Rights Under the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) to a Free Credit Report
Under The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), consumers have a right to a free credit report on themselves in certain circumstances.
The most common circumstances under the FCRA for a free credit report are:
- After you receive an adverse notice, i.e. you have been denied credit in the last 60 days (sec 612b)
- If you are unemployed and intend to apply for employment in the 60-day period beginning on the date on wich the certification is made. (sec 612c)
- If you are a recipient of public welfare assistance (sec 612c)
- If you have a reason to believe that the file on you at the credit bureau contains inaccurate information due to fraud. (sec 612c)
If you are denied credit, generally your free credit report would be provided by the credit reporting agency that provided the report to the lender who denied you.
More information on your Free Annual Credit Report under the FACT Act is on our page Free Annual Credit Report.
More information on the FCRA is on our page the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The complete text of the FCRA is on the website of the Federal Trade Commission at FCRA Law. Section 612 of the FCRA covers charges for credit reports.
You are entitled to a free credit report if you have been denied credit in any of the 50 States: |
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| Alabama | Louisiana | Ohio |
| Alaska | Maine | Oklahoma |
| Arizona | Maryland | Oregon |
| Arkansas | Massachusetts | Pennsylvania |
| California | Michigan | Rhode Island |
| Colorado | Minnesota | South Carolina |
| Connecticut | Mississippi | South Dakota |
| Delaware | Missouri | Tennessee |
| Florida | Montana | Texas |
| Georgia | Nebraska | Utah |
| Hawaii | Nevada | Vermont |
| Idaho | New Hampshire | Virginia |
| Illinois | New Jersey | Washington |
| Indiana | New Mexico | West Virginia |
| Iowa | New York | Wisconsin |
| Kansas | North Carolina | Wyoming |
| Kentucky | North Dakota | |
Free Instant Credit Reports On the Internet
On the Internet, free instant credit reports are often advertised. The free instant credit report is normally only available after you subscribe to a Credit Monitoring Service.
Some advice when choosing your free online credit report service:
Before signing up for such services, we advise you to carefully read all the details of the "free" offer including the monthly and yearly charges. Determine when your card will be charged. Determine how you cancel, just in case you are not satisfied with the service.
- If you know which credit bureau report you want, make sure the free credit report is from that credit bureau. Some free trials include all three national credit reporting agencies.
- If you want a credit score, does the free credit report include one?
- Check if a sample report is available. Review it to make sure the free online credit report provides what you need. For example, sometimes you expect to get creditor addresses with your credit report but not all services provide such addresses.
- What other services are offered? Unlimited access? ID Fraud protection? Marketing Lists Opt-Out information?
