Most Canadians don’t know their credit report is available at no charge, any time, from multiple sources — no credit card, no subscription, no trial period. This guide covers every option, who it’s best suited for, what you actually see, and the one thing more important than checking your score.
Before getting into the details, here are the questions Canadians ask most often about checking their credit history for free — answered directly, without the runaround.
- 1 Can I really get my credit report for free — or is there always a catch? Completely free, no catch. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) confirms that both Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada must give every Canadian access to their full credit report at no charge. No credit card is required. No subscription trial to cancel. You can request it online through each bureau’s website in roughly ten minutes, or by phone or mail. The bureaus do sell paid monitoring subscriptions — those are optional extras, not requirements.
- 2 Will checking my own credit hurt my score? No — checking your own report is a soft inquiry and has zero effect on your score. Only hard inquiries — the kind made by a lender when you apply for credit — can affect your score. You can check as often as you like through any of the free options listed here without any negative consequence. This is one of the most persistent myths around credit, and it stops people from monitoring their reports regularly.
- 3 Why does my Equifax score differ from my TransUnion score? This is completely normal — the two bureaus collect information from different lenders. Not every creditor reports to both bureaus. A credit card company might send your payment history to Equifax but not TransUnion, or the other way around. Both bureaus also use slightly different scoring models. A gap of 10 to 30 points between the two is expected. A gap of more than 50 points is worth investigating — it often points to an error or an account that appears on only one file.
- 4 What is a good credit score in Canada? On Canada’s 300–900 scale, a score of 660 or above is generally considered good. Scores from 660 to 724 are good, 725 to 759 are very good, and 760 and above are excellent. For the best mortgage interest rates, most lenders want to see 760 or higher. The average Canadian credit score sits around 672, according to Borrowell’s consumer data — solidly in the “good” range but close enough to the fair threshold that regular monitoring genuinely matters.
- 5 How long do negative items stay on a Canadian credit report? Most negative information stays for approximately six years. Late payments, missed payments, and accounts sent to collections remain on your file for up to six years from the date reported. A first-time bankruptcy stays for six to seven years from the date of discharge, depending on the province. A second bankruptcy stays for fourteen years. A consumer proposal — a partial repayment agreement — drops off three years after you complete it, or six years from the filing date, whichever comes first. Positive information can stay on your TransUnion file for up to twenty years.
- 6 I found an error on my report. Do I have to pay someone to fix it? No — disputing credit report errors in Canada is completely free, and bureaus are legally required to investigate. You file directly with Equifax and TransUnion online, by phone, or by mail. Each bureau has 30 days to investigate your dispute. If the information is confirmed inaccurate, they must correct it at no cost. Avoid any company that charges you to “repair” your credit — legitimate disputes cost nothing, and disputing accurate information is ineffective regardless of who does it.
- 7 Which is better for checking my credit — Borrowell or Credit Karma? The answer is both, because they pull from different bureaus. Borrowell uses Equifax data and updates your score weekly — it’s the only major free credit score app built in Canada. Credit Karma Canada uses TransUnion data. Since lenders check one or the other depending on the product and province, having visibility into both files gives you the most complete picture. Signing up for both takes about fifteen minutes combined, neither requires a credit card or your SIN, and the weekly updates let you catch changes quickly.
- 8 Can I check my credit if I bank with one of the Big Five? Yes — RBC, TD, CIBC, Scotiabank, and BMO all offer free credit score access through their banking apps. All five use TransUnion’s CreditView Dashboard, which includes your TransUnion credit score, a credit summary, and a score simulator that lets you model how different financial decisions might change your number. These checks are soft inquiries and never affect your score. If you want Equifax data as well, add Borrowell alongside your bank app — the two together cover both bureaus.
Going straight to the source gives you the most complete version of your credit file — including information that some third-party apps and bank dashboards leave out, such as detailed payment-history tables going back up to 25 months.
Creating a myEquifax account gives you online access to your full Equifax credit report at no charge, updated monthly. Equifax is the only major bureau that includes a free credit score estimate alongside the free report — you do not need to pay for a subscription to see a number. The report includes your complete account history, payment records, credit inquiries, public records, and any collections activity that has been reported to Equifax.
