Even if you have the best credit-building habits, knowing how to monitor your credit score is vital in ensuring your hard work doesn’t go to waste.
Credit scores can be hijacked by fraud or diminished by credit report errors, and having the tools to monitor your credit report will allow you to catch these before too much damage occurs.
In this post, we’ll go over everything you need to know in order to monitor your credit in 2026.
How to monitor your credit score
To monitor your credit score, download a free credit monitoring service that sends you alerts when your credit report changes.
Apps like Kikoff let you monitor your credit score by sending you updates when your credit score changes across the 3 credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion).
Kikoff will send you a notification if new behavior is detected, such as large changes to your credit balance, new credit lines that are opened, and other high-impact activities.
You can access this monitoring for free on the app, or choose a paid plan for even more comprehensive monitoring features.
While apps like Kikoff allow you to comprehensively monitor your credit score, the Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion (the 3 credit bureaus) are required by federal law to allow you one credit score check per year completely for free at annualcreditreport.com.
Why credit monitoring matters
According to the FTC, credit card fraud is the most common type of identity theft in the US.
Knowing how to monitor your credit is necessary so that you can catch suspicious activity on your credit report that wasn’t initiated by you.
Aside from fraud, credit reports can contain errors - the FTC reports that at least 1-in-5 consumers have had errors on their credit reports. Inaccurate, negative credit reporting, penalizes you just the same, so having the necessary credit monitoring habits allows you to catch these promptly.
What credit monitoring is (and isn't)
Credit monitoring is simply a notification system that alerts you when something changes to your credit file.
It allows you to stay informed about credit changes without having to constantly check your credit reports, so you only get notified when changes occur.
Credit monitoring is not, however, a fraud prevention tool on its own, nor does it fix errors for you. It’s simply an alert system to let you know when you have to take actions to correct errors and block fraudulent activity.
Benefits of regular credit monitoring
There are a couple of specific benefits that come with credit monitoring:
- Early fraud detection: You’ll know quickly if someone opens an account in your name.
- Error spotting: Credit reports often contain mistakes; monitoring helps you catch them.
- Score awareness: You can see how actions like payments, balances, or new accounts affect your score.
- Better financial timing: Helps you know when your credit is in good shape to apply for loans or cards.
- Peace of mind: Reduces surprises when you apply for credit.
Credit score monitoring vs. credit report monitoring
Credit score and credit report monitoring are similar, but there are a few key differences to keep in mind.
Credit score monitoring keeps track of your credit score specifically (the number).
It lets you see trends over time, to know whether your credit score is stable, up, or down in the short and long run.
Credit report monitoring, on the other hand, monitors the actual data that the lenders see on their end. This shows new inquiries, new accounts, balance changes, etc. Credit report monitoring is generally more detailed, and lets you take action quicker in the event of report errors or credit fraud.
Kikoff lets you keep track of both credit score and credit report monitoring for no additional charge.
Where to Get Your Credit Reports for Free
Let’s talk free credit reports.
Oftentimes it can feel like credit scores and credit reports are these mysterious documents floating around in the abyss of private lending track records.
The truth is, there’s really one place to get them officially: annualcreditreport.com.
AnnualCreditReport.com (the official source, once a year)
A common place to access your credit reports is annualcreditreport.com.
This site was created as a result of federal law requiring the 3 credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) to allow consumers at least one free credit report viewing per year.
You don’t have to contact the bureaus directly to get your report, since this website is actually the only authorized place to distribute them. You just need to enter some personal information and answer a few verification questions, and you’ll be able to view a digital copy for your records.
Weekly vs. annual access
As mentioned above, under federal law you’re entitled to one free credit report per year from each of the 3 bureaus.
However, during the COVID pandemic, a program was instated by the bureaus to allow consumers to request weekly access to their credit reports for free.
According to the FTC, this program has been extended permanently, so you can still grab that report weekly for the indefinite future.
