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Annual Free Credit Reports | FAQ
We've been waiting for what seems
like 5 lifetimes to be able and get our credit reports for free.
Truly free. Before this change, you either had to be denied credit,
be disabled or ask for one per year per bureau. Now consumers
in every state can go to one source and order all three credit
reports for free! That's no charge!
AnnualCreditReport.com
is the official site to help consumers to obtain their free
credit report. Fight identity
theft by monitoring and reviewing your credit report. You may
request your free credit report online, request your report by phone
or request your report through the mail. Free credit reports
requested online are viewable immediately upon authentication
of identity. Free credit reports requested by phone or mail will
be processed within 15 days of receiving your request.
Consumers in 14 East Coast states join the rest of the country
in qualifying for a free annual credit report from each of the three
nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian,
and TransUnion. The free reports were mandated by Congress in The
Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA), which
requires the nationwide credit bureaus to provide consumers with
a free copy of their credit report, at their request, once every
12 months. Consumers who want to access their credit report online
can go to annualcreditreport.com.
“The right to receive a free credit report
is an important new tool for consumers,” said Deborah Platt
Majoras, Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. “Not only
does checking the credit report give consumers a valuable snapshot
of their credit histories, it permits them to detect and correct
errors, and spot and stop identity
theft.”
Credit
reports contain consumers’ identification and financial
information, including payment history with different creditors,
inquiries made by various financial institutions,
and information on the public record, such as foreclosures or bankruptcies.
Consumer reporting companies collect and sell this information to
lenders and other businesses that have a permissible purpose to
obtain it.
Access to the free credit reports was phased in
across the country in four installments from west to east starting
last December. September 1 marks the final phase of the roll-out.
Consumers in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, and all U.S. territories are now eligible
to receive their reports.
Consumers who visit annualcreditreport.com to
get their free report online should close their Internet browser
after obtaining their report to be sure their transaction is secure
and their personal information is not at risk. Consumers also may
order their free annual credit report by calling toll-free, 1-877-322-8228,
or by mailing a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box
105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. The form can be downloaded from
annualcreditreport.com or from the FTC’s Web site. It also
can be requested by calling the FTC’s Consumer Response Center
at 1-877-FTC-HELP.
Consumers may choose to order free reports from
all three nationwide consumer reporting companies at the same time,
or stagger their requests over the course of the year. Consumers
are eligible to order a free credit report any time – they
are not required to submit their request within a certain period
of time.
This information is from the consumer site for
the FTC and is
not intended to replace any legal advice. It is for educational
purposes only.
The site also offers Q and A about the following topics, providing
consumers with a way to quickly get answers right on the site. This
is important to keep consumers for seeking the same information
from less than reputable sites that may be trying to get the
visitor to their site under false pretenses.
How do I request a "fraud alert" be placed on my file?
What is a credit file disclosure or a credit report?
How do I request my free credit report through the Annual Credit
Report Request Service?
Am I entitled to a free credit report under state law?
How often can I request a free credit report through this website?
Should I order all my credit reports at one time or space them out
over 12 months?
How else can I request my free annual credit report?
How do I request a credit report by mail for a child under 13 years
of age?
How can I provide a suggestion or complaint about the Annual Credit
Report Request Service or this website?
Where can I find information on disputing or correcting information
in my credit file?
How can I exclude my name from nationwide consumer credit reporting
company lists for unsolicited credit and insurance offers?
What is a credit score?
How can I get my credit score?
What is the proper way to create a link to AnnualCreditReport.com?
How do I contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
Where can I find out more about credit reports, my rights as a consumer,
the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the FACT Act?
What about companies that claim they can improve my credit report
for a fee?
Where can I find out more about credit repair?
Where can I find out more about identity theft?
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