Now that you can get a free credit report, it’s time to see if you can legally improve your score. You can pay someone to help you with this if you want, but much of it can be done by anyone with a little time and patience.

The first thing to do is always to check your credit report for inaccuracies. Get any inaccurate items corrected or removed.

Check to see if all positive items have been reported. If you’ve paid off a loan and it isn’t appearing on your report, ask the lender to add it to your report. Positive information is always a good thing to have listed.

If your credit limits are not listed for all accounts, ask for them to be added, so that it is clear how close you are to your current credit limits. If you are too close, you become less appealing for other credit.

Look for duplicated accounts and data. If your debt goes from one lender to another, it may appear twice, harming your credit score.

Even if you pay off an old account, don’t close it unless it has an annual fee or is otherwise costing you money to keep it open. Old and open credit accounts make your credit history longer, so it is clear that you have been a good risk for a long time.

Don’t open more credit accounts than you need. Too many active accounts may not look good either.

Don’t carry a higher balance than you need to. Not only does this cost you money in interest, it makes it harder to get new credit when you need it.

A properly maintained credit history can help you when it comes time to get a house, a car or other major purchases by qualifying you for lower interest rates. Don’t wait until you are getting ready to make a major purchase - start now.

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