How To Check Your Credit Score With ITIN Number, And Why
A credit score is an essential part of American financial life. A healthy credit score can help you secure an apartment, land a job, and get the best interest rates when you borrow money to buy a home, an automobile, or start a business.
Regularly checking your credit score and credit report is important. They provide critical financial information and can alert you to possible financial fraud. We’ll show you how to get a free credit score with an ITIN number, how to check your credit score without a Social Security number, how to check your credit report with an ITIN number, and how you can build credit with an ITIN number.
Checking your credit with an ITIN number
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a Social Security number to check your credit or open a bank account. You can use an ITIN for a credit card too. Social Security numbers are merely a way to identify a person, but they are not the only way.
An ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) is issued to residents with foreign status or undocumented immigrants, while a Social Security number is issued to U.S. citizens and authorized non-citizens. That’s the only significant difference between the numbers, so in many cases, an ITIN can be used in place of a Social Security number.
How to check your credit report with an ITIN
Unfortunately, a Social Security number is the only way to get free copies of your credit report from the three major credit bureaus using annualcreditreport.com. Instead, you can submit your request individually to each bureau.
Experian requires the request to be mailed and to include:
Your ITIN
Copy of a photo ID
Copy of a bank statement
Copy of a utility bill in your name
You can find mailing information for Experian here. Experian includes a credit score with your credit report.
TransUnion requires you to contact customer service; you can find the information here.
Equifax also requires that you submit your request in writing and include at least two pieces of information, one to prove identity and one to verify address. These can include:
Driver’s license
ITIN
Paystub
W2
1099
Passport
Utility bill
Cell phone bill
Lease agreement
Bank statement
You can find the information here.
How to check credit score with an ITIN number
Checking your credit fully means checking both your credit score and your credit report. Just checking one or the other won’t give you the complete picture. Your credit score is based on the information in your credit report.
Of the three main credit bureaus, only Experian includes your credit score with your credit report. You can pay the others for your credit score, but there are plenty of places you can get it for free. Some credit cards, including Petal, provide free credit scores, and some bank accounts provide them too.
Build credit with an ITIN number
Building credit with an ITIN number works exactly the same as building credit with a Social Security number. Both can be used to open credit accounts and to report activity to the credit bureaus as part of identifying a consumer.
Why Checking Your Credit is Important
Having a healthy credit score can save you thousands of dollars in interest over the years, as the better your score, the lower the interest rates you’ll be offered when you borrow money. Your credit score is based on the information on your credit report.
Checking your score can help you decide if the time is right to borrow money. If your score is not high enough to get you the best interest rate (generally 760 or above), you might want to wait and work on increasing your score. And checking your credit report can alert you to mistakes that could be hurting your score or to fraudulent accounts opened using your information.
Build credit with Upwardli
If your credit score is not where you would like it to be, Upwardli is here to help! We can help you build credit quickly. Get pre-approved instantly with no credit check or deposit required. Each account includes an unsecured line of credit designed to build the credit score you need in your new home fast.
