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Your credit report is an important part of your financial life. It can determine whether you can get credit, how good or bad the terms for getting credit are, and how much it costs you to borrow money. Learn how to get your free credit reports — and why it’s a good idea.

About Credit Reports

What is a credit report?

A credit report is a summary of your personal credit history. Your credit report includes identifying information — like your address and date of birth — and information about your credit history — like how you pay your bills or if you filed for bankruptcy.

The three nationwide credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) collect and update this information. Not all creditors report information to credit bureaus, but most nationwide chain store and bank credit card accounts, along with loans, are included in credit reports.

The information in your credit report can have a big effect on your life. Credit bureaus sell the information in your report to businesses that use it to decide whether and on what terms to loan you money, give you credit, offer you insurance, or rent you a home. Some employers use credit reports in hiring decisions. Your credit history also determines your credit score, which some businesses use to estimate how likely you are to repay a loan or make payments on time.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a federal law, requires that the nationwide credit bureaus

  • make sure that the information they collect about you is accurate
  • give you a free copy of your report once every 12 months
  • allow you to dispute any mistakes

Why check my credit report?

Checking your credit report regularly can help protect your credit history from errors and help you spot signs of identity theft.

  • Check to be sure the information is accurate, complete, and up to date. It’s important to check at least once a year. Be sure to check before you apply for credit, a loan, insurance, housing, or a job. If you find mistakes on your credit report, contact the credit bureaus and the business that supplied the information to dispute the mistakes on your report.
  • Check to help spot identity theft. Mistakes on your credit report might be a sign of identity theft. Identity thieves steal your personal information like your name; date of birth; address; or credit card, bank account, Social Security, or medical insurance numbers. Once they have your information, they can do things like drain your bank account; run up charges on your credit cards; get new credit cards in your name; open a phone, cable, or other utility account in your name; steal your tax refund; use your health insurance to get medical care; or pretend to be you if they are arrested.

Identity theft can damage your credit with unpaid bills and past due accounts. If you think someone is misusing your personal information, go to IdentityTheft.gov to report it and get a personalized recovery plan.

How To Get Your Free Annual Credit Reports

How do I order my free annual credit reports?

The three nationwide credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — have a centralized website, toll-free telephone number, and mailing address so you can order your free annual reports in one place. Don’t contact the three credit bureaus individually. These are the only ways to order your free annual credit reports:

Annual Credit Report Request Service 
P.O. Box 105281 
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

Only one website — AnnualCreditReport.com — is authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit reports you are entitled to by law.

How often can I get a free report?

All three nationwide credit bureaus have permanently extended a program that lets you check your credit report from each once a week for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. In addition, federal law requires each nationwide credit bureau to give you a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months if you ask for it.

Are there other ways to get a free report?

Under federal law, you’re also able to get another free report if:

  • you get a notice saying that your application for credit, employment, insurance, or housing has been denied, or another unfavorable action has been taken against you based on information in your credit report. That’s known as an adverse action notice. You must ask for your report within 60 days of getting the notice. The notice will give you the name, address, and phone number of the credit bureau, and you can request your free report from them.
  • you’re unemployed and plan to apply for a job within 60 days.
  • you’re on public assistance (like welfare).
  • your report is inaccurate because of fraud, including identity theft.
  • you have a fraud alert on your credit file.

If you fall into one of these categories, contact a credit bureau. Use the contact information below or at IdentityTheft.gov/CreditBureauContacts. But you can always get your free, weekly report from AnnualCreditReport.com.

What To Expect When You Order Your Credit Reports

What information do I have to give?

To keep your account and information secure, the credit bureaus have a process to verify your identity. Be prepared to give your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. If you’ve moved in the last two years, you may have to give your previous address. They’ll ask you some questions that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment. You must answer these questions for each credit bureau, even if you’re asking for your credit reports from each credit bureau at the same time, because each credit bureau may get its information from different sources.

When will my report arrive?

Depending on how you ordered it, you can get it right away or within 15 days

It may take longer to get your report if the credit bureau needs more information to verify your identity.

Can I get my reports in Braille, large print, or audio formats?

Yes, your free annual credit reports are available in Braille, large print, or audio formats. It takes about three weeks to get your credit reports in these formats.

If you are blind or print disabled, call 877-322-8228, give personal information to verify your identity, certify that you’re visually impaired according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, then pick the format you want.

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call 7-1-1 to access your local TDD service, then refer the Relay Operator to AnnualCreditReport.com’s TDD service at 1-800-821-7232.

How To Monitor Your Credit Reports

Do I need to review my credit report from all three credit bureaus?

Yes. Because each credit bureau may get its information from different sources, the information in one credit bureau’s report might not be completely the same as information in the other two credit bureaus’ reports. Reviewing each credit report is a good way to keep an eye on the accuracy and completeness of the information in each of your reports.

Is it possible to buy a copy of my report?

Always check to see if you can get a copy for free from AnnualCreditReport.com first. If you don’t qualify for a free report, a credit bureau may charge you a reasonable amount established by law for a copy of your report.

To buy a copy of your report, contact the nationwide credit bureaus:

Avoid Other Sites Offering Free Credit Reports

You might see companies and sites offering free credit reports, but there’s only one authorized place to get the free annual credit reports you’re entitled to by law: AnnualCreditReport.com. Other sites pretend to be associated with AnnualCreditReport.com or claim to offer free credit reports, free credit scores, or free credit monitoring. They also use terms like “free report” in their names. They might even have URLs that purposely misspell AnnualCreditReport.com in the hope that you’ll mistype the name of the official site.

If you visit one of these imposter sites, you might wind up on other sites that want to sell you services or collect — and then sell or misuse — your personal information. AnnualCreditReport.com and the credit bureaus will not email you asking for your Social Security number or account information. If you get an email, see a pop-up ad, or get a phone call from someone claiming to be from AnnualCreditReport.com or any of the credit bureaus, don’t reply or click on any link in the message. It’s probably a scam.

Report Scams

If you see a scam, fraud, or bad business practice, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. We can’t resolve your individual report, but we use reports to investigate and bring cases to stop wrongdoing. Your report can help protect others from fraud.

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