How to Receive a Free Credit Report

A credit report usually costs between $5 and $10, but if you meet any of the following criteria, you may be eligible to receive a free copy of your report from any of the three credit report agencies (Equifax, Experian - formerly TRW - and Trans Union).

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Credit Reports

1. Determine if you meet any of the following criteria:

2. You are unemployed and plan to seek employment within 60 days;

3. You are on welfare;

4. You believe there is an inaccuracy in your credit file due to fraud;

5. You can show that you've been denied credit, insurance, employment or rental housing based on information in your credit file;

6. You can show that you have suffered an "adverse action," such as a reduction in the credit line on a credit card or an unexpected increase in the interest rate on a credit card.

7. If you meet any one of the above criteria, you qualify for a free credit report.

8. Contact one or more of the three credit bureaus and request a free report. Each bureau has different guidelines for ordering free reports. If you think your situation is complicated or needs clarification, call the toll-free number provided by the bureau.

9. If you have any questions about your legal rights, please consult the Fair Credit Reporting Act (ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcra.htm).

Tips & Warnings

• If you believe you qualify under any of the above criteria, make sure you have proof available to present to the credit bureau from which you want to receive the report.
• If you live in Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey or Vermont, you automatically qualify for one free credit report per year.
• If you mail your request to the credit agencies, be sure to send it by certified mail with a return receipt requested (this costs approximately $3).
• Different creditors report your information to different credit bureaus. Just because something shows on one credit report does not mean it will show on one or more of the other reports (and vice versa).
• If you were denied credit or were subject to "adverse action" as described above, you are eligible to obtain a free report only from the credit bureau that provided the information used against you.
• Each credit reporting agency varies slightly in its criteria for sending a free report. Contact each agency to get specific requirements.

Who Can Help Sponsored

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[sarahpb]

on 6/24/2009 freecreditreport.com are crooks! Even reading carefully is not enough to avoid being signed up for a $20 service without your knowledge. Talk about fine print! I'm not stupid and yet I've been paying for things that looked like junk mail. Find somewhere else for this information. Don't use them.

Great article. I wish I would have read this earlier.

[nmcguire7]

on 2/23/2009 Good information. Readers beware of freecreditreport.com the service is only free for seven days, after that they bill you monthly for their credit monitoring service which is good if you need it, but if not don't bother. Annualcreditreport.com is the place you need to go for a true FREE service.

[prospector]

on 1/17/2009 The report is received in seconds on the www.annualcreditreport.com. It is a secure site and very good about screening you before the report is accessible to you. Once you've proven you are legitimate, then the reports is yours in a few seconds.
Why would anyone else go to any othere credit reporting site and pay for this when it is lawfully yours from all 3 credit reporting agencies every year? Don't get tricked into thinking that paying for something is better than free in this situation.

[prospector]

on 1/17/2009 Why would anyone pay for a credit report when they are free? Also, why would you risk using a credit card on the internet and risk identity theft to boot?

on 11/22/2005 The three bureaus are now required by law to provide one free credit report per year to every consumer. This requirement is being phased in for all states over 2005. See www.annualcreditreport.com for the details.