Read your own credit report
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
A credit report is the file lenders look at when you apply to borrow, and you are entitled to see it yourself. In the UK the credit reference agencies must supply a statutory report free of charge, and the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains how to request and review your reports there.
GentleFreeAn afternoonIndoorsOn your ownUK and US
How to start
- Read the MoneyHelper guide to checking your credit report, or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's credit reports page.
- Request your report from each credit reference agency or credit reporting company the guide lists, since each may hold different information.
- Read every entry and note anything that looks mistaken, such as an old address.
Where to go
- MoneyHelper guide "How to check your credit report for free" (UK government-backed) UK
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau credit reports and scores page (US federal agency) US
We opened these links on 8 October 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
This is general information, not financial or business advice for your own circumstances.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Projects run over months and stall without a rhythm, so the plan sets milestones you can see.
Read next
Living well on less: budgeting on a fixed income, the free help, and where the money leaks
How to budget on a fixed income using MoneyHelper's free planner, where the free help is (MoneyHelper, Citizens Advice, Age UK, AARP), which benefits to check (Pension Credit in the UK; SNAP, Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help in the US), and the household bills where money most often leaks. General information, not financial advice.