How To Order Your Free Government Credit Report
You may order one, two, or all three free credit reports at the same time, or you may stagger your requests. Its your choice.
The 3 major credit bureaus have made it easy for you to ask for a copy of your free yearly credit report by setting up a central website, toll free telephone number and a mailing address that handle requests for all three free credit reports.
The law allows you to order one free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus every 12 months, but it lets you choose whether to order all three together or one at a time.
Another advantage of ordering all three at the same time is that errors are much easier to detect on a 3 in 1 credit report because you can compare them as you scan each row.
How to Order Your Annual Free Government Credit Report?Whether you opt to order your three free credit reports together or one at a time, you should not contact each of the three major credit bureaus individually.
The bureaus have set up a central Free Annual Credit Report Request Service that includes a central website, a toll-free telephone number and a mailing address that you can use for this purpose. You must order your annual free credit report using that service only!
You have three options for ordering your free government credit report:
What Is A Fico Score
FICO, a product of the Fair Issac Corporation, is the credit score that 90% of lenders use to make credit decisions. There are three credit bureaus that report FICO scores: Transunion, Experian and Equifax. You will often have three different FICO scores, one with each credit bureau. The score difference can range from a few points to 100 points depending on the information the credit bureaus have. In addition to three credit bureaus with different scores, there are 19 different FICO scoring models commonly used by lenders.
Your FICO score is based on five categories. The categories are not given equal weight in calculating the score. The categories and weights are:
35% Payment History
15% Length of Credit History
10% New Credit
10% Types of Credit in Use
Can I Buy A Copy Of My Report
Yes, if you dont qualify for a free report a credit bureau may charge you a reasonable amount for a copy of your report. To buy a copy of your report, contact:
- TransUnion: 1-800-916-8800 transunion.com
But before you buy, always check to see if you can get a copy for free from AnnualCreditReport.com.
Federal law says who can get your credit report. If youre applying for a loan, credit card, insurance, car lease, or an apartment, those businesses can order a copy of your report, which helps in making credit decisions. A current or prospective employer can get a copy of your credit report but only if you agree to it in writing.
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What Should I Look For In My Credit Report
When reviewing your credit report, check that all the information listed is up-to-date and accurate. Heres a brief breakdown on the kinds of things to verify within each credit report:
- Personal Information: Social Security number, name and address
- Inquiries: everyone who has reviewed your credit report in the past 2 years
- Public Records: bankruptcies, which can stay on a credit report for up to 10 years
Is It Safe To Use Annual Credit Report
According to AnnualCreditReport.com, it uses encryption to safeguard consumers data. Its security policy page states that it encrypts user data when a consumer fills out a credit report request form and also when the site sends user data to any of the national credit reporting agencies.
In addition, consumers must answer security questions before they are granted access to their credit reports. These questions are very specific on purpose, and someone would have to know very detailed information about your accounts and financial history to gain access without your permission.
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How Do I Order My Free Annual Credit Reports
The three national credit bureaus have a centralized website, toll-free telephone number, and mailing address so you can order your free annual reports in one place. Do not contact the three national credit bureaus individually. These are the only ways to order your free credit reports:
- Complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
Free Credit Score Information
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A credit score is based on a thorough analysis of ones credit files and an assessment of the data through numerical interpretation. A credit score reveals whether a person is creditworthy or not. The score is generally based on the information that is typically derived from the credit bureaus.
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Generate Your Credit Report Online
You can save reports to your desktop or print them out so youll have access later.
If you need to request a report or reports by mail, send a request form to:
Annual Credit Report Request ServiceP.O. Box 105281Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
Your report or reports should be sent within 15 business days.
You can also get your credit reports by calling 877-322-8228. Visually impaired consumers can also call this number to request audio, large-print or Braille reports.
How Do I Get A Copy Of My Credit Reports
You are entitled to a free credit report every 12 months from each of the three major consumer reporting companies . You can request a copy from AnnualCreditReport.com.
You can request and review your free report through one of the following ways:
- Mail: Download and complete the Annual Credit Report Request form. Mail the completed form to:
Annual Credit Report Request ServiceP.O. Box 105281Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
You can request all three reports at once or you can order one report at a time. By requesting the reports separately you can monitor your credit report throughout the year. Once youve received your annual free credit report, you can still request additional reports. By law, a credit reporting company can charge no more than $13.00 for a credit report.
You are also eligible for reports fromspecialty consumer reporting companies. We put together a list of several of these companies so you can see which ones might be important to you. You have to request the reports individually from each of these companies. Many of the companies in this list will provide a report for free every 12 months. Other companies may charge you a fee for your report.
You can get additional free reports if any of the following apply to you:
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What Is Fraud Alert
A fraud alert is used to inform creditors that you may be a victim of fraud. A fraud alert can make it harder for an identity thief to open accounts in your name. The fraud alert requires creditors to verify that you are the person adding new credit accounts or changing limits on existing credit accounts by contacting you at a phone number you have provided.
There are three types of alerts you can place on your file:
- Initial fraud alert – if you suspect that you have become or are about to become a victim of fraud or identity theft
- Extended fraud alert – if you are a victim of fraud or identity theft requires a copy of the identity theft report
- Active duty military alert – if you are in the military and want to minimize your risk of fraud or identity theft while you are deployed .
Contact any one of the credit reporting companies to place a fraud alert. They will share your request with the other credit reporting companies.
What Is Identity Theft
Identity theft is when someone uses your personal information without your permission. They may open a credit card account, get a loan, or rent apartments in your name using your personal information. They also might access your bank or retirement accounts. You may not know that identity theft has happened until you see your credit report, are notified when trying to apply for credit, or get called by a debt collector.
