Free Annual Credit ReportUnder federal law, you are entitled to receive a free annual credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. For more information on how to obtain your free credit report, this link will take you to the Federal Trade Commission site. That page contains a link to annnualcreditreport.com, the officially authorized site sponsored by the three major reporting agencies shown below. This is a totally free credit report. Because it is linked from the FTC site, and is officially approved by the federal government, many people mistakenly believe it is a free government credit report, but it is not prepared by the government at all. Free Annual Credit Report OnlineBy using the officially-sanctioned site, and linking to it from the Federal Trade Commission site, you can be sure your personal information is secure. Beware copycat sites or similar-sounding website names. There are many. For your security, be sure to link through the FTC site or go directly to annnualcreditreport.com using the link here. Free Annual Credit Report by Phone or MailIf you're not comfortable accessing your free annual credit report online, you may also request it by phone, by calling 1-877-322-8228. There is a verification process, and your reports will be mailed within 15 days. If you prefer to request your credit report by mail, you may download the request form, print and complete it, and then mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service Should I Order All Three at Once?You are entitled to one free report each year from each of the three agencies. You can order them all at once if you like, so that you can compare the information contained on them. Most likely, it will vary slightly. This is a good idea if you are about to make a major purchase, like a home or car. Or, you can order one every four months, and keep an ongoing watch on your credit report to see what changes have been made, or additional information added since the previous report. If you wanted to do that, you could order the free Experian credit report in January, the Equifax free credit report in May, and the free TransUnion credit report in September. That would essentially allow you to keep tabs on your credit all year round, for free. Credit Score Not IncludedUnfortunately, the free credit report does not include your credit score (also known as a FICO score), which you must purchase. When you order your free annual credit report through the web site above, you will have the option to purchase your credit score at that time, or you may contact the agencies directly to purchase your credit score. The three major credit reporting agencies are: Equifax Experian TransUnion Corporation Be sure you keep track of the information showing on your credit report, to make sure it's accurate. A large percentage of information on credit reports is not. If you find incorrect information, you can and should challenge it. New! CommentsJoin our conversation! Leave me a comment about this page in the box below. If your comment is about another page on this site, please leave your comment on the page it refers to. Otherwise, I will have to delete it. Thanks! |
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