How to Check All Three Credit Reports for Free

You're legally entitled to free copies of your credit reports from all three major bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Reviewing them is the first step in any dispute or defense, because errors often appear on only one bureau.

What to look for

• Accounts you don't recognize (possible mixed file or fraud)
• Wrong balances, dates of first delinquency, or account status
• Collections reporting after being paid or sold
• Duplicate tradelines for the same debt
• Hard inquiries you didn't authorize

Check all three

Furnishers don't always report to every bureau, so an error — like a re-aged date — can sit on one report and not the others. Compare them side by side before disputing.