One thing worth knowing: the online version of your Equifax report omits the payment profile tables — the month-by-month breakdown of each account — that the mailed version includes. If you are specifically trying to verify whether a payment was recorded correctly or track the exact date a negative item appeared, request the mailed version instead by calling 1-800-465-7166 or submitting by mail to Equifax Canada Co., National Consumer Relations, P.O. Box 190, Station Jean-Talon, Montreal, QC H1S 2Z2. That version is also free and arrives within a few weeks. Note: effective July 1, the Toronto walk-up centre has closed — online, phone, and mail remain available.
TransUnion Canada calls their free credit report a “Consumer Disclosure” — same thing, different name. It is available online through their portal, by phone at 1-800-663-9980, or by mailing a completed request form with two pieces of government-issued identification. The report is updated monthly and contains the same types of information as Equifax: accounts, payment history, credit inquiries, and any collections or public records.
One important difference from Equifax: TransUnion Canada does not include a free numerical credit score for most provinces. The exception is Quebec, where provincial law requires bureaus to provide the score free of charge. Residents of other provinces who want their TransUnion score for free can use Credit Karma Canada or their bank’s app (which uses CreditView, a TransUnion-powered tool). The paid TransUnion subscription at $24.95/month is not necessary to get the free report — don’t let the upsell on their site confuse you. Note: TransUnion in-person Burlington location also closed July 1.
These apps connect to the bureaus on your behalf and refresh your information regularly. They are legitimate, they are free, and they make it far easier to stay on top of your credit than manually requesting reports. Here is how each one actually works and who it suits best.
Borrowell was the first company in Canada to offer a free credit score, and it remains the go-to for Equifax coverage. Over four million Canadians use it. The score and full Equifax report update weekly — far more frequently than the monthly cycles of most bank apps and the bureau’s own online portal. That matters when you are actively working to improve your credit, because you can actually see recent changes reflected quickly.
One feature that sets Borrowell apart from simply logging into Equifax directly: the app flags unusual changes on your report and explains what they mean in plain language. It also offers a Rent Advantage feature that lets renters report their monthly rent payments to Equifax, helping build credit history without taking on any debt. The score shown is an Equifax estimate — it’s close to what lenders see but not identical to every lender’s internal model. Recommendations for financial products appear in the app; these are how Borrowell earns revenue, but they do not influence or skew your score or report data.
Credit Karma fills the TransUnion gap that Borrowell doesn’t cover. It pulls your credit score and report from TransUnion Canada and updates weekly, giving you a real-time view of how that bureau sees your credit profile. Available to most Canadians outside Quebec (Quebec residents can get their TransUnion score free directly from the bureau). The platform also includes spending insights and budgeting tools if those are helpful, though the core credit monitoring is what most people use it for.
Credit Karma uses 128-bit encryption and does not sell your data — its revenue comes from financial product recommendations, not your personal information. Signing up does not require a Social Insurance Number, which makes the process faster and reduces the personal information you share. Use this alongside Borrowell to get complete, dual-bureau coverage of your credit profile — each app takes under five minutes to set up.
ClearScore is a well-established credit platform from the UK that operates in Canada using TransUnion data. It’s particularly well regarded for its clean layout and straightforward explanations — a good fit for anyone who finds other credit apps confusing or cluttered. The score refreshes monthly rather than weekly, so it’s slightly slower than Borrowell or Credit Karma for catching recent changes. Its fraud alert feature sends an email notification when something new appears on your credit file, which is genuinely useful for spotting identity theft early. A good third option if you want TransUnion coverage and find Credit Karma’s interface less to your liking.
Five of Canada’s Big Six banks built TransUnion’s CreditView Dashboard directly into their online and mobile banking. If you already have an account with one of these banks, your free credit score is sitting inside an app you already open every week.
RBC, TD, CIBC, Scotiabank, and BMO all offer their clients access to a free monthly TransUnion credit score through their online and mobile banking platforms — all powered by TransUnion’s CreditView Dashboard. Each check is a soft inquiry and never affects your credit score. The tool typically includes a score simulator that lets you model how actions like applying for a new card or paying off a balance might move your number, which is helpful when planning a major financial decision like a mortgage application.
How to find it varies slightly by bank. For RBC: log in to online banking, then navigate to “My Services” and “View Your Credit Score.” For TD: open the TD app and look for the Credit Score section. For CIBC: find “My Credit Score” inside the mobile banking app. For Scotiabank: find Credit Score under Services in online or mobile banking. For BMO: select “View My Credit Score” in online banking. National Bank is the exception among the Big Six — they do not offer built-in credit score access and direct customers to use the bureaus directly. If your bank is a credit union or smaller institution, check your app — some, including Desjardins, do offer free score access.
