What is an Experian® credit report?

Experian is one of the three major credit bureaus that compile credit reports. A credit report documents a consumer’s financial history and is usually organized into sections, such as number of open accounts, collections and public records. 

These reports are used to calculate credit scores and help companies determine your creditworthiness—or how likely you are to repay your debts on time. Credit reports can also be important when it comes to understanding the full picture of your financial well-being. 

What you’ll learn:

• Experian credit reports contain personal information like your name, address and Social Security number (SSN); details about your credit and collections accounts; and records of recent credit inquiries.

• By checking your credit reports on a regular basis, you can have a better sense of what factors are affecting your credit scores. 

• Credit monitoring can also alert you to possible unauthorized accounts and inaccurate information being reported.

• You can freeze and unfreeze access to your Experian credit reports and dispute errors for free on Experian’s website.

As you read through your credit report from Experian, you can expect to find the following details:

The personal information found on your Experian credit report can include: 

• Names and addresses associated with your credit

• Your birth year 

• SSN variations

• Phone numbers 

• Names of co-signers on loans or lines of credit

• Names of current and former employers 

• Personal statements, such as credit freezes or fraud alerts

The accounts section of your Experian credit report can include revolving credit accounts, installment loans, up to two years of your reported monthly balances and your payment history on those accounts. Keep in mind that what exactly appears on your report may depend on the method you choose to access it.

But remember, lenders aren’t always required to report account information to the three major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax® and TransUnion®. So not all of your accounts may appear on your Experian credit report.

In your Experian credit report, the collections section can include account information about the type of collections taking place and your payment information for those collections. It can also include any personal or creditor notes and collector contact information.

The public records section of your Experian credit report may include the name of the court where your bankruptcy was filed, the record type, reference numbers and filing and status dates.

It may also include any personal statements that have been made to express your disagreement with the outcome of any previous legal disputes.

This section detailing credit inquiries shows who has looked at your credit report. When someone checks your credit report, the credit bureau will log it as either a hard or soft inquiry. 

Soft credit inquiries don’t affect credit scores and include checking your own credit report or receiving a pre-approval offer from a credit card company. They can stay on your report for up to two years and are visible only to you—not lenders.

Hard inquiries happen when you apply for credit or a service like phone, cable or internet. A hard inquiry can impact your credit scores and stay on your report for up to two years.

Your Experian credit report contains detailed information, which can be used to calculate credit scores. By reviewing things such as your payment history, credit age, credit mix, debt and credit inquiries, you can better understand your credit scores. 

Monitoring your credit can also help ensure that all of your information is accurate.

You can get free weekly online credit reports from each of the three major credit bureaus—including Experian—by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com.

CreditWise is another great way to monitor your credit. CreditWise gives you access to your TransUnion credit report and helps you discover key factors that impact your VantageScore® 3.0 credit score. 

You can also get automatic alerts when something meaningful changes on your Experian report.

CreditWise is free and available to everyone—even if you’re not a Capital One cardholder.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) places firm restrictions on who is able to see your credit report and the reasons they can give for needing access to it.

If you’re applying for insurance, a loan or a line of credit, your provider or lender may request a copy of your credit report. This is also the case if you’re applying for housing, utilities or a new job.

You can freeze your credit by visiting Experian online and setting up a free account. Freezing your credit can limit access to your credit file to help safeguard your personal information and protect you from identity theft. 

Just remember that if you need to apply for new credit, you might need to unfreeze your credit.

If you come across errors in your personal information when monitoring your credit report, it’s important to know how to report and dispute them.

Experian has a free online dispute center where consumers can submit information and documentation to highlight inaccuracies on their credit report. Disputes can also be submitted by mail or over the phone.

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about Experian credit reports.

Reviewing your Experian credit report can help you make sure your information is current and accurate. 

CreditWise can help too: Get alerts for important changes to your Experian and TransUnion credit reports. Use the interactive Credit Score Simulator to test how different actions might affect your credit. And get alerted if your personal information is spotted on the dark web.