How often should I obtain a credit report?
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It is recommended that you check your credit every 6-9 months in order to catch any problems or inaccuracies early. This will give you an opportunity to resolve any issues before you need your credit. It will also give you an opportunity to spot any possible fraud and to address it before it becomes too bad. If you are a common victim of identify theft, you may consider checking your credit more often. Many credit-reporting services now offer alert services. They monitor your credit on a regular basis and will alert you should anything change on your credit report.
Having your credit pulled too often by external services or credit providers can negatively impact your credit. According to the FICO formula, there is an inherent risk if someone begins aggressively seeking credit and thus too many inquiries on your account may suggest that you are attempting to acquire additional credit. It should be noted however that these negative knocks generally only apply when someone else checks your credit, not when you check your own credit.
For a list of credit reporting agencies and a list of free credit report providers, please see our review of credit reporting services:
See Credit Reports providers
