A file disclosure is the copy of your credit file a consumer reporting agency must give you on request. It must include everything in your file, the sources of that information, and who received your report. It's free once a year from each nationwide bureau and in other situations.
Also called: consumer disclosure, full file disclosure, copy of my credit file, free credit report, 15 U.S.C. 1681g
What it means
You have a right to see what a consumer reporting agency has on you. The copy it sends you is your file disclosure, sometimes called a consumer disclosure. It isn’t the same as the report a lender sees. Your disclosure is supposed to show more, including soft inquiries and the sources behind each item.
What it must include
Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681g(a), the agency must clearly disclose:
- All information in your file at the time you ask. You can ask that the first five digits of your Social Security number be truncated.
- The sources of the information.
- Everyone who got your report: two years back for employment purposes, one year for everything else.
- The dates, payees, and amounts of checks behind any negative check-writing entry.
- A record of inquiries for credit or insurance offers you didn’t start.
- A notice that you can request a credit score.
It must also come with the CFPB’s summary of your FCRA rights (§ 1681g(c)).
When it’s free
Under § 1681j and as the FTC explains:
- Once every 12 months from each nationwide bureau through AnnualCreditReport.com. The FTC says the bureaus have also made free weekly reports there permanent.
- Once a year from each nationwide specialty agency, through a toll-free number or other streamlined process.
- Within 60 days after an adverse action notice.
- When you place a fraud alert, believe your file has errors due to fraud, receive public assistance, or are unemployed and job hunting within 60 days.
Otherwise, the agency may charge a capped fee.
Common problems
- The disclosure leaves out items, sources, or inquiries that lenders or employers saw.
- The agency can’t match your identity and sends nothing, often a sign of a mixed file.
- A background screening company says it has no file even though it just sold a report about you.
How to use it
Pull disclosures from every agency that matters to you, not just the big three. Compare them line by line, and dispute anything wrong in writing. Keep copies; they become evidence if the error persists.
When it can be an FCRA violation
A disclosure that withholds information § 1681g requires is itself a failure to comply with the FCRA, separate from any inaccuracy in the file. Willful or negligent noncompliance can support a claim for damages.
If an agency won’t give you your complete file or won’t fix what it shows, FCRA Attorneys offers a free case review, and you pay no fee unless we win.
Related
- Consumer reporting agency
- Nationwide specialty consumer reporting agency
- Adverse action notice
- Hard inquiry
- Soft inquiry
- Fraud alert
- How to Dispute Credit Report Errors With Equifax, Experian and TransUnion
- How to Dispute Experian: Dispute Address, Phone, Deadlines and Your Rights
- How to Dispute Equifax: Dispute Address, Phone, Deadlines and Your Rights
- How to Dispute TransUnion: Dispute Address, Phone, Deadlines and Your Rights
- List of credit reporting agencies
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681g, disclosures to consumers (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681j, charges for certain disclosures (Cornell LII)
- FTC, Free Credit Reports
- CFPB, A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
Updated November 2026. This glossary is written by FCRA Attorneys from public sources. It is general information, not legal advice, and is not affiliated with any credit bureau or industry association.