Free Credit Reports: Weekly From All Three Bureaus, and the Only Official Site

You can see your credit reports from all three nationwide credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, for free every week. Federal law guarantees one free report from each bureau every 12 months, and the bureaus have permanently extended free weekly reports [1].

How to order

• Online: AnnualCreditReport.com is the only site authorized for these free reports [1].
• By phone: call 1-877-322-8228 [1].
• By mail: send the Annual Credit Report Request Form to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281 [1].

The FTC says not to contact the three bureaus one by one to order these annual reports [1].

When you get an extra free report

You’re also entitled to a free report, separate from the weekly ones, in these situations [1]:

• You were turned down for credit, a job, insurance or housing because of something in your report. Ask within 60 days of the notice, from the bureau it names.
• You’re unemployed and plan to look for a job within 60 days.
• You get public assistance, such as welfare.
• Your report is wrong because of fraud, including identity theft.
• You have a fraud alert on your file.

For these, contact the bureau directly [1].

What to look for

Check that every account is yours, that balances and payment history are right, and that old negative items aren’t past the federal reporting limit. If something is wrong, dispute it with the bureau that shows it. Disputes are free.