How to Add to a Credit Report

Your credit report must be properly maintained to ensure that the information it contains accurately reflects your financial behavior. A major part of maintaining your credit score in order to get the best rates possible on future credit and loans is ensuring that all of your current accounts are reporting properly. This is of special importance if you are in the process of trying to build credit. You can open new accounts to add trade lines to your credit file or request that current creditors, who may not be reporting your accounts and payment history to the credit bureaus, begin to do so.

Instructions

1

Check the types of debts you currently have on your credit report. Once a year, you can get a free copy of your consolidated credit report (combined from all three credit-reporting agencies) from AnnualCreditReport.com (see the Resources section for a link). In order to have the best score possible, your credit record should reflect at least one example of revolving debt (credit cards) and one example of installment debt (loans). Evaluate which types of debts you already have in your credit file before you attempt to add more. This will help you prevent your credit report from becoming imbalanced.

2

Check each account listed and compare it to the bills you pay every month to ensure that all of your creditors are currently reporting. Do not be alarmed if you do not see your cell phone bill or utilities reporting on your credit file. These types of debts are considered "open" accounts and will rarely, if ever, appear on your credit report.

3

Call any creditors that are not currently reporting and ask them to begin doing so. Your debts not appearing on your credit file could be an oversight or your creditor may report only certain types of debts. If you make a solid case for why you need the extra trade line on your report, your creditor may comply.

4

Take out a small loan or new credit card account. Loans and credit cards almost always report to the credit bureaus and are a quick way to add information to your report. Make sure to apply only for the types of debt that are not adequately represented in your credit report. For example, if you have only three credit card accounts, it is in your best interests to take out a small loan to have an installment account. Adding another credit card will not help you.

5

Contact the credit bureaus with any new personal information that you want to add, such as a new name or address.

6

Add a consumer statement to your credit report online. A consumer statement is a 100-word explanation of any of the entries that appear on your credit file. Any individual may add a consumer statement either online, by mail or by phone.