Important: bank apps show your TransUnion score only. For Equifax coverage, pair your bank app with Borrowell — that combination gives you both bureaus for free without downloading anything beyond what you already use.
Canada’s credit score scale runs from 300 to 900 — 50 points higher at the top than the U.S. system. Where you fall on that scale has a direct, measurable effect on the interest rates you pay and the credit products you can access.
- 760–900 (Excellent): Access to the best available mortgage rates. Premium credit cards with top rewards. Highest credit limits. Lenders compete for your business. Aim here before applying for a mortgage.
- 725–759 (Very Good): Good rates on most products. Mortgage approvals are straightforward. Minor rate premium versus the excellent tier — typically small enough not to cause major concern.
- 660–724 (Good): Approved for most mainstream credit. You will pay slightly more in interest than the very good tier. The gap between 665 and 720 is more significant than it looks — a $30,000 car loan over five years can cost thousands more at the lower end of this band.
- 560–659 (Fair): Higher interest rates, stricter approval requirements. Some lenders won’t approve mortgages below 600. Alternative lenders may be required. Worth working on before any major credit application.
- 300–559 (Poor): Difficulty accessing new credit through mainstream lenders. Secured credit cards and credit-builder products are the typical starting point for rebuilding. Even small consistent improvements move the needle.
- Payment history — the single biggest factor. Even one missed payment, reported 30+ days late, can drop a good score by 50 to 100 points.
- Credit utilization — how much of your available credit you’re using. Keeping balances below 30% of your limit on each card is the standard guidance; below 10% is better for a strong score.
- Length of credit history — how long your accounts have been open. Closing old accounts you no longer use can actually lower your score by shortening your average account age.
- Credit mix — having a variety of account types (credit card, line of credit, installment loan) modestly improves your score, but don’t take on debt you don’t need just for this.
- Credit inquiries — hard inquiries from lender applications stay on your file for up to three years at Equifax and six years at TransUnion, though their score impact fades quickly.
Approximately one in four Canadians who pull their full credit reports find at least one material error, according to consumer advocacy research. These mistakes can cost real money — higher interest rates, loan denials, and damage that compounds over time if not addressed. Fixing them is free and simpler than most people expect.
- Wrong personal information: a slightly different name spelling, an old address mixed with a current one, or an incorrect date of birth can sometimes merge your file with another person’s — a problem called a “mixed file.”
- Accounts that aren’t yours: could indicate identity theft, or a file mix-up where another consumer’s account landed on your report.
- Incorrect payment status: a payment marked late that was made on time, or a balance shown as higher than it actually was at reporting time.
- Duplicate accounts: the same debt appearing twice on your report, making your total debt load appear higher than it actually is.
- Accounts that should have been removed: most negative items have a six-year window in Canada. Anything older than the applicable removal date should not still be on your file.
- Discharged debts still showing as active: accounts included in a bankruptcy that was discharged, or consumer proposals that have been completed, should reflect their resolved status.
An error on your Equifax file may not appear on your TransUnion file, and vice versa. Get both reports before disputing anything — you need the full picture. Use Borrowell or log into myEquifax for Equifax, and Credit Karma Canada or TransUnion directly for TransUnion. Compare line by line.
The stronger your evidence, the better your outcome. Collect bank statements, payment confirmations, discharge papers, court documents, or any lender correspondence that proves your position. A dispute without documentation is far less likely to result in a correction than one backed by clear paper evidence.
Equifax: dispute online through the myEquifax portal, or mail your dispute and supporting documents to Equifax Canada Co., National Consumer Relations, P.O. Box 190, Station Jean-Talon, Montreal, QC H1S 2Z2. TransUnion: dispute online at ocs.transunion.ca, by phone at 1-800-663-9980, or by mail. Each bureau has 30 days to investigate and respond. Filing disputes is free — you do not need a lawyer, a credit repair company, or any third-party service.
The FCAC recommends also reaching out directly to the lender or collection agency that reported the information. A creditor who acknowledges an error and instructs the bureau to update your file can speed up the correction significantly — sometimes faster than waiting for the bureau’s internal investigation process.
