Free Annual Credit Report Law
Under the law, consumers are generally entitled to a free annual credit report from each of the 3 national credit reporting agencies once every 12 months.
Consumers may order their credit reports by phone, by mail, or online through the annualcreditreport central site set up by the FTC to take requests:
- To order your free annual credit report by phone or mail, go to Free Annual Credit Report by Mail or Phone
- To order over the Internet from the secure central site mandated by Federal law, go to: AnnualCreditReport.com
While the central Internet site for ordering your free annual credit report is not intended to be used to market other credit report products to consumers (other than credit scores as discussed below), read and understand the conditions you agree to when you order your report lest you agree to receive marketing information and solicitations for other products from the credit bureaus.
- Credit Scores: your credit score is not part of your credit report. If you would like your credit score as part of your free annual credit report, you will be offered the opportunity to purchase it online. If the application form on the central Internet site is asking for your credit card information, it is likely because you have chosen to buy your credit score.
The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act was signed into Federal law in December 2003 (the FACT Act). The most publicized provision of the FACT Act changes the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to allow consumers a free annual credit report from each of the three national credit reporting agencies starting December 1, 2004. The three national credit bureaus are Equifax, Experian and Trans Union.
To avoid overwhelming the credit agencies, the FACT Act allows free annual credit reports to be available to consumers according to a staggered roll-out schedule according to your state of residence:
- Effective December 1, 2004, consumers in the Western States are eligible. (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming)
- Effective March 1, 2005, consumers in the Midwest States are eligible. (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
- Effective June 1, 2005, consumers in the Southern States are eligible. (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas)
- Effective September 1, 2005, consumers in the Eastern States and all U.S. Territories are eligible. (Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and all US Territories and Possessions)
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No credit card? You can still get your Free Annual Credit Report w/ no credit card needed . You'll need to order it by mail, and perhaps fill out a form, but you can still get your free credit report - it just takes longer than online.
Same thing by phone. If you want to get your Free Annual Credit Report by Phone, you can call a tollfree number for the annualcreditreport.com site and start the process to get your reports.
By the way consumers have other rights to free credit reports as explained in the Fair Credit Reporting Act Free Credit Reports. For example if you have been denied credit because of items in your credit, the FCRA has provisions for you to get a free report. More information is available on FCRA Free Credit Reports.
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If you have ever seen the free credit reports comercials on television, you'll want to watch the FTC Free Annual Credit Report Video that is a parody on the freecreditreport.com commercials. Plus it contains useful information about the annualcreditreport site.
