Federal Trade Commission | ftc.gov

Free Credit 

Reports

CREDIT

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The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide credit reporting companies — Equifax, 

Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free 

copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 

months. The FCRA promotes the accuracy and privacy 

of information in the files of the nation’s credit reporting 

companies. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the 

nation’s consumer protection agency, enforces the FCRA 

with respect to credit reporting companies. 

A credit report includes information on where you 

live, how you pay your bills, and whether you’ve been 

sued or have filed for bankruptcy. Nationwide credit 

reporting companies sell the information in your report to 

creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that 

use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, 

employment, or renting a home. 

Here are the details about your rights under the FCRA, 

which established the free annual credit report program.

Q: How do I order my free report?

A: The three nationwide credit reporting companies have 

set up a central website, a toll-free telephone number, and 

a mailing address through which you can order your free 

annual report.

To order, visit annualcreditreport.com, call 

1 -877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report 

Request Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report 

Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-

5281. The form is at the center of this booklet; or you 

can print it from consumer.ftc.gov. Do not contact the 

three nationwide credit reporting companies individually. 
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A Warning About “Imposter” Websites 

Only one website is authorized to fill orders for the free 

annual credit report you are entitled to under law — 

annualcreditreport.com. Other websites that claim 

to offer “free credit reports,” “free credit scores,” or “free 

credit monitoring” are not part of the legally mandated 

free annual credit report program. In some cases, the 

“free” product comes with strings attached. For example, 

some sites sign you up for a supposedly “free” service that 

converts to one you have to pay for after a trial period. 

If you don’t cancel during the trial period, you may be 

unwittingly agreeing to let the company start charging 

fees to your credit card.

Some “imposter” sites use terms like “free report” in 

their names; others have URLs that purposely misspell 

annualcreditreport.com in the hope that you will 

mistype the name of the official site. Some of these 

“imposter” sites direct you to other sites that try to sell 

you something or collect your personal information.

Annualcreditreport.com and the nationwide credit 

reporting companies will not send you an email asking 

for your personal 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 three 

nationwide credit reporting companies, do not reply or 

click on any link in the message. It’s probably a scam. 

Forward any such email to the FTC at spam@uce.gov. 
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They are providing free annual credit reports only 

through annualcreditreport.com, 1-877-322-8228, and 

Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, 

Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

You may order your reports from each of the three 

nationwide credit reporting companies at the same time, or 

you can order your report from each of the companies one 

at a time. The law allows you to order one free copy of 

your report from each of the nationwide credit reporting 

companies every 12 months.

Q: What information do I need to provide to get 

my free report?

A: You need to provide your name, address, Social 

Security number, and date of birth. If you have moved 

in the last two years, you may have to provide your 

previous address. To maintain the security of your file, 

each nationwide credit reporting company may ask you 

for some information that only you would know, like 

the amount of your monthly mortgage payment. Each 

company may ask you for different information because 

the information each has in your file may come from 

different sources.

Q: Why do I want a copy of my credit report?

A: Your credit report has information that affects whether 

you can get a loan — and how much you will have to pay 

to borrow money. You want a copy of your credit report 

to:

● make sure the information is accurate, complete, 

and up-to-date before you apply for a loan for a 

major purchase like a house or car, buy insurance, 

or apply for a job.
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● help guard against identity theft. That’s when 

someone uses your personal information — like your 

name, your Social Security number, or your credit 

card number — to commit fraud. Identity thieves 

may use your information to open a new credit card 

account in your name. Then, when they don’t pay 

the bills, the delinquent account is reported on your 

credit report. Inaccurate information like that could 

affect your ability to get credit, insurance, or even a 

job. 

Q: How long does it take to get my report after I 

order it? 

A: If you request your report online at 

annualcreditreport.com, you should be able to access 

it immediately. If you order your report by calling tollfree 1-877-322-8228, your report will be processed and 

mailed to you within 15 days. If you order your report by 

mail using the Annual Credit Report Request Form, your 

request will be processed and mailed to you within 15 

days of receipt.

Whether you order your report online, by phone, or 

by mail, it may take longer to receive your report if 

the nationwide credit reporting company needs more 

information to verify your identity. 

Q: Are there any other situations where I might 

be eligible for a free report?

A: Under federal law, you’re entitled to a free report 

if a company takes adverse action against you, such 

as denying your application for credit, insurance, or 

employment, and you ask for your report within 60 days 

of receiving notice of the action. The notice will give 

you the name, address, and phone number of the credit 
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reporting company. You’re also entitled to one free report 

a year if you’re unemployed and plan to look for a job 

within 60 days; if you’re on welfare; or if your report 

is inaccurate because of fraud, including identity theft. 

Otherwise, a credit reporting company may charge you a 

reasonable amount for another copy of your report within 

a 12-month period.

To buy a copy of your report, contact:

● Equifax:1-800-685-1111; equifax.com

● Experian: 1-888-397-3742; experian.com

● TransUnion: 1-800-916-8800; transunion.com

Q: Should I order a report from each of the three 

nationwide credit reporting companies? 

A: It’s up to you. Because nationwide credit reporting 

companies get their information from different sources, 

the information in your report from one company may 

not reflect all, or the same, information in your reports 

from the other two companies. That’s not to say that 

the information in any of your reports is necessarily 

inaccurate; it just may be different.

Q: Should I order my reports from all three of 

the nationwide credit reporting companies at 

the same time?