If the bureau investigates and does not correct the error, you have two remaining options. First, you can add a consumer statement — a brief explanation of up to 100 words — directly to your credit file. Both Equifax and TransUnion allow this. Lenders who pull your report in future will see this statement alongside the disputed item. Second, you can escalate: the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) at fcac-acfc.gc.ca oversees federally regulated financial institutions. For issues with the bureaus themselves, your provincial consumer protection office is the relevant authority — Consumer Protection Ontario in Ontario, Consumer Protection BC in BC, the Office de la protection du consommateur in Quebec, and equivalent bodies in other provinces.
Companies that charge fees to “repair” or “clean up” your credit report are not offering anything the law doesn’t already give you for free. They cannot remove accurate negative information — no one can. They can only file the same disputes you could file yourself at no cost. Some of these services are outright scams. If anyone tries to charge you for filing a dispute with Equifax or TransUnion, the FCAC wants to hear about it.
Green means an advantage in that category. Amber means moderate or partially available. Red flags a real limitation to watch for. Use this to find the right starting point for your specific situation at a glance.
| Option | Bureau | Score Included? | Update Frequency | Cost | SIN Required? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equifax Direct (myEquifax) Official | Equifax | Yes — free estimate | Monthly | $0 | For phone/mail only | Full report + score in one place |
| TransUnion Direct (Consumer Disclosure) Official | TransUnion | Quebec only (free); others pay | Monthly | $0 (report only) | May ask for identity verification | Official report for disputes |
| Borrowell Top Pick | Equifax | Yes — weekly updates | Weekly | $0 | No | Ongoing monitoring + Equifax score |
| Credit Karma Canada | TransUnion | Yes — weekly updates | Weekly | $0 | No | TransUnion coverage outside Quebec |
| ClearScore Canada | TransUnion | Yes — included | Monthly | $0 | No | Clean interface, fraud alerts |
| Big Five Bank Apps (RBC, TD, CIBC, BMO, Scotia) | TransUnion | Yes — score + simulator | Monthly | $0 (existing clients) | Already enrolled in banking | Easiest option for bank clients |
| Equifax by Mail (full report) | Equifax | No score included | On request | $0 | 2 pieces of ID required | Full payment history detail |
| TransUnion by Mail (full report) | TransUnion | No score included | On request | $0 | 2 pieces of ID required | Dispute documentation; paper trail |
All options listed are free for the core credit report and/or score. Bureau details accurate as of mid-2026 based on FCAC guidelines, Equifax Canada, and TransUnion Canada product pages. Verify current access methods directly with each provider.
The fastest path depends on what you are actually trying to accomplish. Here is the honest recommendation for the situations that come up most often.
Start with Borrowell. It’s the simplest entry point — no credit card, no SIN required, and within a few minutes you’ll have your Equifax score and a readable version of your credit report on your phone. Then sign up for Credit Karma Canada to also see your TransUnion file. That combination gives you complete coverage of both bureaus for free, with weekly updates. Once you understand what’s on your reports, you’ll be in a much better position to know whether anything needs attention.
Pull your full reports from both Equifax and TransUnion directly — the official versions, not just the app summaries. Go line by line and look for anything inaccurate, outdated, or unfamiliar. If you find errors, file disputes now, before you apply — corrections take time. Also request the mailed version of your Equifax report specifically, since it includes the detailed payment-history tables the online version omits. Your lender will likely pull one or both bureau files as part of the application, and you want to have already reviewed and corrected anything you can. Aim for a score above 760 before applying to access the most competitive rates.
Pull both full reports immediately — today. Look for accounts you did not open, inquiries from lenders you have never contacted, or addresses on your file that are not yours. If you find anything suspicious, contact Equifax and TransUnion to place a fraud alert on your credit files. You can also file a police report, which creates an official record useful for dispute purposes. Both bureaus may ask you for identification when placing a fraud alert. Do this before disputing individual accounts — fraud alerts make it harder for additional fraudulent accounts to be opened in your name while you sort things out.
Pull both full reports, not just the score. The score is the result; the report is the explanation. Look specifically at: any late payments (even one 30-day-late mark can cause a significant drop), your credit utilization on each card (over 30% on any individual card pulls the score down, even if your total across all cards is manageable), hard inquiries from recent credit applications, and any collections accounts you might have forgotten about. If everything looks accurate, the most reliable path to improvement is consistent on-time payments — that factor carries more weight than any other.