How to request reports by phone or mail
Going online is the easiest way to get your report, but if you’re looking for phone or mail options:
Call: 1-877-322-8228 (toll-free)
Mail:
- Download and print the Annual Credit Report Request Form from AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Fill it out with your personal information
- Mail it to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
Best Credit Monitoring Apps
When it comes down to actually picking a service to help you monitor your credit, you’ve got a number of free and paid options to choose from.
Kikoff
Kikoff is a credit building app that allows users to monitor their credit score across the 3 bureaus, which sends users alerts whenever significant changes to their credit score appear.
On the basic plan, users are able to see extensive charts covering changes in factors like credit usage, payment history, hard inquiries, credit age, and more, as well as individual changes throughout the last year on Equifax.
Users on the Premium and Ultimate plans gain access to these monitoring features but on Experian and TransUnion as well as Equifax, covering all of the credit bureaus and giving you the most complete picture on your credit history.
Kikoff plans also grant you access to the credit-building credit account, the ability to dispute errors right on the app, and more. This makes Kikoff the perfect one-stop shop for all things you need to level-up your credit.
Credit Karma
Credit Karma is a prominent credit monitoring tool. When users sign up, they will be able to enroll in automated alerts for changes like new hard inquiries, new accounts opened, balance changes, etc from Equifax and TransUnion, but not from Experian.
Credit Karma also scans for data breaches, and will alert you if they believe your data is compromised.
Experian
Experian is one of the 3 credit bureaus, but they also offer subscription services to help consumers monitor their credit, called CreditWorks.
Users who sign up for these free subscriptions will be able to see periodic updates to their Experian credit report, as well as tools to dispute errors to Experian.
Experian also offers paid plans for their CreditWorks subscription, which include monitoring across the other 2 bureaus (TransUnion and Equifax), social security number trace alerts, and dark web monitoring.
myFICO
myFICO is the official credit monitoring service offered by FICO (as in FICO scores). This subscription keeps track of all of the same points above (credit changes, identity theft, new accounts, etc), but keeps track of FICO score instead of VantageScore.
FICO scores are used by most lenders, so this monitoring tells you a bit more accurately what the lenders see exactly. This said, there are still lots of advantages in using VantageScore over FICO (easier on users with less credit history, for example).
How Often Should You Check Your Credit?
Generally, checking your credit once every few months will be sufficient.
At the bare minimum, once per year will give you a rough estimate of your credit score trends, but checking it every few months will give you a more detailed understanding and let you catch errors or fraud more quickly.
When to check more often
If you are actively applying for loans, looking to apply for new credit cards, or making any intentional changes to your credit mix, it might make more sense for you to check your credit more frequently.
More specifically, these events could warrant a deep dive into your credit score/report:
- Before applying for new credit
- After major life changes
- If you suspect fraud or identity theft
- When rebuilding credit
If you’re looking to rebuild your credit, check out this extensive guide to building credit in 2026.
What to Look for When Monitoring Your Credit
If you’ve got a credit monitoring routine locked in and you’ve signed up for a credit monitoring service, here are the things you’ll want to look out for on both your credit report and credit score to ensure your reports are error-free.
On your credit report
Personal information errors
Always check that your personal information is correct, specifically your name and address.
If there are mistakes here, it can indicate either a report error or fraud.
Accounts you don’t recognize
Be sure to look for credit cards, loans, or lines of credit that you never opened.
If you see credit accounts that you never opened, this can highly suggest fraud or a reporting error, and you’ll want to take action immediately by disputing these.
Incorrect balances or payment history
Make sure you check for accuracy in your balances and payment history.
If you have a perfect payment history but see missed payments on your report, your credit score will still be negatively impacted. If you maintain a strong credit utilization ratio, but see incorrect (in this case high) balances on your report, your credit score will also be hurt.
Hard inquiries you didn’t authorize
Hard inquiries take place when lenders check your credit score for lending purposes, which slightly knocks down your credit score in the short term. If you see unauthorized inquiries on your credit report, this can also signal fraud or reporting errors.
