AnnualCreditReport.com step by step: your free reports

Your credit reports are free, and there is only one site authorized by the federal government to request them. This guide is for anyone doing it for the first time, for anyone who prefers the phone or the mail, and for anyone who wants to protect their credit (or their children’s) with a freeze or a fraud alert. We walk you through it step by step, with what the CFPB (the federal consumer financial protection agency), federal law and the official form say.

You can view your reports from all three agencies online for free

Every week²

To process your mail request, from the day it arrives

15 days⁶

To place your freeze if you ask online or by phone

1 business day¹²

To lift it if you ask online or by toll-free phone

1 hour¹²

What AnnualCreditReport.com is

AnnualCreditReport.com is the only website authorized by the federal government to give you the free annual reports from the three credit reporting agencies.¹ It is the “centralized source” the law calls for, so that a single request gets you the reports from all the nationwide credit reporting agenciescredit reporting agencyA credit reporting agency, also called a credit bureau or credit reporting company, is a company that gathers information about people and sells credit reports to other businesses. The three nationwide ones are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The businesses that buy those reports use them to decide whether to give you credit, a job, a rental home or insurance. There are also specialty agencies, for example for rental history or check writing. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives you the right to request a copy of your report and to dispute information that is wrong.See the full definitionClose, and those agencies run it together. By regulation, it offers three routes: one website, one toll-free number and one mailing address.⁵

The law gives you the right to a free credit reportcredit reportA credit report is a statement that has information about your credit activity and current credit situation: your loans and cards, the balances, whether you have paid on time, accounts in collection and who has checked your credit. Credit reporting companies, also called credit bureaus, compile it from what banks and creditors report; your credit score is computed from it. When you apply for a mortgage, the lender pulls your report from the three bureaus. You have the right to see it for free and to dispute anything that is wrong.See the full definitionClose from each agency once in any 12-month period when you request it through that source.³ On top of that, according to the CFPB, you can view them online for free once a week.² Requesting your own report is a soft inquirysoft inquiryA soft inquiry is a review of your credit file that does not affect your score. It includes reviews of your existing accounts by your lenders or insurers, prescreened offers from prospective lenders, employment screening and your own requests for your credit report. Only you see it when you review your report; businesses that buy your report do not. That is why checking your own credit report, even often, does not lower your score.See the full definitionClose: it does not affect your scores and only you can see it.⁷

The official site has to tell you that you have reached the place to request the free reports required by federal law.⁵ And it cannot sell you anything first: advertising and product offers have to wait until you have received your report. After that it may show ads along with it.⁵ If you see an offer for a score or monitoring at the end, it is optional.

Before you start: what you will need

To give you your report, the agency must require proper identification: that is how it makes sure it does not hand your data to someone else.⁴ The official source may only ask for the personal information reasonably necessary to identify you.⁵

The official mail request form shows which information is used. It asks for your Social Security number, your date of birth, your name and your current address. If you have lived at that address for less than two years, it also asks for the previous one. It has a box for the urbanization name, for Puerto Rico only, and another to ask that the report show only the last four digits of your Social Security numberSocial Security number (SSN)A Social Security number (SSN) is the nine-digit number on a Social Security card. It is issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA), a federal agency, and you need it to work and to collect government benefits. The IRS also uses it as your taxpayer identification number on tax returns. You apply with Form SS-5 and proof of identity, age and U.S. citizenship or lawful immigration status, and the service is free. People who must file taxes but cannot get an SSN use an ITIN. Identity thieves look for this number; the government advises keeping the card in a safe place and not carrying it in your wallet.See the full definitionClose. The form says this information is required to process your request and that leaving anything out may delay it.⁶

Also have your own computer or phone and a private connection at hand. You will be typing very personal information: better not to do it on public Wi-Fi or someone else’s device.

You can ask whether your report is available in your preferred language.² It is worth asking if reading it in Spanish is easier for you or your family.

