This page was originally published in early 2016 and includes expert quotes from that time. The rest of the article has since been updated.
Key takeaways
- Accessing a spouse’s credit report without permission or a valid reason is considered fraud or identity theft.
- If you need a copy of your spouse's credit report, always ask for their permission first or ask them to obtain it and share it with you.
- Sharing credit reports can be beneficial for couples, as it can help them understand each other’s financial habits and set financial goals together.
If you’ve opened a credit card with your spouse or bought a car or a house together, you’ve created a shared credit history with your partner. How your significant other handles their finances has a direct impact on you — and your credit score.
But that doesn’t mean you have a right to check up on their credit history without permission. Always ask first. In fact, accessing a credit report that’s not your own could be a form of fraud or identity theft.
“Everyone has their own credit report, and it’s private to them,” says Rod Griffin, senior director of public education and advocacy at Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus.
Federal regulations on checking spouse’s credit report
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act regulates who can access a credit report. It allows credit reporting agencies to provide credit information to people or entities with a “valid reason.” Being married to someone does not qualify as a “valid reason” under this act.
If you access your spouse’s credit report without their permission, it could be considered a form of identity theft or fraud. Keep in mind that this is true even if you’re getting a divorce.
How to obtain your spouse’s credit report legally
Asking your spouse for permission to obtain their credit report can be tricky, according to Bruce McClary, senior vice president of communications for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. That’s because some people view sharing such information as an invasion of privacy even if they’re married.
“It’s not yours to take,” McClary says. “Being married to them doesn’t matter; you still have to get their permission.”
If you do make the request — and McClary says it should be a request, not a demand — be prepared to reciprocate.
This could serve as an excellent opportunity for a financial conversation between you two, discussing your monetary goals and future planning.
If you want to legally access your spouse’s credit report without permission, you’ll need a subpoena or other court order. Rod Griffin says a court order is permissible within the Fair Credit Reporting Act, although a report obtained in this manner likely would be given to the attorneys in your case or the court itself, not directly to you.
How Sharing Credit Reports Helps Couples With Financial Planning
Discussing and sharing credit reports as a couple can help you understand each other’s financial habits and set financial goals together. For example, if one of you has a better credit score, you might decide to apply for credit cards under that person’s name to secure the best rates. Plus, if you notice any errors in either of your credit reports, you can dispute them together.
Spouses should get their reports from all three major credit bureaus — Experian, TransUnion and Equifax — since any one might contain errors, and each likely will contain slightly different information, according to Lili Vasileff, founder of Divorce and Money Matters, a divorce financial planning firm in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Once couples have the reports, Vasileff suggests that:
- Spouses with excellent credit can strategize how to get the lowest interest rates.
- If one spouse has bad credit, they can work together to improve their credit score.
- They can dispute credit report errors that could cause them to pay higher financing costs.
- They can monitor each other’s credit habits, including open credit accounts, high balances and late payments.
- They can make sure they each have credit established in their own names — an important precaution in the case of divorce or a spouse’s death.
If your spouse won’t share their credit report with you, you might have reason to be concerned.
“Hidden in those reports could be credit taken out in your name jointly with your spouse that you had no idea about or a mortgage for a property you didn’t even know your spouse owned,” Vasileff says.
The bottom line
When it comes to accessing your spouse’s credit report, always ask for their permission first. Not only is accessing someone’s credit report without their consent a violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, but it can also break the trust between you and your partner. Alternatively, openly discussing and sharing credit reports can be beneficial for married couples, because it can help you understand each other’s financial habits and set financial goals as a team.
FAQs
Accessing a spouse's credit report without permission or a valid reason is considered fraud or identity theft. If you need a copy of your spouse's credit report, always ask for their permission first or ask them to obtain it and share it with you.
Can I check my boyfriend's credit score? ›
Contact one of three credit reporting agencies.
Three national credit reporting agencies do credit checks on individuals. They are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Going through one of these agencies is the only legitimate way to obtain someone's credit report.
