Credit is important because it can play a big role in your overall financial health. Lenders, creditors, employers, landlords and utility or insurance providers all may look at your credit report to decide whether to grant you credit or services. A credit report that demonstrates positive credit history helps identify you as a responsible borrower who knows how to manage your finances. Having good credit puts you in a strong position to qualify for loans and credit with competitive terms.

Checking your credit report lets you see an overview of your open accounts, along with a summary of how you've managed your credit. By understanding your credit history, you can make financial choices based on the unique information in your credit report.

Lenders typically check one or more of your credit reports when considering you for a loan or credit application, and review them for any signs of risk. Each lender has its own tolerance for risk, but all typically view late payments as grounds for concern. The more numerous and recent your late payments are, the greater the cause for concern. Lenders may also view serious negative entries—like accounts in collection, repossessions, foreclosures and bankruptcies—as even more worrying.

Reviewing your credit report is a good first step to take before you apply for new credit. You can verify that your information is accurate, dispute any incorrect information and take steps toward improving your credit before making a big financial move.

How often is an Experian credit report updated?

Your free Experian credit report is updated every 30 days on sign in. Paid memberships include daily updates.

How can you get a credit report if you have no credit history?

If you're just starting your credit journey, you can use Experian Go^™ to establish credit for the first time, open a credit card or become an authorized user on an existing account.

You can access your free Experian credit report at any time by signing up for a free Experian account. You can request annual credit reports for free from each of the 3 major reporting agencies—Experian, Equifax® and TransUnion®—online via www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.

Does a credit report include a credit score?

Credit reports do not include your credit score. But with an Experian account, you get access to your Experian credit report as well as your FICO® Score.

Your credit report provides a detailed history on how you've used credit in the past and if you've paid your bills on time or not. When viewing and understanding your credit report, you'll find details like:

• Personal information: your full name (including any aliases or other names you use that have been reported by creditors), birth date, current and past home addresses, phone numbers and employers
• Accounts: a list of all your credit accounts including credit cards, mortgages, auto loans and student loans. This will include the creditor names and account information, like balances, payment history and account status
• Public records: whether you've had to file for bankruptcy
• Recent inquiries: if and when anyone has requested to view your credit report

What information is not included in a credit report?

Your credit report will exclude certain things like your marital status, medical information, income, bank account balances, education and criminal history. This is because your credit report only includes financial information related to debt. It's also important to know that even relevant information regarding debt will begin to fall off your credit report after a certain period of time.

What is the difference between a credit report and a credit score?

A credit report is a detailed history of your credit activity and current credit status. A credit score is a three-digit number based on the information in your report.

Changes in your credit report are often the result of normal credit usage, such as changes in your account balances and paying your bills on time. Important items to review on your credit report include:

• Unfamiliar names or addresses: They may be a sign you're a victim of identity theft or credit fraud. You can contact Experian to dispute the incorrect information, and you may also want to add a fraud alert to your credit reports.
• Inaccurate account details: These could be accounts you didn't open, incorrectly reported late payments, high balances and other inaccuracies.
• New hard inquiries: An unrecognized hard inquiry might indicate someone used your information to apply for a new account. Soft inquiries don't impact your credit scores and generally aren't a cause for concern.

By reviewing and monitoring your credit report proactively, you can maintain your credit—especially when you're ready to seek new credit and get the terms and interest rates that work for you.

How does a credit report impact your credit score?

The data in your credit report is what's used to generate your credit scores. In your credit report, you'll see the factors that may be impacting your credit scores, like your payment history and credit mix.

Will checking your credit report hurt your credit score?

No, checking your own credit report does not hurt your credit score.

That depends on whether it's positive or negative information. Active accounts and positive information will stay on your credit report indefinitely, while negative information is automatically removed after a certain period of time.

Positive information includes properly managed loans and on-time credit card payments. Negative information includes public records (like bankruptcy), third-party collection accounts and other evidence of financial mismanagement, like late payments and defaults.

Late payments get reported to the credit bureaus once you're at least 30 days past the due date. While payments that are a day late likely may not appear on your credit report, they can have different consequences depending on the type of loan or credit card and your agreement with the lender.

Can you remove late payments from your credit report?

If you believe there is an inaccurate late payment on your credit report , you can dispute the information with Experian's Dispute Center. You can also reach out to the original creditor and ask them to resolve the issue directly. If they find that the late payment was issued inaccurately, they can have credit reporting companies remove it. Accurate late payments can't be removed from your credit report.