Step by step online

Your three reports, online

1. 1. Type the address yourself

   Step 1

   AnnualCreditReport.com is the only site authorized by the federal government for the free annual reports.¹

2. 2. Fill in your information

   Step 2

   They ask only for what is needed to identify you, and the site must show you how your request is progressing.⁵

3. 3. Choose the agencies

   Step 3

   You can view one, two or all three. The CFPB suggests checking your reports at least once a year.⁹²

4. 4. Confirm your identity

   Step 4

   Each agency has to identify you before giving you your report. If it cannot, it must tell you what is missing and how to send it.⁵⁴

5. 5. Read and save each report

   Step 5

   Check that it contains only items about you. Your report includes directions for disputing anything wrong.¹⁰

6. 6. Come back whenever you want

   Every week, if you need to

   You can view your reports free every week. Checking them does not lower your score.⁷²

The regulation also requires the site to have a help or FAQ screen, with instructions for filing a complaint with the official source and with the CFPB.⁵ If something does not work, look for it before giving up; you can also switch to the phone or the mail.

By phone or by mail

You do not need the internet. You can call 1-877-322-8228 (TTY: 1-800-821-7232) or fill out the request form and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, PO Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.¹ The CFPB links to the form from its page and tells you to download and complete it.²

The form has its own rules:⁶

1. Use a black or blue pen and write in printed capital letters, inside the boxes.
2. Fill in everything it asks for: if information is missing, your request may be delayed.
3. Mark the agencies you want: Equifax, Experian, TransUnion or all three.
4. If you like, shade the box so your report shows only the last four digits of your Social Security number.
5. Fold it without staples or tape, put it in a #10 envelope with a stamp and mail it.

Your request is processed within 15 days of receipt, and the report is then mailed to you. If more information is needed, the agency contacts you by mail.⁶

Three ways to request your reports

Fastest

Online

• You can view them free every week and choose one, two or all three agencies.²
• The site must show your request's progress and have a help screen.⁵

No computer needed

By phone

• Call 1-877-322-8228; TTY: 1-800-821-7232.¹
• If they cannot identify you, they must tell you what is missing and how to send it.⁵

On paper

By mail

• The official form, in pen and capital letters, in a #10 envelope.⁶
• Processed within 15 days of receipt and mailed to you.⁶

All three are free and reach the same three agencies.⁵

What to check once you have it

The CFPB suggests checking that your report contains only items about you and looking for wrong or incomplete information.¹⁰ Check these first:

• Your personal information. Name, phone and address. A misspelled name counts too.⁹
• Accounts that are not yours. They may belong to someone with the same or a similar name (a mixed file) or come from identity theft.¹⁰
• The status of each account. Closed accounts shown as open, late payments you did not make, the same debt twice, wrong balances or limits, or an account where you are only an authorized user but appear as the owner.¹⁰
• Collections. A collection you settled and paid that was not updated.⁹
• Who requested your report. You will see a list of anyone who requested it within the past year, such as lenders, card companies or landlords, and of employers who requested it within the past two years.¹¹

It is a good idea to check them at least once a year, and also before a major purchase with a loan (a house or a car), before applying for a new job and whenever you suspect identity theft.⁹ The free report does not include your credit scorecredit scoreA credit score is a number that predicts how likely you are to pay back a loan on time. It is computed from the information in your credit report: whether you pay on time, how much you owe relative to your limits, how long you have used credit and how many new accounts you opened. FICO is one brand of score; VantageScore is another, and each lender decides which one it uses. A higher score usually brings a lower interest rate and more loan options; each program publishes the minimum it accepts. You can check your report for free and dispute errors.See the full definitionClose.⁸ The guide What moves your credit score tells you where to see one without paying.

To read each part, line by line, follow How to read your credit report. If you find an error, a disputecredit report disputeA credit report dispute is the complaint you make when your credit report has wrong or incomplete information. You have the right to dispute it, and the investigation is free. It is usually done in two places: with the credit reporting company and with the company that supplied the information, called a furnisher, such as your bank, your landlord or your credit card company. You explain in writing what is wrong and why, with copies of your documents. The credit reporting company must investigate, generally within thirty days, and delete or correct anything found to be inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable.See the full definitionClose is free: How to dispute credit report errors tells you what to send.

