How to Get Your Free Credit Report — and What to Do When You Have It — FAQ

The Only Official Free Report Site

AnnualCreditReport.com is the only website authorized by federal law (FCRA) to provide free official credit reports. It is operated jointly by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion under a mandate from the Federal Trade Commission. Since 2023, you can request free reports weekly from all three bureaus — not just once per year as originally legislated.

Beware of imposter sites. Dozens of sites with similar-sounding names charge fees or require credit card information. The legitimate site has no subscription, no free-trial-then-charge, and no credit card required.

Other Legitimate Ways to Get Free Reports

Source	What You Get	Free?
AnnualCreditReport.com	Full Equifax, Experian, TransUnion reports	Yes — weekly
Credit Karma	TransUnion + Equifax reports (VantageScore)	Yes
Experian (free account)	Experian report + FICO Score 8	Yes
After credit denial	Free copy of the report used in the decision	Yes (within 60 days)
If unemployed, applying for work within 60 days	Free report from each bureau	Yes
Identity theft victim	Free reports + fraud blocks	Yes

Step-by-Step: Requesting Your Reports

Go to AnnualCreditReport.com (verify the URL carefully)
Fill in your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth
Select which bureau(s) you want — request all three
Answer identity verification questions (based on your credit history)
Download and save all three reports as PDFs

How to Review Your Report — The Checklist

Personal Information

Correct name (no misspellings or variations)
Correct address (no unknown addresses)
Correct Social Security number (check for errors — rare but serious)
Correct date of birth
Employment (optional field — errors here are less impactful)

Accounts Section

Every account listed belongs to you
All accounts show correct open/close dates
All payment history entries are accurate (no late payments you dispute)
Account balances are approximately correct
Credit limits are correctly listed (errors inflate utilization)
No duplicate accounts (same account listed twice)

Negative Items

All collections reference debts you recognize
Date of first delinquency matches your records
No accounts past their 7-year expiration still appearing
Bankruptcy discharge status is correctly listed

Inquiries

Hard inquiries were for credit applications you authorized
No unfamiliar lenders in the hard inquiry list (possible fraud indicator)

What to Do If You Find an Error

File a dispute with the bureau reporting the error. The bureau must investigate within 30 days. For errors on multiple bureaus, dispute each separately. Use our copy-ready dispute letter templates and review the FCRA rights guide to understand the full process.