Guide To Your Free Annual Credit Report (USA)

This article is meant for the United States Only, the information given out in this guide will not work if you live outside the United States. We will be publishing guides for those living in the Australia & Canada shortly, for those living in the UK we suggest you read our guide on how you can get paid to view your credit report found here.

Each person is entitled to one free credit report from each of the three major credit bureau‘s in the United States (TransUnion, Equifax & Experian) you do not have to get all three reports at the same time (for example you could get your TransUnion report in July and then your Equifax report in June and then your Experian report in December) every twelve months.

To get this free report you need to go to the Annual Credit Report Site (https://www.annualcreditreport.com/) and then click on request report. You will need to provide them with personal information and they will use this information to verify your identity. Your report(s) will be available immediately upon your identity being confirmed.

It’s important to not put your credit card details in at any stage if you only want your credit report, as they often try to up sell you on credit monitoring services which will come with a monthly fee. You can also request a report by mail, find our instructions below.

F.A.Q’s About Your Free Annual Credit Report:

How Do I Request A Free Report By Mail?

If you are unable to access the Annual Credit Report website you are also able to request your report by mail. To do so follow these instructions:

  1. Click here to download the request form – you will need a PDF viewer to view this file. We suggest using the foxit reader which can be downloaded here.
  2. Print the form out
  3. Fill out the form, making sure there are no errors
  4. Mail the form to: Annual Credit Report Request Service
    P.O. Box 105281
    Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
  5. It takes up to 15 days from receiving your request for the credit bureau’s to process it.

What Should I Do If I Find An Error On My Credit Report?

If you find any errors or discrepancies in your credit report the first thing to do is to contact the institution that has reported the error and get it fixed on their system.

Once the error has been resolved with the data furnisher (the lender who missreported the error) you will need to file a dispute with the credit bureau’s that have the error in their reports.

Credit Bureau Dispute Contact Information:

Equifax Dispute Information
Experian Dispute Information
TransUnion Dispute Information

For example, let’s say that bank of america has reported that you defaulted on a loan in 2007 – when in fact you never had a loan with Bank of America. The first thing you would do is contact Bank of America and tell them that you’ve never had a loan with them, yet they are reporting to the credit bureau that you in fact did have a loan with them and futhermore they believe you have defaulted on this loan.

Once the error has been resolved with Bank Of America, you’ll need to contact the credit bureau’s which have the wrong information in their reports and file a dispute. Dispute information can be found above.

If you cannot resolve the issue with the data furnisher, you’ll need to contact the credit bureau’s directly and contest the incorrect information. It’s important to keep any relevant evidence/supporting documents handy if contesting information on your credit report. Always make sure you have copies of everything you send in in case anything gets lost.

How Long Do Credit Report Disputes Take To Resolve?

Once you’ve submitted the information to the credit bureau’s it can take up to 45 days for your credit report to be fixed. Although most bureau’s try to get this information updated within 30 days.

How Can I Get My Credit Score For Free?

When you receive your credit report, you will not receive any type of credit score (this includes FICO score, VantageScore & Nextgen Score). The credit bureau’s are not forced to give you a copy of your credit score for free at any stage and as such they do not provide this service for free. You can read our guide to getting a free score here.