Freezing your credit or placing a fraud alert

Protection starts from those same reports. There are two free tools, and they are not the same thing.

A credit freezesecurity freezeA security freeze, also called a credit freeze, keeps new creditors from seeing your credit file, which helps stop an identity thief from opening new accounts in your name. By law it is free to place and to lift, and you must ask each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies separately. While it is on, only a few can see your file, such as creditors on accounts you already have, and you can still review your reports. It does not affect your score. Because creditors rarely lend without checking your file, it stops you too; you can lift it for free for a period of time when you need to.See the full definitionClose (security freeze) keeps prospective creditors from seeing your file. It is free at all three agencies, but you have to request it at each one separately, on their websites. If you ask online or by phone, the agency must place it within one business day; by mail, no later than three business days after receiving your request. It must send you written confirmation no later than five business days later and tell you how to remove it.¹² The freeze stays in place until you ask for it to be removed.¹³

To lift it, the agency has one hour if you ask online or by toll-free phone, and three business days if you ask by mail. You can also lift it just for a period you choose, at no charge. While it is in place you can still request and review your reports, and it does not affect your scores.¹² But if you apply for credit with the freeze in place and do not allow access, the lender may treat your application as incomplete.¹³

A fraud alertfraud alertA fraud alert is a note in your credit file that requires creditors who check your report to verify your identity before opening a new account, issuing an additional card or raising your credit limit. You only need to ask one of the nationwide credit reporting companies, which must notify the others. An initial alert is for anyone who suspects they are, or are about to become, a victim of fraud or identity theft, and it lasts one year unless you ask to remove it sooner. An extended alert requires an identity theft report and lasts seven years. When you place one, you are entitled to free copies of your report.See the full definitionClose does not close your file: it requires creditors to make sure it is you before they open a new account, issue an additional card or raise your limit. You place it with one agency and that one must notify the other two.¹⁴

Freeze or fraud alert

Closes the door

Freeze

• Keeps prospective creditors from seeing your file.¹²
• Requested at each agency: one does not notify the others.¹⁴
• Free to place and lift; it lasts until you ask to remove it.¹³

Asks for confirmation

Initial fraud alert

• Creditors must confirm it is you before opening accounts.¹⁴
• Requested at one agency, which notifies the others.¹⁴
• Lasts one year and gives you a free copy of each report, apart from the annual one.¹⁴

If your identity was stolen

Extended alert

• Requires an identity theft report from IdentityTheft.gov.¹⁴
• Lasts seven years and gives you two free copies of each report over 12 months.¹⁴
• Takes you off prescreened offer lists for five years.¹⁴

A freeze does not stop someone from using an account you already have: keep watching your statements too.¹⁴

Servicemembers on active duty also have a special alert that lasts 12 months.¹⁴ And the free-freeze law does not apply to someone requesting your report for a job, tenant screening or insurance.¹²

Your children may need it too

Children under 18 generally do not have a credit report. One can exist because of an error with a similar name, identity theft, or because the child is an authorized user or joint holder on an adult’s account. If you are a parent or guardian, you can ask the three agencies to search for a report in the child’s name. Warning signs include bills, card offers or collection calls in the child’s name.¹⁶

The law also protects children under 16: someone with authority to act for them can request a freeze, and if the agency has no file on the child, it creates one just to freeze it.¹²

If something goes wrong

• The site cannot verify your identity. They must tell you they could not verify you and explain what information or documents are missing and how to send them.⁵ Meanwhile, you can try by phone or by mail.¹
• An agency denies your request. Contact it first to resolve it; if that does not work, go to the CFPB.¹
• You find accounts you did not open. The CFPB says to close the affected accounts, contact your bank’s fraud department and report it to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov, where you get an identity theftidentity theftIdentity theft happens when someone uses your personal information without your permission to commit fraud: for example, your name, your Social Security or Medicare number, or your credit card or bank account number. With that information, a thief can rent a home, get credit cards, receive government benefits or tax refunds, or open other accounts in your name. You often find out when your credit report or a statement shows accounts or charges you do not recognize, or when a debt collector calls. The federal site IdentityTheft.gov takes reports and gives you a recovery plan.See the full definitionClose report and a recovery plan. With that report, the agencies must block fraudulent information within four business days after receiving your request.¹⁴
• You already used your free report and need another one. There are additional free reports, for example if you were denied credit because of your report (ask within 60 days), if you place an initial fraud alert or if you receive public assistance. If none applies, the agency may charge you, and the law sets a limit: currently no more than $16 per report, an amount that may change.²