For more information about identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s website.
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Free Vantagescore Credit Scores
The following services are freely available to anyone, just for signing up .
| Issuer/Company |
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These are some popular services, but you can also find more sources of free VantageScores here.
Insider tip
You can find many other sites promising free or $1 credit scores, but in many cases what theyre really doing is asking you to sign up for a paid service and providing a free trial. After the free trial ends youll be charged unless you cancel ahead of time. We recommend going with one of the free options mentioned here instead.
Free Credit Score Check Services
You have a variety of options when it comes to providers of free credit scores.
If you want to get free FICO Scores, your best bet is to get them through credit card issuers. Several of the major card issuers Amex, Bank of America, Citi, etc., offer free FICO Scores to cardholders as a benefit.
Getting free VantageScore credit scores is easier, because you dont need to have any particular credit cards to access them. Instead, there are quite a few companies that offer free VantageScores to anyone, just for signing up.
Take note that these services update your scores at different intervals. The best services update more frequently, like once per week or once per month. Some only update once every three months.
Also keep in mind that most of these free services will only give you access to one or two of your credit scores for free. So, if you want to keep an eye on your scores from Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian, you may need to stack multiple free services together or consider paying for a 3-bureau credit monitoring service.
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Fix Your Credit And Improve Your Credit Score
Here are some tips on how to fix your credit and improve your credit score:
If you need help fixing your credit, contact a non-profit credit counseling service that can help you for little or no cost. You can also check with your employer, credit union, or housing authority to see what no-cost credit counseling programs may be available.
It takes time to build up or fix your credit. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fraudsters preying on consumers who want to fix their credit. Avoid any credit counselor or company that promises quick-fix credit repairs, promises to hide your bad credit history, requires upfront payment, or tells you to dispute accurate credit report information or to give false information to creditors.
Here are some resources to help you find a reputable credit counselor:
- Federal Trade Commissions Choosing a Credit Counselor: How to choose a credit counseling service
- Federal Trade Commissions : How to avoid credit repair scams
- Department of Business Oversights : Common questions about credit counseling services
How To Improve Your Credit Scores
Unhappy with your credit scores? Here are a few ways you can improve them:
- Make all your payments on time: Payment history is super important to your credit scores. If you have trouble remembering your due dates, try setting up automatic payments or create calendar reminders. Learn when and how much you should pay here.
- Pay off debt: One of the key factors in your credit scores is how much of your available credit youre using on credit card accounts. This is called your , and the lower it is, the better.
- Keep old cards open: Though it might seem counterintuitive, you usually dont want to close out a credit card once you pay it off. Closing a credit card account, especially one with a $0 balance, could raise your credit utilization ratio not a good move for your scores.
- Check your scores regularly: If youve learned one thing from this post, we hope its to check your credit scores and reports often, especially before you apply for new credit. In fact, its not overkill to check your credit on a monthly basis. Try a . Not only will you catch errors, youll also be able to spot signs of identity theft right away if it happens to you.
Learn more about your credit scores here. Trust us when we say the positive effects will ripple throughout your entire financial life.
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Annual Credit Report Reviews
AnnualCreditReport.com has its share of positive and negative reviews. The majority of negative reviews reference some kind of technical difficulty navigating the website.
Some negative reviewers also say they were denied reports because they couldnt answer the security questions about their financial history. If you cant remember details about old accounts, you can still request your free reports through the mail or by phone.
Fast and accurate. I will need to refresh information about my credit history. This site always helped me with this. The process took 5 minutes. I loaded report in pdf format and now I can analyze it. I do not like to enter my private information on the web, but probably this site is secure .
Viktor of Fair Lawn, NJ
Ive tried to retrieve my credit reports online, filled the form accurately and no matter what I do it says unable to proceed and to request by phone or mail. No reasoning given or chance to correct any issues.
Michael of Commerce Township, MI
Check Your Credit Report
Because your credit score is so important in getting loans, credit, and housing, its important to check your credit reports regularly to make sure they are correct and complete. Checking your credit reports will also alert you to identity fraud because youll see if someone has opened accounts in your name or if late payments have been reported for purchases you didnt know about.
You can get one free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three major credit reporting companies . All three credit reporting companies collect credit information, but different things may show up on the different credit reports. You can monitor your credit for free by getting free copies of your credit report. There are two common ways to do this:
In addition, you can get a free copy of your credit report:
To order a free credit report, go to Annual Credit Report or call 1-877-322-8228. You can also fill out the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to:
Annual Credit Report Request ServiceP.O. Box 105281Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
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Checking Your Credit Report For Free
Private companies called “credit reporting agencies” collect information related to your access to and use of credit. They make that information available to others under certain circumstances in the form of a “credit report.” Lending institutions, employers, insurance agencies, and future creditors make decisions about you from the information in your credit report. Your credit report is an important document, and the law gives you certain protections against the reporting of incorrect information. Knowing your legal rights and remedies is a first step to resolving any problems related to your credit report.
Note: Your Credit Report is Free! Under state and federal law, you are entitled to one free copy of your credit report per calendar year from each of the three main credit reporting agencies noted above. Requesting a copy every year to ensure your report is without errors is worthwhile and recommended. If you ever apply for and are denied credit, you should immediately get a copy of your report to verify that all the information is correct. You have the right to know which credit reporting agency prepared the report that was used in the denial of your credit application. Under state law, you have the right to a free copy of your credit report within 60 days of being denied credit. Visit the annual credit report website or call 322-8228 to request your free annual credit report.
