So you discovered that you can obtain a copy of your credit report and score for free, so you decided to take advantage of that and check it out.
Once it's in your hands, you find an unpleasant surprise: your score is much lower than you expected.
It's a good thing you took a look because now you know you need to take some action.
Your first job is to peruse your credit report for any errors.
You are certainly encouraged to request that any small ones be changed, like an incorrect spelling of your name, but these aren't what's pulling your score down.
Larger errors such as a false report of a missed payment or an account showing up as open and active when you know it was paid off and closed are having a much bigger effect.
You can file a dispute with the credit bureau to have those errors fixed.
If you notice reports of negative activity such as true late or missed payments, collections or bankruptcy, or high credit balances, there's nothing you can file with the credit bureau to have them removed.
Actual activity, positive or negative, cannot be disputed.
So then how do you improve your credit score? Start by making sure all of your payments are on time.
Pay in full if you can.
At minimum, create a plan to lower your balances.
If possible, you want to use no more than 30% of your available credit limits, and lower is even better.
After that, you wait.
Time is the absolute biggest factor in determining your credit score.
The further away your negative activity is to the present, the more your score will increase.
The closer you are to it, the more weight it will have.
The sooner you can turn your credit habits around, the sooner you can start putting time between you and your negative history.