You can get a free credit report from all three major bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the only federally authorized website for free reports. The three bureaus have permanently extended a program that lets you check each of your reports once a week at no cost, so you can review your credit as often as you need to.
The Official Way to Get Your Reports
Federal law guarantees you a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide bureaus. On top of that baseline right, the bureaus now allow weekly access through the centralized site. Equifax goes a step further: everyone in the U.S. can pull six free Equifax reports per year through 2026 via AnnualCreditReport.com.
There are three ways to request your reports:
- Online at AnnualCreditReport.com: You get access immediately.
- By phone at 1-877-322-8228: Your report will be processed and mailed within 15 days.
- By mail: Complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and send it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Expect your report within 15 days of receipt.
Do not contact the three credit bureaus individually. The centralized service is the only authorized channel for your free annual reports.
What You Need to Verify Your Identity
The bureaus will ask for your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. If you’ve moved in the last two years, you may need to provide your previous address as well. After that, you’ll answer a few security questions that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment or which lender holds a particular account. You have to complete this verification for each bureau separately, even if you’re requesting all three reports at the same time.
If the system can’t verify your identity online, which sometimes happens if you’ve recently moved or have a thin credit history, try requesting by phone or mail instead.
Free Credit Scores Through Your Bank
Your credit report and your credit score are two different things. The report lists your accounts, balances, payment history, and any negative marks. The score is a number calculated from that data. AnnualCreditReport.com gives you the report itself but not necessarily a score.
Many banks and credit card issuers now offer free credit scores to their customers through online banking or mobile apps. U.S. Bank, for example, provides a free VantageScore 3.0 from TransUnion that updates weekly when you log in, along with access to a simplified version of your TransUnion credit report. Similar programs exist at most major banks and card issuers. Checking your score this way has no impact on your credit.
Keep in mind that the score your bank shows you may differ from the score a lender uses when evaluating your application. Banks often display a VantageScore, while many lenders rely on FICO scores. The two models weight your credit data differently. Still, a free score from your bank gives you a useful snapshot of where you stand.
How to Use Your Free Reports Strategically
With weekly access now available, you don’t have to ration your reports the way people once did. But it still helps to have a plan. Pull reports from all three bureaus at least once a year, because not every creditor reports to every bureau. An error or a fraudulent account might show up on one report but not the others.
When you review your report, look for accounts you don’t recognize, incorrect balances, late payments that were actually made on time, and personal information errors like a wrong address or misspelled name. If you find something wrong, you can dispute it directly with the bureau that’s showing the error. The bureau is required to investigate within 30 days.
Pulling your own credit report is what’s known as a “soft inquiry,” which means it does not affect your credit score. You can check as often as you like without any downside.
Watch Out for Lookalike Websites
AnnualCreditReport.com is the only site authorized by federal law to provide your free reports from all three bureaus. Plenty of other websites use similar-sounding names or promise “free” reports, then require a credit card number and sign you up for a paid monitoring subscription. If a site asks for payment information before showing you a report, you’re not on the official site. Bookmark AnnualCreditReport.com directly so you don’t end up on an imposter page through a search result or email link.