Even with what I consider diligent money practices, my credit score has gone down 38 points since March.

Although still considered in the good range, its now at 694.

Ive been using my main credit card each month.

A woman checks her computer while standing in her kitchen with French press coffee to the side of her.

What is causing this decline and when might my score start improving again?

Its like weighing yourself.

No one sees the exact same number every time they step on the scale.

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But a 38-point drop is significant.

The lower score is a symptom of a larger problem.

Usually, you might only get each official report for free once a year.

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But due to the pandemic, you might getfree weekly credit reportsfrom all three bureaus by going toAnnualCreditReport.com.

Probably not as good as youd like.

It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.

But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?

Same goes for if you were one of the 9 million people whose federal student loan payments wereautomatically paused.

Under theCARES Act, all those payments should be listed as current unless the account was already delinquent.

But mistakes will happen.

Expanded access to credit reports helps peoplemonitor for those errors.

But this obviously doesnt apply in your case.

So the first thing Id look for on your report is the status of thatstore credit card.

Specifically, is it still open?

But they dont have to give you any notice whatsoever before closing the account due to inactivity.

(Your utilization may not be zero even though you pay off your main card each month.

Second, if its one of your older accounts, it reduces yourcredit age.

Fortunately, your credit score typically bounces back within a few months when anaccount closesthat was in good standing.

But my theory about your store card is just guesswork.

Only your credit reports can reveal whats actually going on.

Sometimes credit errors really are just errors, but they can also be a warning sign ofidentity theft.

If you do find incorrect information, dispute it right away with both the credit bureauandthe creditor.

The FTC website hassample dispute template lettersyou can use.

It doesnt grade your overall finances.

As long as your credit reports are accurate, dont worry too much about your score for now.

Youre paying off your credit card every month.

Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior editor at The Penny Hoarder.

Send your tricky money questions to[email protected].

(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)

You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…