Do You Need to Report a Name Change to the Credit Bureaus?

When you legally change your name due to marriage, divorce, or gender transition, you don’t need to contact the credit bureaus directly to update your credit reports. Credit bureaus receive information about your accounts from creditors you have relationships with, such as credit card companies, student loan providers, and mortgage servicers. When your personal information changes with a creditor, the new information should eventually be reflected in your credit report.

How to Update Your Name on Your Credit Report

To ensure your name is changed on your credit report, follow these steps:

1. File Local Paperwork

Paperwork requirements for completing your name change will vary depending on your reason for doing so. For instance, if you’re getting married, you’ll need to reach out to your local government for information on obtaining a marriage license and completing a name change. If you’re divorcing and changing your name back to the one you used before your marriage, the process for changing your name back may occur when you file your divorce decree. If you’re changing your name to match your gender identity, you’ll need to research the requirements through your local courthouse or government website.

2. Update Your Social Security Card

The Social Security Administration will require you to provide documentation of your name change when you ask for a new Social Security card. Documents that prove a legal name change include a marriage certificate, divorce decree, certificate of naturalization, or court order for a name change.

3. Update Your State ID or Driver’s License

Once your Social Security card reflects your new name, you should be able to update your other forms of identification, such as your driver’s license. Government entities often require documentation of a name change, so save the documents you used to update your Social Security card as they may come in handy later on.

4. Update Financial and Company Accounts

Once you’ve followed all the steps to legally change your name and update your identification, inform any companies you have accounts with of the change. It’s a good idea to contact them all—from Amazon to your doctor’s office to your bank—but any accounts that deal with finances should be of top priority.

Does Changing Your Name Affect Your Credit Score?

Changing your name will not impact your credit. Your credit reports use multiple pieces of identification information, including your Social Security number, to compile your credit history. When you change your name, that new information may be added to your credit reports—but the change won’t result in a new credit file being opened or previous account information being removed from the score calculations.

Your previous name will continue to be reported with your credit history, but your new name will become the primary name on the report. Experian lists all names and name variations associated with your identifying information so that you have a complete record of what has been reported. Any nicknames or variations you have used in the past will also remain a part of your credit history (unless they are inaccurate).

How to Dispute an Inaccurate Name on Your Credit Report

While you can’t remove accurate previous names, or name variations, from your credit reports, you have the right to dispute inaccurate information—misspellings, for example, or incorrect names that appear in your credit file as a result of fraud.

To dispute a name in your report, you need to file a dispute with each credit bureau that lists the inaccurate information. Make sure to check all of your credit reports to see which reports may have the inaccurate information listed.

If you aren’t sure what names are listed in your Experian credit report, you can easily check by getting a free copy of your credit report from Experian. Once you gain access to your report, look for the section that lists your names, and you’ll see any variations or different names that have been reported as part of your credit history.