8 Ways to Quickly Clean Up Your Credit Report

Your credit report can say a lot about you, so it’s important to keep it squeaky clean. A poor credit report can cause problems like not being able to qualify for loans or insurance, getting turned down for jobs, or not even being able to rent an apartment. But keeping your credit report up-to-date isn’t just important; it’s doable, even if you’re short on time and resources. By following these eight steps, you can have your credit report cleaned up in no time at all.

1) Get your free annual credit reports You are entitled to one free credit

report per year from each of the three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Order yours here and get started on your way to a clean credit report!

2) Review all three reports

Under federal law, you’re entitled to one free credit report every year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). These are your official credit reports—in other words, you should get them directly from each agency. When you request a report online from any of these agencies, make sure that you review all three of your reports. If anything looks out of place or incorrect, dispute it with that specific bureau.

3) Check for accuracy by using an automated checker

An automated checker like Experian’s CreditExpert is a great way to ensure that all your information is accurate, because it updates instantly. Just log in once a year, and let it do its magic.

4) Collect evidence if something isn’t accurate

Any time you take a loan out for something—whether it’s a car, a house, or even a trip or vacation—your credit report will be pulled. If your credit report is accurate and up-to-date, you’ll find yourself being approved for loans easily. If there are any errors in your credit report that make it difficult for lenders to accurately gauge your financial habits, however, you may find yourself getting turned down or charged higher interest rates than you really should be paying.

5) File disputes with your creditors

The key to getting your score up quickly is disputing any inaccurate information on your credit report. If there are any accounts on your report that you don’t recognize, dispute them with your creditor—the credit bureaus will investigate, and they’ll be removed if they weren’t legitimately yours. Also, make sure you aren’t being reported for multiple debts in one category; creditors sometimes issue a single account with multiple unpaid balances.

6) Create a budget

The best way to clean up your credit report is by creating a budget and sticking with it. By going on a spending diet, you’ll not only be able to see which purchases are unhelpful (or even harmful) but you’ll also be able to determine if there are unnecessary expenses that can be eliminated. For example, is your cable bill unnecessarily high? Is your car insurance premium too expensive? Do you spend more than $10 a day on coffee alone?

7) Pay off debt you have

Paying off your debt might feel like climbing a huge mountain, but if you take it one step at a time you’ll get there. Many credit cards have an introductory period where they’ll offer 0% interest if you pay them off within a certain timeframe; make sure you do exactly that (and no more) to clean up your credit report.

8) Increase your credit limit

To increase your credit limit, all you have to do is ask. If you’re in good standing with your issuer and can show that you are able to manage a higher credit line, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be willing to grant you a higher limit. In addition, many issuers will allow cardholders who frequently use their cards but still pay off their balance every month, for example, to request an increased credit limit without being charged an annual fee.