How to read your credit report in 2025

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A credit report notifies lenders of your financial responsibility. It states your loans, credit cards, payment history, etc. In 2025, it's easy to obtain your credit report—just visit one of the four RBI-approved credit bureaus: CIBIL, Equifax, Experian, or CRIF High Mark. You can have one free report each year from each. It's a good idea to download one every few months from another bureau.

Your name, address, PAN, phone number, and other identifying details are on top of your report. Be sure to get this right. Even a slight discrepancy in your PAN or date of birth can link your report to the wrong person's or hold back your loan approval. If there is a mistake here, immediately dispute it with the bureau through their website.

This is where your report displays all loans and credit cards you've ever held. Each listing for an account includes type of loan (auto, home, personal), name of lender, amount approved, balance today, and payment history for up to 36 months. Look over the "Days Past Due" (DPD) column—anything other than "000" or "XXX" could be a warning of late payments. One "30" means that you were late one month one time, and it can decrease your score.

Most individuals believe that once they've paid back a loan, it vanishes. However, unless the lender changes the status to "closed," it remains active. Further, if a credit card had been written off or settled, it will be noted, and it'll negatively affect your score. Bring a dispute if a loan that's fully paid remains open, or a settled account doesn't reflect in your account.

CIBIL and other bureaus usually display your credit score prominently. In 2025, a score of 750 or higher is ideal to qualify for the best interest rates on loans. If your score is low, your report will usually explain why—high utilization, recent defaults, or too many recent loan inquiries. Correcting factual errors can boost your score quickly.

Every time you borrow money or get a credit card, the lender will pull your report—this is a "hard inquiry." Too many in a short period of time can drop your score. Soft inquiries—like when you view your own score—are not going to decrease your rating. If you see inquiries on things you never applied for, put a fraud alert.

At least twice a year, preferably once each quarter if you will be borrowing funds shortly.

File a dispute with the credit bureau on-line. They usually take 30 days to verify and correct your report.

No. Self-checks (soft inquiries) don't lower your credit score.