How Can I Get My Free Government Mandated Credit Report?
Credit reporting errors can damage your credit rating and cause you to be unfairly turned down when you apply for credit, loans, housing or employment. To make it easier for Americans to monitor their credit reports for errors, the federal government passed the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) in 2003. Section 211 of FACTA grants every consumer in America the freedom to request one free copy of his credit report each year.
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Instructions
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Visit AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the only website that is approved by the Federal Trade Commission to provide consumers with free annual credit reports.
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Select your state from the drop-down box on the AnnualCreditReport.com home page and click "Request Report."
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Fill out the requested information, such as your name, birth date, Social Security number and current and previous address. You must also type in a security code provided at the bottom of the page to ensure that you are a human being and not an automated system. Select "Continue."
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Choose the credit bureau you wish to request a credit report from. You may select Equifax, TransUnion or Experian. Although you are legally entitled to a free credit report from each credit bureau per year, the process requires that you request only one report at a time.
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Answer several personal questions about your current debts and accounts. The number of questions may vary. These questions are multiple choice and ask you to provide information about your loans and accounts such as when a certain account was opened or who your creditors are. Answer correctly to be directed to your credit report.
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Review and print your credit report for your records.
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Tips & Warnings
You are entitled to a free credit report from each credit bureau every year, but not a free credit score. You can purchase your FICO credit scores directly from Fair Isaac at MyFICO.com
If you cannot request your credit reports online or are not comfortable doing so, you may call the Annual Credit Report Request Service at 1-877-322-8228 to request your free government mandated credit reports by phone.
Credit reports on AnnualCreditReport.com are only accessible for a limited period of time. Print your report before the system times out to avoid having to re-send your information.
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