Everything described in this guide is yours by legal right at no cost. You are entitled to your full credit report from both Equifax and TransUnion at any time, for free, either online or by mail. No account with a credit monitoring service is necessary. No credit card is required. If you prefer not to create an online account, both bureaus accept requests by phone — Equifax at 1-800-465-7166 and TransUnion at 1-800-663-9980 — and will mail your complete report to you within a few weeks. If you’d like to check your score regularly without creating an account online, ask your bank — if you bank with one of the Big Five, the score is already visible in your banking app or website.
Gather your documentation first — payment records, statements, any lender correspondence that supports your position. Then file your dispute through the online portal of whichever bureau shows the error (myEquifax for Equifax errors, ocs.transunion.ca for TransUnion errors). File it with both if the same error appears on both. At the same time, contact the lender who reported the information and ask them to verify and correct their data — this parallel path often speeds up the outcome. The bureau has 30 days to complete its investigation. If your dispute is confirmed, the correction is free and mandatory. If denied and you still believe the information is wrong, add a consumer statement to your file explaining your position.
Yes — and actually this is one of the best times to look. If you’re not actively applying for credit, you can review your report with a clear head and no pressure. Credit reports affect more than just loans: landlords run credit checks before approving rentals, some employers check credit for certain positions, and insurance companies in some provinces use credit information in their pricing. More importantly, if there’s a fraudulent account in your name, catching it early — before you apply for a mortgage or a car loan — gives you time to correct it without the correction affecting a pending application.
Yes — credit reports in Canada are entirely individual. There is no joint credit file. Even if you and your spouse have shared accounts, each person has their own report at each bureau. A missed payment on a joint account will show up on both your files — but each file contains other information unique to each person. If you are planning to apply for a mortgage jointly, pull both people’s reports from both bureaus before applying. A weak score from either applicant affects the rate the household qualifies for.
Not through the Canadian bureaus. Credit histories are country-specific — your U.S., UK, or international credit history does not transfer to Equifax Canada or TransUnion Canada. You effectively start from scratch as a newcomer. Some banks have newcomer programs that offer credit cards or credit-builder accounts without requiring existing Canadian credit history, which can help establish your first Canadian tradeline. Borrowell and Credit Karma show whatever Canadian credit history exists on your file, even if that’s just the starting point. Building a history takes time, but regular on-time payments on even one active account begin moving your Canadian score upward relatively quickly.
At minimum, pull your full reports from both bureaus once a year to look for errors, outdated information, or unfamiliar accounts. If you are in a period where your finances matter more — before a mortgage application, after receiving a collection notice, or if you suspect identity theft — check monthly or even more often. The good news is that checking through Borrowell, Credit Karma, or your bank app never affects your score, so frequency of checking costs you nothing. Many financial advisors suggest reviewing your score monthly and your full report at least twice a year.
Both numbers are real — they just come from different models. Your bank’s lender likely pulled your FICO Score (a model specifically licensed for lender use), while Borrowell shows an Equifax consumer score and Credit Karma shows a TransUnion consumer score. These are different scoring algorithms applied to the same underlying credit data, so they legitimately produce different numbers — sometimes varying by 30 points or more. No one of these numbers is “your real score” in an absolute sense. What matters is the trend: if your score is improving across all sources, your creditworthiness is improving with lenders too, regardless of which model they use.
For most people, the free options described here provide everything necessary for monitoring. Paid subscriptions from Equifax or TransUnion typically add features like daily update alerts, identity theft insurance, and dark web monitoring. If you’ve been a victim of identity theft, are managing a complex credit situation, or simply want the peace of mind of more granular real-time alerts, a paid subscription may be worth it for you specifically. For general credit health maintenance, the free options provide genuine, complete credit reports and scores — the paid versions are not required to see your full credit file.
This page provides general information and educational content about credit reporting in Canada and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Credit report policies, bureau procedures, and government regulations can change — verify current details directly with Equifax Canada, TransUnion Canada, or the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) at canada.ca. Phone numbers, free report access procedures, and provincial rules were accurate as of the date of publication. Checking your own credit report is a soft inquiry and does not affect your credit score. For personalized financial advice, consult a licensed financial advisor or credit counsellor.