How to Get a Free Credit Report

A credit report contains information about individuals, their income, bill paying habits, address, lawsuits, arrest records and bankruptcies. Every consumer is entitled to a free credit report every 12 months and all individuals should take advantage of this right to insure the information is correct.


The federal legislation known as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) controls credit information and requires the nationwide consumer reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) to provide consumers with a free copy of the report when a written request is made. The purpose of the legislation is to promote the fairness, accuracy and privacy of the information in the consumer’s file. This is important because businesses use the credit score to evaluate applications for credit, insurance, employment and leasing.


Under the Act you have the right to know what information is in the credit file and whether that information has been used against you to deny credit. If the information is incorrect or incomplete it can be disputed and corrected. As a general rule of thumb, credit agencies cannot report derogatory information older than seven years or bankruptcies older than ten years.


While many websites promote free credit reports, there is only one website authorized to fill orders for free reports: annualcreditreport.com. Other websites that offer free reports are not part of the federally mandated free program and may try to sell consumers additional products in exchange for the credit report. It is important to note that annualcreditreport.com will never send a solicitation e-mail requesting personal information. If you get a solicitation from a company claiming to be from the free program do not respond by giving out personal information. If you prefer to use the telephone you can call 1-877-322-8228 or mail a request to P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, Ga. 30348-5281. The government website at ftc.gov/credit has a wealth of information about credit scoring and the information that will usually be found on a credit report.


If you order the report on-line it will be available immediately. If you order by phone the report should take about two weeks to be mailed. The same is true when you request a copy by mail. If inaccuracies are found, you must report the inaccurate information in writing. The company will perform an investigation and usually respond within 30 days. The agency must give you written results of the investigation and another free copy of the report if the information has changed as a result of the report. For more information go to www.ftc.gov.