How to Check Your Credit Report for Free

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act require each of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) to provide you with access to a free credit report once a year. There are several ways to get your free credit report.

Things You'll Need

• Access to the Internet or phone to contact the program set up to offer free credit reporting.
• Your name, address, Social Security number.

Instructions

1. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com. This is the only official site for your free credit report, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Follow the instructions on the site and you will be able to access one, two or all three of your credit reports.

2. Call 1-877-322-8228 to request your credit report by phone. You will have to complete a verification process. Your report will be mailed out within 15 days. Allow two to three weeks for delivery.

3. Download and print the request form from www.annualcreditreport.com. Fill out the form completely and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281. Your report will be sent within 15 days after your request is received. Again, allow two to three weeks for delivery.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also receive a free report, in addition to your once a year allowance if a company rejects or takes negative action including denying an application for a loan, insurance or a job. You will need to request the report within 60 days of receiving the notice.

• You can receive an additional free report a year if you are unemployed and plan to look for a job within 60 days.

• Be careful of imposter web sites. Web sites or emails that offer free credit reports, credit scores, or credit monitoring are not part of this legal program. Often the "free" they are offering comes with fee services. Make sure that you are at the one official site, and if you are at all concerned about the legitimacy of a site, leave. Do not respond to solicited requests of your personal information in relation to these "free sites".

References

• Annual Credit Report: Request Your Free Annual Credit Report
• FTC: Free Credit Reports