A: You may order one, two, or all three reports at the 

same time, or you may stagger your requests. It’s your 

choice. Some financial advisors say staggering your 

requests during a 12-month period may be a good way 

to keep an eye on the accuracy and completeness of the 

information in your reports.
You have the right to get a free copy of your credit file disclosure, commonly called a credit report, once every 12 months, from each of

the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

For instant access to your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com.

For more information on obtaining your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 877-322-8228.

Use this form if you prefer to write to request your credit report from any, or all, of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies. The

following information is required to process your request. Omission of any information may delay your request.

Annual Credit Report Request Form

Once complete, fold (do not staple or tape), place into a #10 envelope, affix required postage and mail to:

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

Social Security Number:

- -

Date of Birth:

/ /

Month Day Year

First Name M.I.Last Name JR, SR, III, etc.Current Mailing Address:

Fold Here Fold Here

Please use a Black or Blue Pen and write your responses in PRINTED CAPITAL LETTERS without touching the sides of the boxes like the examples listed below:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
If additional information is needed to process your request, the consumer credit

reporting company will contact you by mail.

Your request will be processed within 15 days of receipt and then mailed to you.

Copyright 2004, Central Source LLC

EquifaxExperianTransUnion

I want a credit report from (shadeeach that you would like to

receive):

Shade here if, for securityreasons, you want your creditreport to include no more than

the last four digits of your

Social Security Number.

Shade Circle Like This >

Not Like This >

House Number Street NameCity State ZipCode

ZipCode State City

Apartment Number / Private Mailbox For Puerto Rico Only: Print Urbanization Name

Street Name House Number

Previous Mailing Address (complete only if at current mailing address for less than two years):

Fold Here Fold Here

For Puerto Rico Only: Print Urbanization Name Apartment Number / Private Mailbox

31238
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Q: What if I find errors — either inaccuracies 

or incomplete information — in my credit 

report?

A: Under the FCRA, both the credit reporting company 

and the information provider (that is, the person, 

company, or organization that provides information 

about you to a credit reporting company) are responsible 

for correcting inaccurate or incomplete information in 

your report. To take full advantage of your rights under 

this law, contact the credit reporting company and the 

information provider.

1. Tell the credit reporting company, in writing, what 

information you think is inaccurate.

Credit reporting companies must investigate the items 

in question — usually within 30 days — unless they 

consider your dispute frivolous. They also must forward 

all the relevant data you provide about the inaccuracy to 

the organization that provided the information. After the 

information provider receives notice of a dispute from 

the credit reporting company, it must investigate, review 

the relevant information, and report the results back to 

the credit reporting company. If the information provider 

finds the disputed information is inaccurate, it must notify 

all three nationwide credit reporting companies so they 

can correct the information in your file.

When the investigation is complete, the credit reporting 

company must give you the written results and a free copy 

of your report if the dispute results in a change. (This free 

report does not count as your annual free report.) If an 

item is changed or deleted, the credit reporting company 

cannot put the disputed information back in your file 

unless the information provider verifies that it is accurate 
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and complete. The credit reporting company also must 

send you written notice that includes the name, address, 

and phone number of the information provider.

2. Tell the creditor or other information provider in 

writing that you dispute an item. Many providers 

specify an address for disputes. If the provider 

reports the item to a credit reporting company, it 

must include a notice of your dispute. And if you 

are correct — that is, if the information is found to 

be inaccurate — the information provider may not 

report it again. 

Q: What can I do if the credit reporting company 

or information provider won’t correct the 

information I dispute?

A: If an investigation doesn’t resolve your dispute with 

the credit reporting company, you can ask that a statement 

of the dispute be included in your file and in future 

reports. You also can ask the credit reporting company to 

provide your statement to anyone who received a copy of 

your report in the recent past. You can expect to pay a fee 

for this service.

If you tell the information provider that you dispute an 

item, a notice of your dispute must be included any time 

the information provider reports the item to a credit 

reporting company. 

Q: How long can a credit reporting company 

report negative information?

A: A credit reporting company can report most accurate 

negative information for seven years and bankruptcy 

information for 10 years. There is no time limit on 

reporting information about criminal convictions; 
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information reported in response to your application for a 

job that pays more than $75,000 a year; and information 

reported because you’ve applied for more than $150,000 

worth of credit or life insurance. Information about a 

lawsuit or an unpaid judgment against you can be reported 

for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, 

whichever is longer.

Q: Can anyone else get a copy of my credit 

report?

A: The FCRA specifies who can access your credit 

report. Creditors, insurers, employers, and other 

businesses that use the information in your report 

to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, 

employment, or renting a home are among those that have 

a legal right to access your report. 

Q: Can my employer get my credit report?

A: Your employer can get a copy of your credit report 

only if you agree. A credit reporting company may not 

provide information about you to your employer, or to a 

prospective employer, without your written consent. 
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For More Information

The FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and 

unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide 

information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. 

To learn more about credit issues and protecting your 

personal information, visit consumer.ftc.gov.

To file a complaint or get free information on consumer 

issues, visit consumer.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 

1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-

653-4261. Watch a video, How to File a Complaint, 

at consumer.ftc.gov/media to learn more. The FTC 

enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel 

Network, a secure online database and investigative tool 

used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement 

agencies in the U.S. and abroad. 
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Federal Trade Commission

ftc.gov

March 2013