Is it possible to check someone else's credit score? ›
You cannot check someone's credit score without their written consent. It is ILLEGAL for you to try to access someone's credit records without their consent. Also, you would be asked security questions only known to the person in order to access the credit file.
Does your spouse's credit score affect yours? ›
If your spouse has a bad credit score, it will not affect your credit score. However, when you apply for loans together, like mortgages, lenders will look at both your scores. If one of you has a poor credit score, it counts against you both. You may not qualify for the best interest rates or the loan could be denied.
Can a spouse give permission to pull credit? ›
The Fair Credit Reporting Act does not provide any authority for spouses to pull each other's reports, unless they have written permission to do so, or unless there is a legally allowed reason. Contact us if you believe someone falsely ran a credit check on you.
Can I access my husband's credit report? ›
Key takeaways. Accessing a spouse's credit report without permission or a valid reason is considered fraud or identity theft. If you need a copy of your spouse's credit report, always ask for their permission first or ask them to obtain it and share it with you.
Can I check my dads credit score? ›
Unless you're posting pictures of your credit reports on social media, your credit information shouldn't be available to the public. It won't show up as a search engine result, and your loved ones can't request it, regardless of your relationship.
Can anyone look up your credit score? ›
While the general public can't see your credit report, some groups have legal access to that personal information. Those groups include lenders, creditors, landlords, employers, insurance companies, government agencies and utility providers.
How to check credit score with SSN? ›
This is easy to do by phone:
- Call Annual Credit Report at 1-877-322-8228.
- Answer questions from a recorded system. You have to give your address, Social Security number, and birth date.
- Choose to only show the last four numbers of your Social Security number. ...
- Choose which credit reporting company you want a report from.
When you request a copy of your credit report, you will see a list of anyone who has requested your credit report within the past year, including any employers or prospective employers who have requested your report within the past two years for employment purposes.
Your strong credit could help compensate for a spouse's poor credit to some degree. But ultimately, lenders will fixate on the lower of the two scores if you're applying for a mortgage jointly. Lenders often pull credit scores for both applicants from each of the three major bureaus.
What happens if I marry someone with bad credit? ›
Marrying a person with a bad credit history won't affect your own credit record. You and your spouse will continue to have separate credit reports after you marry. However, any debts that you take on jointly will be reported on both your and your spouse's credit reports.
Can I use my wife's credit score to buy a house? ›
Generally speaking, if you and your spouse apply for a loan jointly, the lender will look at your combined income, combined debt-to-income (dti),and both of your credit scores.
How to check someone else's credit score? ›
You can access someone else's credit report by directly contacting one of the credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian). Each of these bureaus technically gives their ratings independently, but all three of the scores should be quite similar for the same person.
Can I sue my husband for ruining my credit? ›
You may sue your ex-husband for acts and omissions during the marriage and PERHAPS even after the marriage (or date of legal separation) which led to credit damage of your personal name. This type of case has been sued upon over and over again.
How can I protect my credit from my spouse? ›
Personal Credit: How To Protect Yourself Pre-Divorce
- Close it. Get rid of entangled credit and cards.
- Freeze it. Put your credit on ice.
- Separate it. Create a line of credit just for you.
- Monitor it. ...
- Even if it seems unlikely, your spouse might be able to open new lines of joint credit without your authorization.
While the general public can't see your credit report, some groups have legal access to that personal information. Those groups include lenders, creditors, landlords, employers, insurance companies, government agencies and utility providers.
How do I find out if my partner is in debt? ›
One of the most obvious signs that your husband may be in debt is if he avoids talking about money with you. He might change the subject, get defensive, or even lie when you ask him about his income, expenses, or savings. He might also hide his bank statements, credit card bills, or loan documents from you.
How can someone check their credit score for free? ›
You have the right to request one free copy of your credit report each year from each of the three major consumer reporting companies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com. You may also be able to view free reports more frequently online.
Can someone access my credit score? ›
The first thing to know is that in our information-rich, everything-at-your-fingertips world, the data on your credit report is held securely by credit reference agencies like Experian. Companies can only see this data if they have a legitimate reason (e.g. you've applied for a mortgage with them).
