How to Get a Copy Of Your Credit Report That Is Actually Free
Your credit report contains all of the data that goes into calculating your credit score. Therefore, by looking at your credit report, you can identify negative items that are dragging down your score and work to improve in these areas. Numerous websites offer free credit reports, many of which require you to add yourself to a mailing list or sign up for a free trial of a credit monitoring service that will bill you if you do not cancel the service soon enough. Only one website is authorized to provide your free government-mandated credit report with no strings attached.
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Instructions
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Navigate to the Annual Credit Report website at www.annualcreditreport.com. This is the government-authorized website.
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Select the state in which you currently live from the drop-down menu and click on the button to request your credit report.
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Type in the personal information required to locate your credit report. This includes your name, date of birth, Social Security number, current address and other recent addresses.
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Select the credit bureaus from which you would like to get your free report. Three different companies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, each maintain a credit report for you. The reports are usually similar, but are not guaranteed to be identical. You are allowed one report from each bureau per year, so you can get them all at once or stagger the requests to monitor your credit more frequently.
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Click on the link to be securely redirected to the website of the bureau providing your credit report.
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Answer the security questions the website poses. Typically, you will have to identify some personal information on your credit report from a multiple-choice list.
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Click on the link to return to the Annual Credit Report website and get your report from the next bureau, if applicable.
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Tips & Warnings
If you would prefer to receive your credit report by mail instead of online, call 1-877-322-8228 to request the report by phone. Alternately, you can print the annual credit report request form, fill it out and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, Georgia, 30348-5281.
If you find any errors on your credit report, follow the instructions provided on the report to file a dispute to have the incorrect information removed from your credit report.
