Free Annual Credit Report Rights

The law entitles you to free credit reports from all three bureaus. Here's how the system actually works, what you're entitled to, and why the official source matters.

AnnualCreditReport.com Is the Only Official Source

AnnualCreditReport.com is the federally mandated source for free credit reports under the FCRA, run jointly by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion under FTC oversight. It is the only site where you can get all three reports for free without being enrolled in a trial or subscription.

Many sites with "free credit report" in their name — particularly the ones you've seen advertised — charge after a free trial period or require enrollment in a paid monitoring service. Avoid them for this purpose.

What You're Entitled To

Under FCRA § 612:

• One free report from each bureau per 12 months through AnnualCreditReport.com (currently extended to weekly access)
• A free report within 60 days of being denied credit, insurance, or employment based on your credit report (adverse action report)
• A free report if you're unemployed and plan to seek work within 60 days
• A free report if you receive public assistance
• A free report if you believe your file contains errors due to fraud
• A free updated report after a successful dispute results in a change to your file

What the Free Report Includes (and Doesn't)

The free AnnualCreditReport.com report includes your full credit history — accounts, payment history, inquiries, public records, and personal information. It does not include your credit score. To get your actual FICO score, you can:

• Pay $19.95/month at myfico.com (includes all three FICO scores)
• Check your credit card statement — Discover, Citi, American Express, and many others provide free FICO 8 scores monthly
• Use Credit Karma (free VantageScore, not FICO)

How to Review Your Report Effectively

When you pull your reports, review each one systematically:

1. Personal info: Is your name, SSN, address, and date of birth correct?
2. Accounts: Does every account belong to you? Are balances and limits accurate? Are statuses (open, closed, in collections) correct?
3. Negative items: Are late payment dates accurate? Are any items past their 7-year removal date?
4. Inquiries: Do you recognize every hard inquiry? (Soft inquiries don't affect your score and are normal.)

Consider pulling one bureau at a time every few months rather than all three at once — this lets you monitor throughout the year without waiting for the annual cycle.

See also: How to Dispute an Error | How to Read Your Credit Report