Is a Free Credit Report Required by Government Law?

A Credit File Disclosure, more commonly referred to as a credit report, is produced by credit reporting bureaus that are privately owned companies, and not part of the U.S. Government. Credit reporting companies exist for their subscribers, who engage in various forms of lending, by serving as a clearing house of information on financial behaviors of individuals through a scoring system. Higher scores reflect lower risk factors for lending, while low scores indicate higher risk and may discourage lenders from providing loan services to high risk individuals.

The Law

You are entitled to one free credit report per year by U.S. law.

Companies who provide credit reports are not required to verify information before it is put on the credit report; it is the consumer's responsibility to keep accurate information on their credit report. For this reason, the Fair Credit Reporting Act allows for individuals to obtain one free credit report per year from each credit reporting company.

Credit Reporting Companies

There are three major credit reporting bureaus or companies. Experian, Equifax and TransUnion (formerly TRW) are the three dominant national companies. Other credit reporting companies exist within various localities, but do not have the clout of the big three. Regardless of a company's size, by government law you are entitled to one free report each year from each reporting company.

Online Free Credit Report Request

According to the Federal Trade Commission and other federal websites serving consumers, "AnnualCreditReport.com is the official site to help consumers to obtain their free credit report." Other services on the web promise a free credit report if you subscribe or purchase other services from them, including the free credit report offered at Experian.

Free Credit Report Telephone Request

You can request a free credit report by phone.

Call 1-877-322-8228 to request a free credit report. Be prepared to answer questions to verify your identity. Once complete, your credit report will be mailed to you.

Free Credit Report Request by Mail

Request a free annual credit report from one or all three reporting bureaus. Forms can be downloaded online in a PDF format. Completed request forms and requested methods of identification are to be mailed to the following address:

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

Mailing Addresses for Each Credit Bureau

You can request your free credit reports by mail.

Government law also allows for a free annual credit report if the request is mailed directly to the specific credit bureau's mailing address. Each bureau can send only the report generated by their company.

Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374

Experian
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022

References

• Federal Trade Commission: Free Annual Credit Reports
• Fair Credit Reporting Act
• AnnualCreditReport.com: Free Credit Report Request Mail-in forms

Resources

• Experian:Credit Information and Education