Check Your Credit Report for Free: A Simple Year-End Money Check-Up for Families

As the year winds down, many families sit down to think about money: holiday gifts, next year’s budget and the bills that keep coming. There is one simple, free task that rarely makes the list but can protect your household for years: checking your credit report.

Your credit report can affect whether you get a loan, an apartment, insurance and sometimes even a job. Errors happen, and so does identity theft. The good news is that looking for problems costs nothing.

Free Reports, Every Week

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the three nationwide credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, have permanently extended a program that lets you check your report from each of them once a week for free. Federal law also entitles you to a free report from each bureau every 12 months.

The FTC says the only authorized place to get these free reports is AnnualCreditReport.com, or by phone at 1-877-322-8228. You can also order by mail. Online reports are available right away. Phone and mail requests are generally processed within 15 days.

One important warning from the FTC: ignore emails, texts, pop-ups or calls that claim to be from AnnualCreditReport.com or the credit bureaus and ask for your personal information. Go to the site yourself by typing the address. Never click a link in a message.

A note for our readers outside the United States: these programs are for U.S. consumers. Many countries have their own free credit report rules, so check with your national consumer protection agency.

What to Look For

The FTC recommends reviewing all three reports, since each bureau may have different information. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) lists common errors to watch for, including:

• A wrong name, phone number or address
• Accounts that belong to someone else with a similar name
• Accounts you don’t recognize, which could signal identity theft
• Closed accounts listed as open
• Payments wrongly reported as late
• The same debt listed more than once
• An incorrect balance or credit limit

The FTC suggests checking at least once a year, and especially before you apply for credit, a loan, insurance, housing or a job.

Found a Mistake? Here’s What to Do

1. Dispute it with the credit bureau. The FTC advises explaining in writing what is wrong and why, and including copies of documents that support your case. You can file online, by mail or by phone.
2. Contact the business that reported it, such as the bank or lender, with a similar explanation.
3. Keep records of everything you send. The FTC notes that certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof it arrived.
4. Follow up. According to the FTC, the credit bureau generally has 30 days to investigate. Check your report afterward to make sure the error was fixed.

Consider a Free Credit Freeze

If you’re worried about identity theft, the FTC explains that a credit freeze is free to place and to lift, and it does not affect your credit score. To freeze your credit, you contact each of the three bureaus. When you need to apply for credit, you can lift the freeze temporarily.

Parents, take note: the FTC says you can request a free credit freeze for a child under 16. It stays in place until you ask for it to be removed.

Make It a Family Habit

Here’s an easy way to make this stick. Pick a day, maybe the first Saturday of the month or the week after Thanksgiving, and make it your household’s money check-up. Pour some coffee or hot cocoa. Pull up your reports together. If you have teens, let them watch. It teaches them that money is something we care for, not something we fear.

“Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.”
Proverbs 27:23 (KJV)

In Bible times, a family’s wealth walked around in the field. Today, a lot of it lives in records we rarely see. The wisdom is the same: pay attention to what God has placed in your care. A few quiet minutes of looking can save months of worry later.

Through every storm, we rise together.

Have you ever checked your credit report and found a surprise? What helped you get it fixed?

Sources: Federal Trade Commission, “Free Credit Reports” (Jul 31, 2026); Federal Trade Commission, “Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports” (Jul 15, 2026); Federal Trade Commission, “Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts” (Sep 30, 2025); Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, “What are common credit report errors that I should look for on my credit report?” (Sep 2, 2026); KJV Proverbs 27:23