The
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide credit
reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide
you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every
12 months. The FCRA promotes the accuracy and privacy of information in
the files of the nation’s credit reporting companies. The Federal Trade
Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, enforces the
FCRA with respect to credit reporting companies.
A credit report
includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and
whether you’ve been sued or have filed for bankruptcy. Nationwide credit
reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors,
insurers, employers, and other businesses that use it to evaluate your
applications for credit, insurance, employment, or renting a home.
Here are the details about your rights under the FCRA, which established the free annual credit report program.
How do I order my free report?
The
three nationwide credit reporting companies have set up a central
website, a toll-free telephone number, and a mailing address through
which you can order your free annual report.
To order, visit
annualcreditreport.com, call 1-877-322-8228. Or complete the
Annual Credit Report Request Form and
mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281,
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Do not contact the three nationwide credit
reporting companies individually. They are providing free annual credit
reports only through
annualcreditreport.com, 1-877-322-8228 or mailing to Annual Credit Report Request Service.
You
may order your reports from each of the three nationwide credit
reporting companies at the same time, or you can order your report from
each of the companies one at a time. The law allows you to order one
free copy of your report from each of the nationwide credit reporting
companies every 12 months.
A Warning About “Fake” Websites
Only
one website is authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit
report you are entitled to under law — annualcreditreport.com. Other
websites that claim to offer “free credit reports,” “free credit
scores,” or “free credit monitoring” are not part of the legally
mandated free annual credit report program. In some cases, the “free”
product comes with strings attached. For example, some sites sign you up
for a supposedly “free” service that converts to one you have to pay
for after a trial period. If you don’t cancel during the trial period,
you may be unwittingly agreeing to let the company start charging fees
to your credit card.
Some “imposter” sites use terms like “free
report” in their names; others have URLs that purposely misspell
annualcreditreport.com in the hope that you will mistype the name of the
official site. Some of these “imposter” sites direct you to other sites
that try to sell you something or collect your personal information.
Annualcreditreport.com
and the nationwide credit reporting companies will not send you an
email asking for your personal information. If you get an email, see a
pop-up ad, or get a phone call from someone claiming to be from
annualcreditreport.com or any of the three nationwide credit reporting
companies, do not reply or click on any link in the message. It’s
probably a scam. Forward any such email to the FTC at
spam@uce.gov.
What information do I need to provide to get my free report?
A:
You need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and
date of birth. If you have moved in the last two years, you may have to
provide your previous address. To maintain the security of your file,
each nationwide credit reporting company may ask you for some
information that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly
mortgage payment. Each company may ask you for different information
because the information each has in your file may come from different
sources.
Why do I want a copy of my credit report?
A:
Your credit report has information that affects whether you can get a
loan — and how much you will have to pay to borrow money. You want a
copy of your credit report to:
- make sure the information is
accurate, complete, and up-to-date before you apply for a loan for a
major purchase like a house or car, buy insurance, or apply for a job.
- help guard against identity theft.
That’s when someone uses your personal information — like your name,
your Social Security number, or your credit card number — to commit
fraud. Identity thieves may use your information to open a new credit
card account in your name. Then, when they don’t pay the bills, the
delinquent account is reported on your credit report. Inaccurate
information like that could affect your ability to get credit,
insurance, or even a job.
How long does it take to get my report after I order it?
A: If
you request your report online at annualcreditreport.com, you should be
able to access it immediately. If you order your report by calling
toll-free 1-877-322-8228, your report will be processed and mailed to
you within 15 days. If you order your report by mail using the Annual
Credit Report Request Form, your request will be processed and mailed to
you within 15 days of receipt.
Whether you order your report
online, by phone, or by mail, it may take longer to receive your report
if the nationwide credit reporting company needs more information to
verify your identity.
Are there any other situations where I might be eligible for a free report?
