Free Credit Reports

As an American you have a right to access the information on your credit report, which is why in 2003 the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act was put in place - it states that every person can access a free copy of their credit report. Your free credit report is a consumer document that is accessible from one of these three sources - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Free credit score reports aren’t sent out automatically to every person in the country - you have to take the initiative to have your free credit score sent to your home address. There are three ways to ask for your free credit report - the first one involves going online and finding information from the government about the websites that are authorized to show you your free credit score through the Internet. This is the easiest way to access your free credit score because you don’t have to mail anything out or wait for the results. The three companies that keep your free credit report - TransUnion, Equifax, and Experion - should offer some type of online access.

Otherwise, there is a phone number you can call if you’re not Internet savvy and would rather speak to someone directly about your credit report - you should be able to find a number for each reporting agency. TransUnion is easy to find information on, as is Equifax and Experion.

Another way to request your credit report is to complete a form that you can find on the back of the “Annual Credit Report Request” brochure that you get mailed from the FTC each year. Once you’ve filled out the form simply mail it back to the FTC, to the service they have for requesting your annual credit report from all three credit reporting agencies - TransUnion, Equifax, and Experion.

You also have the choice to either order all three credit reports at one time, or select the times of year you want information from each credit bureau. Ordering from the FTC centralizes the process, so you don’t have to pay a fee to receive your credit report from each credit bureau. When you contact the agencies directly, you will be charged a fee to receive the report, even though you are entitled to receiving your information free of cost. Sometimes the agencies have criteria to receive a free report, but it’s just easier and more straightforward to go through the FTC.

Also, watch out for fraudulent websites that offer to send you your credit report for a fee. You shouldn’t have to pay anything to get something that is offered to you for free, and which you have a right to access - after all, your credit report does contain your personal information.

There are other ways to get a free credit report as well - you are allowed a free report if you have been denied a loan, insurance policy, or job because of your credit - this allows you to see why you may have been denied. You can also get a report for free if you’re applying for unemployment or receive public assistance, or you live in a state that offers free credit reports as a matter of course.