Yes, you can have a credit score under 18, but most minors don’t. A credit file, and eventually a score, usually appears only when a parent deliberately builds one — most often by adding the child as an authorized user on a credit card. A file can also show up without anyone’s knowledge if a thief uses the child’s Social Security number to open accounts.
Why Most People Under 18 Have No Score
Under common law principles followed in every state, a contract signed by a minor is voidable. The minor can walk away without penalty, so lenders almost never extend independent credit to anyone under 18. No borrowing, no payment history, no score.
Federal law adds a second hurdle for credit cards. The Truth in Lending Act prohibits issuing a credit card to anyone under 21 unless the applicant can demonstrate an independent ability to make payments or has a co-signer who is at least 21.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S.C. 1637 – Open End Consumer Credit Plans An 18-year-old with a job can qualify alone. A 16-year-old generally cannot get a credit card in their own name at all.
Emancipation changes the contract problem but not the lender’s caution. An emancipated minor usually gains the right to enter binding agreements, yet banks often still want an adult co-signer, because emancipation does not make someone an adult for every legal purpose.
Authorized User: The Usual Way a Minor Gets a Score
The most common path to a credit score before 18 is being added as an authorized user on a parent’s or guardian’s credit card. The child receives a card tied to the adult’s account, and the adult remains responsible for every charge. Some issuers set no minimum age; others require the child to be at least 13.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Can a Credit Card Company Consider My Age When Deciding to Lend Me a Card?
When the issuer reports authorized user activity to the credit bureaus, the account’s full history — its age, limit, and payment record — attaches to the child’s file. Given enough reported months, that activity can generate a score. One catch: not every issuer reports authorized user data to all three bureaus. A parent who wants this to build the child’s credit should confirm the issuer’s reporting practices before relying on the arrangement.
Co-Signed Teen Cards and Credit Builder Loans
A small number of financial institutions offer products aimed at teenagers, including student credit cards for applicants as young as 15 and credit builder loans for those 16 and up. Each requires a parent or guardian to co-sign, which supplies the enforceable adult signature the minor cannot provide alone. Payments report under both names, so the child builds a track record of their own.
Co-signing is not a free favor. The co-signer is equally responsible for the debt, and any missed payment hits both credit reports. Payment history drives roughly 35 percent of a credit score, and a single late payment can stay on a report for seven years. If the teen stops paying, the adult’s own ability to borrow suffers.
When a Minor Has a Credit File No One Set Up
If no parent added the child as an authorized user and no one co-signed anything, an existing credit file almost always points to identity theft. Children’s Social Security numbers are a target precisely because the fraud goes unnoticed for years. Nobody checks a seven-year-old’s credit report. A common technique is a synthetic identity: a thief pairs the child’s real Social Security number with a fabricated name and date of birth, then opens accounts under that invented person. By the time the child applies for their first legitimate loan, the file may already carry delinquencies and collections.
Not every unexpected file is fraud. A lender’s data entry error can merge a minor’s information with a relative who shares part of the name. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires credit bureaus to use reasonable procedures for accuracy, but mix-ups still happen.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S.C. 1681 – Congressional Findings and Statement of Purpose
Warning Signs a Child Already Has a Credit File
Watch for these red flags, any one of which should prompt a credit check:4TransUnion. Child Identity Theft
- Pre-approved credit offers arriving in the child’s name rather than addressed to “current resident.”
- Being told a bank account or college savings plan already exists under the child’s Social Security number, or being denied one because of poor credit tied to that number.
- Denial of health coverage, nutrition assistance, or other benefits because the child’s Social Security number is already linked to an active account.
- An IRS notice about unreported income or taxes owed under the child’s Social Security number.
How to Check Whether a Minor Has a Credit Report
A parent or legal guardian has to contact each of the three major credit bureaus separately — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A file may exist at one and not the others.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Check to See if a Child Has a Credit Report?
Each bureau asks for similar documents to verify the child’s identity and your authority to request the report:
- A copy of the child’s birth certificate showing the parent-child relationship.
- A copy of the child’s Social Security card.
- A copy of your government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license.
- Proof of your current address, such as a utility bill or bank statement, matching the address on your ID.
- A court order or similar documentation of guardianship if you are not named on the child’s birth certificate.6AnnualCreditReport.com. Requesting Reports in Special Situations
TransUnion and Experian both accept requests through online forms designed for this purpose.7TransUnion. Child Identity Theft Inquiry Form8Experian. Requesting a Minor’s Credit Report, Fraud Alert or Security Freeze Equifax currently requires the request by mail.9Equifax. How Do I Get a Copy of My Child’s Credit Reports? If a file exists, the bureau sends back a full report. If not, you receive a letter confirming no record is associated with the child’s Social Security number.
Freezing the File and Clearing Fraudulent Accounts
Federal law lets a parent or legal guardian place a free credit freeze for any child under 16, and it lets 16- and 17-year-olds place or lift one themselves. If the bureau has no file on the child, it must create one solely to freeze it; that record cannot be used to evaluate creditworthiness and exists only to block new accounts. The freeze stays until someone with authority asks to lift it.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S.C. 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts You have to request the freeze at each of the three bureaus separately.
If a report comes back with accounts the child never opened, the FTC recommends three steps:11Federal Trade Commission. How To Protect Your Child From Identity Theft
- Call the fraud department at each company where an account was opened, ask them to close it, and request written confirmation that the child is not responsible for the debt.
- Contact all three bureaus to dispute the fraudulent accounts, including a copy of the child’s birth certificate as proof of age.
- File a report at IdentityTheft.gov. The resulting Identity Theft Report helps when disputing accounts with creditors and bureaus.
Keep every letter, dispute form, and confirmation. Once the fraudulent accounts are cleared, place a freeze at each bureau and leave it in place until the child needs credit of their own.