Free credit report from all three bureaus

Editor's Note: This post was updated to reflect the extension of free credit report access from April 2021 to April 20, 2022.

Checking your credit report on a regular basis is a simple way to be proactive about your financial standing — and it just got easier.

The three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — are offering free credit reports to all Americans on a weekly basis so you can protect your financial health during hardships from the coronavirus. These free credit reports will be available on AnnualCreditReport.com through April 20, 2022.

"We are making credit reports more accessible more often so people can better manage their finances and take necessary steps to protect their credit standing," Mark W. Begor, CEO at Equifax; Brian Cassin, CEO at Experian; and Chris Cartwright, CEO at TransUnion, said in a joint statement.

Previously, you were entitled to one free credit report from each bureau per year, but that's been substantially increased to as many as 156 over the next 12 months, if you so choose.

Below, we list how you can get free credit reports from each bureau and what to look for when reviewing your credit.

How to get a free credit report

To get your free credit reports from each bureau, follow these steps:

1. Go to AnnualCreditReport.com.
2. Click on "Request your free credit reports."
3. Fill out one form to request up to three copies of your credit report.
4. Choose which reports you want (Experian, Equifax and/or TransUnion).
5. Answer several questions to verify you're the correct person to be accessing your report (and not a fraudster), then submit your request (you'll need to do step this for each credit report).
6. Review your report(s).

Your free annual credit report includes all accounts opened under your name as well as the actions you have taken, such as balances and payment history. However, it doesn't include your credit score. If you want access to your free credit score, consider alternative services provided by credit card issuers.

For instance, if you have a Citi card, such as the Citi® Double Cash Card, you receive your free FICO score updated about every month. You can also consider CreditWise from Capital One and Chase's Credit Journey that don't require you to be a cardholder. 

What to look for when you review your credit report

Monitoring your credit report is even more important during uncertain economic times since fraudsters like to take advantage of these situations.

You should keep an eye out for common credit report errors and signs of fraud when checking your credit report, such as:

• New accounts that you didn't open
• Identity errors (wrong name, phone number or address)
• Incorrect reporting of account status (late payments when you've paid on time, closed accounts reported as open or being listed as the owner of an account when you're just an authorized user)
• Data management errors (reinsertion of incorrect information after it was corrected)
• Balance errors (incorrect current balance or credit limit)

If you notice any errors, dispute them as soon as possible. Check out our step-by-step guide on how to dispute a credit report error.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.

You can request and review your free report through one of the following ways:

• Online: Visit  AnnualCreditReport.com
• Phone: Call (877) 322-8228
• Mail: Download and complete the Annual Credit Report Request form . Mail the completed form to: 

Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

You can request all three reports at once or you can order one report at a time. By requesting the reports separately (for example, one every four months) you can monitor your credit report throughout the year. Once you’ve received your annual free credit report, you can still request additional reports. By law, a credit reporting company can charge no more than $13.50 for a credit report.

You are also eligible for reports from specialty consumer reporting companies. We put together a list of several of these companies so you can see which ones might be important to you. You have to request the reports individually from each of these companies. Many of the companies in this list will provide a report for free every 12 months. Other companies may charge you a fee for your report.

You can get additional free reports if any of the following apply to you:

• You received a notice that you were denied credit, insurance, or employment or experienced another “adverse action” based on a credit report, you have a right to a free report from the credit reporting company identified in the notice. To get the free report you must request it within 60 days after you receive the notice. Other types of “adverse action” notices you might receive include notice of an unfavorable change in the terms or amount of your credit or insurance coverage, or unfavorable changes in the terms of your employment or of a license or other government benefit.
• You believe your file is inaccurate due to fraud.
• You have requested a credit report from a nationwide credit reporting company in connection with the placing of an initial fraud alert (you may request two free copies for an extended fraud alert).
• You are unemployed and intend to apply for employment within 60 days from the date of your request.
• You are a recipient of public welfare assistance.
• Your state law provides for a free credit report.

Tip: Be cautious of websites that claim to offer free credit reports. Some of these websites will only give you a free report if you buy other products or services. Other websites give you a free report and then bill you for services you have to cancel. To get the free credit report authorized by law, go to AnnualCreditReport.com  or call (877) 322-8228.

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