Federal law entitles you to one free copy of each of your credit reports every 12 months through the web site www.annualcreditreport.com  The reports offer a detailed look at your credit accounts, bill paying history, and debt levels. The reports don’t include a credit score. However, they do contain the information that is used to determine your credit score.

During the Covid-19 pandemic the three national credit reporting agencies – Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian – temporarily offered free weekly access to credit reports. They recently made  free weekly access permanent. This will help you  keep an eye out for identity theft.

Regularly checking your own credit report is considered a soft-inquiry and does not impact your credit score. When you apply for credit, a hard-inquiry is triggered and that does impact your credit score. Your credit reports will provide a list of soft and hard inquiries.

UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County provides one-on-one help with questions about credit reports and scores. An Accredited Financial Counselor® can review your credit report and discuss strategies to build a good credit history. All guidance is unbiased. Financial services and products are not promoted or sold.

This free service is available to all Hillsborough County residents. If you are interested in a 1-1 session complete this short questionnaire at https://go.ufl.edu/fin

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