A HUD-approved housing counselorHUD-approved housing counselorA HUD-approved housing counselor works at an agency HUD has approved to provide housing counseling: independent, expert advice customized to your situation about buying a home, renting, a missed mortgage payment, a foreclosure or credit problems. The agencies usually charge little or nothing; many serve in Spanish and offer the homebuyer education course several assistance programs require. They are not lenders or real estate agents and sell you nothing. Your county page lists the official agencies with phone numbers.See the full definitionClose can go over your reports with you; they give independent advice on credit, often at little or no cost.¹⁷

HUD-approved housing counselors by state

State	HUD-approved counselors
Alabama	25
Alaska	1
Arizona	21
Arkansas	14
California	81
Colorado	26
Connecticut	13
Delaware	12
District of Columbia	17
Florida	98
Georgia	42
Hawaii	17
Idaho	10
Illinois	81
Indiana	21
Iowa	11
Kansas	3
Kentucky	19
Louisiana	26
Maine	7
Maryland	41
Massachusetts	37
Michigan	59
Minnesota	33
Mississippi	16
Missouri	18
Montana	11
Nebraska	8
Nevada	8
New Hampshire	5
New Jersey	34
New Mexico	7
New York	93
North Carolina	52
North Dakota	3
Ohio	54
Oklahoma	6
Oregon	25
Pennsylvania	75
Puerto Rico	9
Rhode Island	5
South Carolina	13
South Dakota	13
Tennessee	32
Texas	51
Utah	7
Vermont	7
Virginia	49
Washington	15
West Virginia	8
Wisconsin	26
Wyoming	1

They give advice on credit, among other topics, often at little or no cost.¹⁷ Source: HUD

If this is you

You have an ITIN and no SSN

Before you mail the form, call the official line and ask how to make your request.¹ If they cannot verify you, they must tell you what is missing.⁵

You live in Puerto Rico

The mail form has a box for your urbanization name.⁶

You want to protect your children

You can ask the three agencies to search for a report in your child's name,¹⁶ and freeze the credit of a child under 16.¹²

You would rather read it in Spanish

You can ask whether your report is available in your preferred language.²

Costly mistakes

• Mistake: Searching for 'free credit report' and clicking the first ad.

  Instead: Type AnnualCreditReport.com yourself: it is the only authorized site.¹ Others charge you or sign you up for services.²

• Mistake: Paying for monitoring because you think it prevents identity theft.

  Instead: Most only alert you afterward; a freeze and your weekly reports are free.¹⁵

• Mistake: Freezing your credit at only one agency.

  Instead: Request it at all three: one does not notify the others.¹⁴

• Mistake: Applying for a loan while your credit is frozen.

  Instead: Lift it first, even for a few days: otherwise your application may be treated as incomplete.¹³

• Mistake: Stapling the mail form or leaving boxes blank.

  Instead: Fold it without staples or tape and fill in everything: missing information delays your request.⁶

• Mistake: Giving your information to someone who calls 'from the FTC'.

  Instead: The FTC never threatens you; contact each organization yourself through its official numbers.¹⁴

What to do this week

1. Type AnnualCreditReport.com into your browser yourself and request your three reports.¹
2. If you cannot do it online, call 1-877-322-8228 or mail the form.¹
3. Check your personal information, your accounts and the list of who requested your report.¹¹
4. If you see something you do not recognize, follow the steps at IdentityTheft.gov and consider freezing your credit at all three agencies.¹⁴
5. If you are not applying for credit soon, consider a freeze; remember it can be lifted for free when you need it.¹²
6. Put the next check on your calendar: you can view your reports free every week. To plan your next steps, use the credit plan.²