Federal law allows you to get one free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union) every 12 months. Use the website AnnualCreditReport.com to get your free copy. This is the only website to get your free report. Beware of imposter websites. You can also order your free report over the phone by calling (877) 322-8228 or by mail by filling out this form and mailing it to Annual Credit Report Request Service; P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348. You can order all three reports at once, or you can stagger the reports every couple of months so that you can monitor your credit reports throughout the year. Consider using this staggering technique before you pay for a credit monitoring product.

Your credit report won't contain your credit score, but there are a couple of easy ways to get it. First, many credit cards provide your credit score on each billing statement. If you have credit cards, check your billing statements to see if your score is provided. Another way to get it is to buy it from one of the credit bureaus. You can also buy your credit score at any time from MyFICO.com. Keep in mind that your credit score may be different depending on who you buy it from.

If your credit score seems low, it's possible that errors on your credit report are dragging your score down. That's why it's critical to review your credit reports carefully for some of the most common inaccuracies, as well as signs of identity theft or a mixed credit file. If there are mistakes on your credit report, you should write a dispute letter. If your dispute letter doesn't clear up the problem, or if you've been denied credit due to a mistake on your credit report, you should talk to an attorney who handles Fair Credit Reporting Act cases.