How to get your free credit report (US): use the official site and avoid the look-alikes
Many sites advertise a free credit report and then charge you. The FTC says there is one authorized site. Here is how to order and what to watch for, with a warning about dated details.
Search for "free credit report" and you will find plenty of sites that are not free. Before you type your personal data anywhere, learn which site is authorized and which tricks to avoid. This guide follows an FTC press release.
Check before you rely on this: the FTC page I read is a press release from 18 September 2006. The frequency, phone number and mailing address in it may have changed. I could not read the official annualcreditreport.com page, so verify every detail on the official site. This is about the US. It is general information, not financial or legal advice.
Who provides the reports
According to the FTC release, the free reports come from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Under the law cited in that release, you can get a free report from each company once every 12 months, and you can request all three at once or spread them across the year. I believe the bureaus now give free reports more often than that, but I could not confirm it from the pages I could read, so check the official site.
How to order
- Online: www.annualcreditreport.com, which the FTC calls the only authorized site. It recommends reaching it through the link on ftc.gov so you do not mistype the address.
- Phone and mail: the release lists a toll-free number and a mail form. Because it is from 2006, do not copy those details from here: get them from the official site.
What the FTC warns about
- Sites that advertise a "free" service and start charging after a trial period.
- Sites that use "free" in their names to look legitimate.
- Look-alike sites with misspelled versions of the official address, hoping you mistype it.
- Emails and pop-up ads that claim to come from the official site or the three bureaus: the release says they are probably scams.
The release also advises closing your browser after getting your report online so your information stays secure. If you already paid or shared data with a suspicious site, see what to do after sending a scam payment.
After you have the report
Read it line by line: personal data, accounts you recognize and anything unfamiliar. Our guide to reading your credit report shows what each section means, and how a credit score really works explains what to do next.
Sources I read
Pages I read to write this article. Always check the latest version before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
Which companies provide the free reports?
The FTC release I read says the free reports come from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
How often can I get a free report?
The FTC release is from 2006 and says once every 12 months from each company, and that you can request all three at once or spread them out. I believe the bureaus now offer free reports more often, but you must verify that on the official site.
What is the authorized website?
The FTC release names www.annualcreditreport.com as the only authorized site, and says to reach it through the link on ftc.gov to avoid mistyping the address.
How do I spot a scam?
The FTC warns about sites that advertise a free service but start charging after a trial, sites that use the word free in their names, look-alike sites with misspelled addresses, and emails or pop-up ads claiming to be from the official site or the bureaus.
Got your report? Here is how to read it.