Section 1: Personal information
Your name and any variations, current and previous addresses, date of birth, Social Security number (partially masked), and employers. Check that every name and address is actually yours. An unfamiliar address or a name variation you've never used can mean a mixed file, where someone else's accounts are landing on your report. It can also be an early sign of identity theft.
Section 2: Accounts (tradelines)
This is the bulk of the report: every credit card, loan, mortgage and line of credit, open or closed. Each account has a block of fields. These are the ones that matter:
| Field | What it means | Common error |
|---|---|---|
| Account status | Open, closed, paid, charged off, included in bankruptcy, transferred | Charged-off or discharged account still showing "open" with a balance |
| Balance | What the creditor says you owe as of the report date | Balance on an account that was sold, discharged or paid |
| Date opened | When the account started | Wrong date after a servicer transfer |
| Date of first delinquency | The month you first fell behind and never caught up. Controls the 7-year removal date | Different dates at different bureaus; re-aged after sale to a collector |
| Date of last activity / date updated | When the creditor last reported | Confused with date of first delinquency; doesn't control removal |
| Payment status | Current, 30/60/90/120 days late | "120 days late" reported every month on a dead account |
| Payment history grid | Month-by-month record, usually 24 to 84 months | Lates that don't match across bureaus; lates during forbearance |
| Credit limit / high balance | Limit for revolving accounts; original amount for loans | Missing limit, which inflates your utilization ratio |
| Responsibility | Individual, joint, authorized user | Authorized user shown as joint owner |
| Comments / remarks | Free text: "account transferred", "consumer disputes", "included in bankruptcy" | Missing "transferred" or "included in bankruptcy" notation |
Section 3: Collections
Accounts placed with a collection agency. Each shows the collector's name, the original creditor, the amount, the date assigned, and a status. The key checks: does the collection's date of first delinquency match the original account? Does the original account still show a balance (it shouldn't)? Does the amount match across bureaus? Is it a medical collection that falls under the special rules? The collections guide covers each.
Section 4: Public records
Since 2018 this section contains bankruptcies only. Civil judgments and tax liens were removed. Check the chapter, filing date and disposition. Then go back to the accounts section and confirm every account included in the bankruptcy shows $0 and "included in bankruptcy." See bankruptcy errors.
Section 5: Inquiries
Two lists. Hard inquiries are pulls made because you applied for credit; lenders see these and they can cost a few points for a year. Soft inquiries are your own checks, pre-screening and account reviews; only you see them and they don't affect anything. Look at the hard list for anything you don't recognize. See hard inquiries.
The fifteen-minute error check
- Personal infoAny name, address or employer that isn't yours? Note it.
- Negative accounts, all three reports side by sideFor every account with a late, charge-off or collection: compare date of first delinquency, balance and status across bureaus. Circle every mismatch.
- Sold or discharged accountsDoes any account that was sold to a collector, or discharged in bankruptcy, still show a balance? Circle it.
- Dead accounts with live latesDoes any closed, charged-off or discharged account show new late marks after it closed? Circle it.
- The seven-year checkFor each negative item, add seven years to the date of first delinquency. Anything past that date should be gone.
- InquiriesAny hard inquiry you don't recognize, or older than two years?
Everything you circled is a potential dispute. The dispute guides explain how to write each one, and the letter templates give you the words.
Or let the software do the comparison
The fifteen-minute check above is exactly what the scan does, across all three reports, every field, every account, in about a minute. It circles the mismatches for you and writes the reason. Start for $1.99.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get my credit reports for free?
AnnualCreditReport.com gives you all three, free, every week. That's the official site authorized by federal law. Anything else asking for a card number is a paid product.
Why is my score not on my free report?
The free annual reports include the file, not a score. Scores are a separate product. Many banks and card issuers show you a free score; SmartCredit and similar services show all three with monthly updates.
Why do my three reports look different?
Not every creditor reports to all three bureaus, and each bureau formats data differently. Differences in what's listed are normal. Differences in the details of the same account, dates, balances, statuses, are what to look for.