Everyone realizes the importance of their credit report score. Your credit score can and does determine your ability to get financing, the amount of interest you pay and even the ability to get employment in some situations. Because this score is so important in our lives today it is imperative that you know what to do to fix a low score.

Your first step is to contact the three major credit bureaus and obtain your report and credit score from each one. Each one is going to be different as each agency never seems to have the same information reported. You must carefully examine these reports and your score.

Once you have your credit reports go through each item listed very thoroughly. Check for any and all errors. Most reports will have errors on them. Any errors that you may find dispute immediately. These errors can include items that are not yours, reported late payments that were not late, credit limit issues that are incorrect or duplicate accounts. Also check for the length of time that the item has been reported. Through the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act credit companies have to remove items after a certain length of time. Once you have disputed any items the credit reporting agencies have thirty days to correct the information on your file. If within that time frame they are unable to verify the information they must remove it from your report. Correcting these small issues will have a dramatic effect on your score.

Another way how to fix your credit report score is to set up automatic payments for as many of your accounts as possible. Late payment marks on your credit report will lower your score. By setting automatic payments for your accounts you cut the risk of having late marks or the fees associated with late payments. Keep in mind that you should always set your automatic payments up to pay your bills at least two days prior to the due date. This eliminates the possibility of clerical error on their part to post your payments in time.

Watch your credit limits and the amounts you owe. Credit scoring also takes into account the amount of debt you have to the amount of credit you have. If all your cards are maxed to the limit you will be considered a higher risk and your score will reflect. Also, keeping all zero balances will lower your score. The reason for this is that credit companies make their living off of the interest they collect. If you continue to pay off your cards each month they in turn do not make any money off your account. This makes you a non-profitable customer and a higher risk. It is safest to keep your balances around the middle of your credit line and keep your payments on time.

There are several other small ways you can fix your credit score. Apply for credit only when necessary. Excessive applications reduce your score. Fill out the appropriate forms to be excluded from credit mailings. Many of these credit companies pull your report prior to mailing you an offer. These are seen as requests for credit and marked against you. And always stay on top of your credit report.