How to read your credit report

A section-by-section guide to what is on your report and what to check in each part.

Personal information

Your names, addresses, birth date, and employers. Information here does not affect your score, but wrong entries can be a sign of a mixed file or identity theft.

Accounts

Each credit card, loan, or collection, with the balance, limit, status, dates, and a month-by-month payment history. Check that the balance, status, dates, and late marks are right.

Public records and collections

Bankruptcies appear in public records. Civil judgments and tax liens are generally no longer included by the three bureaus. Collections may appear in their own section or among your accounts.

Inquiries

Hard inquiries come from applications and can affect your score. Soft inquiries, such as your own checks, do not. Each bureau lays its report out differently, so compare carefully across all three.