated later.
Read the source, keep the context.
Original questions and worked examples from CheckDispute, checked against the full guide and primary sources below. Use the explanations to understand what each record does and does not establish.
- consumer.ftc.gov: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/free-credit-reports
- law.cornell.edu: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681j
- law.cornell.edu: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681g
- consumerfinance.gov: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-my-credit-reports-en-5/
- consumerfinance.gov: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-are-common-credit-report-errors-that-i-should-look-for-on-my-credit-report-en-313/
- usa.gov: https://www.usa.gov/credit-reports
- consumer.ftc.gov: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/disputing-errors-your-credit-reports
General education, not personalized legal advice. You can dispute errors directly for free. A practice score does not predict a credit or dispute result.