By Sabrina Karl

As with many things, rules about credit reports have changed notably since the Covid-19 pandemic. Fortunately for consumers, some of these will remain in place for quite some time.

Free copies of your credit report have long been available. But pre-pandemic, free reports were limited to just one per year, with the official website for requesting copies being aptly named AnnualCreditReport.com.

Credit-conscious consumers know that one hack was to request a free annual copy from each of the three credit agencies at staggered times. So for instance, you could request one report every four months by cycling through Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion in turn.

But now that’s no longer necessary. After the pandemic upended the personal finances of millions of Americans, the three credit agencies announced they would allow access to free credit reports once per week.

In May 2022, they extended the availability of free weekly reports through December 2022, and last month, they extended it again, this time through December 2023.

Checking your credit report with some regularity is important because it enables you to spot errors that might be hurting your credit score, or worse, discover that you’ve been a victim of identity theft. That’s because a credit report will show you all the cards and loans open in your name, including any that were opened fraudulently.

Reporting mistakes can also hurt your score, particularly if they incorrectly indicate late payments. As with identity theft, the sooner you spot an issue and dispute or report it, the better.

With your credit score impacting how much you’ll pay to borrow money and buy insurance, as well as perhaps whether you’ll be offered a loan, a job, or a rental lease, keeping tabs on your credit report is a critical step to building and maintaining your financial health.