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GETTING STARTED
Requesting your free credit reports
Make a plan for requesting your free credit reports once
every 12 months.
Your credit report can be used for more than just a loan approval. That’s why it’s
important to look at your reports each year to make sure your information is correct.
You should request your credit report from all three nationwide credit reporting
companies—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—since each report can have
different information in it. Learn more about requesting credit reports for minors
at consumernance.gov/askcfpb/1271. If you work with youth in foster care, visit
consumernance.gov/ask-cfpb/search-by-tag/foster_youth.
What to do
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Pick a method to order your credit reports. You can get them online, by phone, or
by mail. If you get your reports online, be sure you’re accessing them from a safe and
secure device and location. Be very cautious doing this on public computers, since
you’re accessing sensitive personal information and you want to keep it safe.
•
Be ready to answer some security questions if you request your report online or
by phone. You’ll be asked questions that are meant to be hard for anyone but you. If
you can’t answer, you’ll have to request the report by mail. Questions might be:
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How much is your monthly mortgage or car payment?
•
Which bank is your auto loan from?
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Decide when you’ll order each report. Consider getting a report from a different
credit reporting company every four months, as a way to monitor your credit for free.
A step further
Review your credit reports carefully. They’ll probably be similar, but there may be
differences between them, and that’s okay. The most important thing is to make sure that
the information listed about you is accurate. Use the “Reviewing your credit reports” tool
to check your credit reports for any mistakes.
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Pick a strategy for Requesting your
free credit reports ..
1. Pick when you'll request your credit reports using the strategy that works best for you.
2. Write down when you'll request them from each company, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
You can get a free report from each company once every 12 months.
3. Create a reminder on your calendar or phone to help you follow through.
Strategies for requesting your credit reports
REQUEST ON THREE SEPARATE DATES REQUEST ON A SINGLE DATE
Check your reports on three different
dates throughout the year. Staggering
them can help you see if anything is
changing throughout the year or if any
fraud has occurred.
Choose a single date that's easy to remember,
like a birthday or holiday, to request all three
of your reports at once. This is good if you're
buying something big soon, that requires new
credit, so you can correct errors right away.
I will request my reports on these three
separate dates:
I will request a report from all three
companies on this day:
DATE COMPANY DATE COMPANY
Equifax Equifax, Experian, TransUnion
Experian
TransUnion
How to request your free reports
The federal government authorizes only one
source for your free credit reports. You can make
a request online, by phone, or by mail.
Visit AnnualCreditReport.com
Call (877) 322-8228
Request by mail. Download and complete
the form at annualcreditreport.com/
manualRequestForm.action.
Mail the completed form to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
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This tool is included in the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection’s Your Money, Your Goals: A
nancial empowerment toolkit. The Bureau has prepared this material as a resource for the public.
This material is provided for educational and information purposes only. It is not a replacement
for the guidance or advice of an accountant, certied nancial advisor, or otherwise qualied
professional. The Bureau is not responsible for the advice or actions of the individuals or entities
from which you received the Bureau educational materials. The Bureau’s educational efforts are
limited to the materials that the Bureau has prepared.
This tool may ask you to provide sensitive information. The Bureau does not collect this information
and is not responsible for how your information may be used if you provide it to others. The Bureau
recommends that you do not include names, account numbers, or other sensitive information and
that users follow their organization’s policies regarding personal information.
This tool includes links or references to third-party resources or content that consumers may
nd helpful. The Bureau does not control or guarantee the accuracy of this outside information.
The inclusion of links or references to third-party sites does not necessarily reect the Bureau’s
endorsement of the third-party, the views expressed on the outside site, or products or services
offered on the outside site. The Bureau has not vetted these third-parties, their content, or any
products or services they may offer. There may be other possible entities or resources that are not
listed that may also serve your needs.
