How to Check a Spouse's Credit Report

When two people get married, their financial lives often become linked. You and your spouse may need to buy a house together, and you may begin putting your paychecks into joint accounts. As a result, you may be interested in checking your spouse's credit report. In order to do this, there are several steps you need to take.

Get permission. It is a federal crime under Section 604 of the the Fair Credit Reporting Act to pull someone else's credit without permission and/or without a "permissible purpose." This is true, even if you are married to the person.

Visit Annual Credit Report.com. This service allows you to obtain a free credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) once a year. You can use the links at this site to get a free copy of your spouse's credit report.

Enter the proper identifying information. This includes your spouse's name, Social Security number, his current address, and his previous address (if he has lived at his current address for less than two years). You will be asked identifying questions, such as information about the county he lives in, or information about a credit account he has. This is just to ensure that the person who is pulling the credit report is really authorized to do so.

Request the free credit report. This shows up immediately on your screen after you have answered the proper identifying information. You can print your report or access it online for up to to 30 days.