How to Find Out What Debts You Owe

Every American has a personal record of the debts they owe. If you want to find out which specific debts you owe, you can easily pull your own credit report for free and check it out. Credit reports detail all of your revolving credit, loan history, payment history and outstanding debt. This can be both good and bad. Having good credit with relatively little debt will allow you to open bank accounts, take out loans, apply for a home mortgage, lease or buy a car, and get credit cards with low interest rates. Having too much debt, however, will prevent you from many of these things.

Instructions

1

Go to the website of AnnualCreditReport.com, which is a service provided by the government that allows American citizens to pull a free credit report once a year from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus: TransUnion, Experian and Equifax.

2

Choose your state from the drop-down menu on the homepage. Click "Request Report."

3

Enter your personal information, which includes your current address, previous address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Hit "Continue" to go to the next page.

4

Click on which credit report you want to see. You can choose from TransUnion, Experian and Equifax.

5

Answer any multiple choice questions that the website may give you. For example, they may ask how many loans you have or at which banks. If you answer correctly, you can see your credit report.

6

Look through your credit report and note any outstanding debts. It will show how much money you owe and to which companies.

7

Contact the companies to whom you owe money and settle any debts.

8

Dispute any incorrect debts or data by hitting the "Dispute Item" button located next to each debt and choosing the reason for dispute. You should hear back in 30 days regarding your debt and whether it will remain on your report or be removed.