On your credit score
Depending on whether you're using VantageScore or FICO for your credit score, your credit score can change frequently. This said, focus on drops to your credit score that you don’t expect, or don’t coincide with intentional changes in your credit report.
When analyzing changes you do see on your credit score, try to reason through “why” they might have happened.
Are you trying to improve your credit score? If so, improvements to your credit score should be expected. Did you miss a credit card payment, If so, credit score declines can be expected.
What to Do If You Spot a Problem
If you do see any errors on your report, it’s critical to take immediate action and dispute the errors.
How to dispute errors on your credit report
The original way to dispute errors or fraud, such as wrong balances, accounts, etc, is to contact the credit bureaus directly. This typically takes 30-45 business days to process, and requires you to reach out to each bureau individually.
Nowadays, you can use apps that handle these disputes for you.
Kikoff, for example, lets you click on errors on your report, press “dispute”, and it will auto generate a dispute letter for you, which will be sent to the bureaus.
You just have to press 2 buttons in the Kikoff app (the same app that lets you monitor your credit and build your credit), and the work is taken care of. Kikoff will keep track of the progress and alert you for any changes once they get back from the bureaus.
How to place a fraud alert
A fraud alert warns lenders that your identity might be compromised, which will require extra verification for new accounts opened up afterwards.
You can place a fraud alert by reaching out to each of the credit bureaus, and each fraud alert will initially last 1 year (if you have confirmed identity theft, extended alerts are 7 years). It’s worth noting that these fraud alerts are free and don’t affect your credit score.
How to freeze your credit
Credit freezes lock your credit reports, so nobody during the freeze can open new credit accounts in your name.
You’ll have to contact each of the credit bureaus individually to freeze your credit. If you want to open a new line of credit during the freeze, you can reach out to them to create a temporary lift to the credit freeze.
This is particularly helpful as well for those in the military, or those travelling out of the country as well.
How to report identity theft
If you’ve confirmed that your identity has been stolen, you’ll want to reach out to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You can contact them here.
If there is criminal activity associated with the identity theft, filing a police report can be a wise call as well.
Be sure to continue to monitor your credit scores and credit report super closely during this period to ensure that the fraudulent changes stop.
Specific Situations to Monitor your Credit Closely
Before applying for a mortgage or a major loan
A few months before you expect to apply for a mortgage or other major loan, do a comprehensive credit report check to make sure everything looks correct.
Lenders look very closely at your credit score before approving large loans, so if there are errors that are hindering your score any bit, you’ll want these cleared up to make sure you get approved, and your interest rate is the best it can be.
After a data breach
If your personal information is exposed, it’s crucial to take immediate action (such as placing a credit freeze or fraud alert). Once you’ve taken action, keep a close eye on your credit score for several months after the breach to make sure everything is on the path to recovery.
Consider using an app like Kikoff to streamline all of your credit accounts into once place, making the credit monitoring process much easier.
While rebuilding credit
If you’re recovering from past financial issues and seeking to rebuild your credit, keep a consistent eye on your credit report and credit score to make sure your progress is being recorded.
This also helps you directly see how your new and improved credit habits impact your credit score, which can be reassuring in the long run.
Monitoring credit for your spouse or family
Loved ones, such as elderly parents or children, can be vulnerable to identity theft as well.
Assuming you have their permission, periodically checking their credit report every few months to a year helps make sure their identity is not stolen.
For children, you can even consider a credit freeze so that fraudulent accounts don’t get opened in their name.
Conclusion
Monitoring your credit score in 2026 can initially seem daunting, but once you understand the tools at your disposal and the circumstances when extra attention should be paid, it can be pretty straightforward.
If you’d like to monitor your credit, dispute errors, and even build credit with extensive features reported to the credit bureaus, check out Kikoff.
For as little as $5 a month, you can keep an active tab on all changes to your credit report, send one-tap dispute letters to the bureaus, and build credit with access to tradelines reported to the 3 credit bureaus.
Click here to learn more.
