Get all three for free
You are entitled to a free copy of your report from each bureau through the official federally authorized source, and you can now request them weekly. Pull Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, because each can hold different information.
Reading your own report never affects your score. It is a soft inquiry, so you can check as often as you want with zero risk to your number.
Set aside time to read all three side by side. An account that looks fine on one bureau may show an error on another, and you will only catch it by comparing them directly.
Section one: personal information
The top of the report lists your name, current and past addresses, date of birth, and employers. This section does not affect your score, but it is worth checking carefully.
Look for names or addresses you do not recognize. A strange address or a misspelled variation of your name can be an early sign that someone else's data is mixed into your file, or that fraud is in progress.
Small variations, like a maiden name or an old apartment, are normal. What matters is spotting anything genuinely unfamiliar, which could point to a mixed file or identity theft worth disputing.
Section two: accounts, or tradelines
This is the heart of the report. Each account, called a tradeline, shows the lender, the account type, the date opened, your credit limit or original loan amount, the current balance, and the payment history month by month.
The payment history grid is where lenders look first. It marks each month as on time or late, usually flagged at 30, 60, 90, or more days past due. A long run of on-time marks is exactly what strong credit looks like.
Check that every balance, limit, and status is accurate, and that you recognize every account. An account you never opened, or a paid balance still showing as owed, is the kind of genuine inaccuracy you have the right to dispute.
Section three: inquiries
Inquiries are records of who looked at your report. Hard inquiries come from your applications for credit and can slightly affect your score for about a year, though they drop off the report after two years.
Soft inquiries, like your own checks, prescreened offers, or an existing lender reviewing your account, do not affect your score and are only shown to you. They are nothing to worry about.
Scan the hard inquiries and confirm you recognize each application. An inquiry you did not authorize can be a sign of attempted fraud and is worth investigating right away.
Section four: public records and collections
This section covers negative items like accounts sent to collections and certain public records such as bankruptcies. These carry the most weight against you, so read them closely.
Confirm the details on any collection: the original creditor, the amount, and the dates. Most negative information can legally remain for up to seven years, and a bankruptcy can stay up to ten, so an item past its date is one you can dispute.
If a collection is genuinely inaccurate, already paid, or too old to report, those are the facts you document and dispute yourself, for free. Removal is always the bureau's decision based on accuracy, never something anyone can promise.
Once you can read your report line by line, nothing on it can surprise you, and you know exactly where to focus. Subefy puts all three bureau reports in one place, explains each item in plain language, and helps you file free self-serve disputes when something is wrong, all on the path to being mortgage-ready. Estimates are educational, results vary, and no specific result is guaranteed.