Do You Know Your Credit Score? (How to Dispute Errors)

Do you know your current credit score? When was the last time you checked your credit report?

Your credit score affects many aspects of your life, including making large purchases, obtaining loans, renting an apartment and even applying for a job!

Here are a few important facts to keep in mind when monitoring your credit score.

First and foremost, make sure you check your credit report three times per year (one for each of the three major credit reporting agencies: Experian, TransUnion and Equifax). 

You can do so for free by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com. This is especially important to do a few months prior to major purchases like a house or vehicle.

Second, use this check of your credit report to protect your identity. Unauthorized accounts, loans or purchases will damage your credit and let you know someone has stolen your identity. 

This is also important because your credit report has information on current and previous addresses, your social security number, and the number of times you

have applied for credit. 

All of this information is valuable to identity thieves and needs to be checked regularly.

So what do you do if your credit report is inaccurate? You can dispute errors on anything from inaccurate late payments to accounts that aren't yours. You can also dispute falsely reported bankruptcy, or a bankruptcy that has stayed on your report for longer than the ten-year limit.

You can make the dispute online, by mail or over the phone. 

To dispute via the Internet or phone, you must have ordered a copy of your credit report within the past month and you will need to provide the credit report number.

Once you have the necessary information assembled, contact the credit bureau associated with the inaccurate report (Experian, TransUnion or Equifax). 

The bureau will then have 30 days to investigate and respond to your credit report dispute.

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