Use AnnualCreditReport.com, the official site for free reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Federal law provides one free report from each every 12 months, and the bureaus have permanently extended free weekly online reports there.
The official source
The FTC identifies AnnualCreditReport.com as the only site authorized to fill orders for the free credit reports required by federal law. You can request reports online (with immediate access), by phone, or by mailing the Annual Credit Report Request Form; phone and mail requests are processed and mailed within 15 days. The FTC advises not to contact the three bureaus individually for these free reports.
How often it is free
- Once every 12 months, by law, from each nationwide bureau through the centralized source (15 U.S.C. § 1681j(a)).
- Weekly, online. The FTC reports that the three bureaus have permanently extended a program letting you check your report from each once a week for free at AnnualCreditReport.com.
Other free reports under the FCRA
You are also entitled to a free disclosure:
- After adverse action. If you request it within 60 days after receiving notice of adverse action based on a credit report (§ 1681j(b)).
- Once in 12 months if you certify in writing that you are unemployed and intend to apply for work within 60 days, receive public welfare assistance, or believe your file contains inaccurate information due to fraud (§ 1681j(c)).
- With a fraud alert. Placing a fraud alert entitles you to a free disclosure, and an extended alert entitles you to two free disclosures in the following 12 months (§ 1681c-1).
- After a dispute changes your file. The FTC notes that if a dispute results in a change, you get a free copy of your report, which does not count as your annual free report.
Watch out for look-alikes
Sites advertising “free” reports may require enrolling in a paid service. Free credit monitoring apps also often show data from only one or two bureaus. To review your actual files before disputing, use AnnualCreditReport.com.
Next, see how to dispute credit report errors.
Related
- How to Dispute Credit Report Errors With Equifax, Experian and TransUnion
- Companies we sue
- What Is the FCRA? The Fair Credit Reporting Act in Plain English
Sources
- FTC — Free Credit Reports
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681j — Charges for certain disclosures (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-1 — Identity theft prevention; fraud alerts (Cornell LII)
Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.