A:
Under federal law, you’re entitled to a free report if a company takes
adverse action against you, such as denying your application for credit,
insurance, or employment, and you ask for your report within 60 days of
receiving notice of the action. The notice will give you the name,
address, and phone number of the credit reporting company. You’re also
entitled to one free report a year if you’re unemployed and plan to look
for a job within 60 days; if you’re on welfare; or if your report is
inaccurate because of fraud, including identity theft. Otherwise, a
credit reporting company may charge you a reasonable amount for another
copy of your report within a 12-month period.
To buy a copy of your report, contact:
Should I order a report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies?
A: It’s
up to you. Because nationwide credit reporting companies get their
information from different sources, the information in your report from
one company may not reflect all, or the same, information in your
reports from the other two companies. That’s not to say that the
information in any of your reports is necessarily inaccurate; it just
may be different.
Should I order my reports from all three of the nationwide credit reporting companies at the same time?
A:
You may order one, two, or all three reports at the same time, or you
may stagger your requests. It’s your choice. Some financial advisors say
staggering your requests during a 12-month period may be a good way to
keep an eye on the accuracy and completeness of the information in your
reports.
What if I find errors — either inaccuracies or incomplete information — in my credit report?
A: Under
the FCRA, both the credit reporting company and the information
provider (that is, the person, company, or organization that provides
information about you to a consumer reporting company) are responsible
for
correcting inaccurate or incomplete information in your report. To take full advantage of your rights under this law, contact the credit reporting company and the information provider.
1. Tell the credit reporting company, in writing, what information you think is inaccurate.
Credit
reporting companies must investigate the items in question — usually
within 30 days — unless they consider your dispute frivolous. They also
must forward all the relevant data you provide about the inaccuracy to
the organization that provided the information. After the information
provider receives notice of a dispute from the credit reporting company,
it must investigate, review the relevant information, and report the
results back to the credit reporting company. If the information
provider finds the disputed information is inaccurate, it must notify
all three nationwide credit reporting companies so they can correct the
information in your file.
When the investigation is complete, the
credit reporting company must give you the written results and a free
copy of your report if the dispute results in a change. (This free
report does not count as your annual free report.) If an item is changed
or deleted, the credit reporting company cannot put the disputed
information back in your file unless the information provider verifies
that it is accurate and complete. The credit reporting company also must
send you written notice that includes the name, address, and phone
number of the information provider.
2. Tell the creditor or other
information provider in writing that you dispute an item. Many providers
specify an address for disputes. If the provider reports the item to a
credit reporting company, it must include a notice of your dispute. And
if you are correct — that is, if the information is found to be
inaccurate — the information provider may not report it again.
Q: What can I do if the credit reporting company or information provider won’t correct the information I dispute?
A:
If an investigation doesn’t resolve your dispute with the credit
reporting company, you can ask that a statement of the dispute be
included in your file and in future reports. You also can ask the credit
reporting company to provide your statement to anyone who received a
copy of your report in the recent past. You can expect to pay a fee for
this service.
If you tell the information provider that you
dispute an item, a notice of your dispute must be included any time the
information provider reports the item to a credit reporting company.
How long can a credit reporting company report negative information?
A:
A credit reporting company can report most accurate negative
information for seven years and bankruptcy information for 10 years.
There is no time limit on reporting information about criminal
convictions; information reported in response to your application for a
job that pays more than $75,000 a year; and information reported because
you’ve applied for more than $150,000 worth of credit or life
insurance. Information about a lawsuit or an unpaid judgment against you
can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations
runs out, whichever is longer.
Can anyone else get a copy of my credit report?
A:
The FCRA specifies who can access your credit report. Creditors,
insurers, employers, and other businesses that use the information in
your report to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance,
employment, or renting a home are among those that have a legal right
to access your report.
Can my employer get my credit report?
A: Your
employer can get a copy of your credit report only
if you agree. A credit reporting company may not provide information
about you to your employer, or to a prospective employer, without your
written consent.
For More Information
The
FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair
business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to
help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint, visit
ftc.gov/complaint or
call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters Internet,
telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into
Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database available to hundreds of
civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Report Scams
If you believe you’ve responded to a scam, file a complaint with: