Government Free Credit Report

According to a new rule passed by the federal government, everyone is entitled to get one free credit report per year. Most people don’t even know about this new law. It became effective on September1, 2005. The U.S. was divided into sections and each section had a different date that the law became effective in an effort to control the number of inquiries all at one time. This law is part of the FACT ACT that aims to make sure there are fair credit transactions and fair reporting.

Get Your Credit Score For Free

By claiming your free annual report, you can easily check for any records showing up on your report that are incorrect or do not belong to you. The quicker you can catch a problem with your report, the easier it will be to clear up the mistake. Often times it can take months or even years to erase bad marks from your report.

How to Claim Free Credit Report

You can request one free credit report from each of the credit bureaus every year. There is a standard form on the Federal Trade Commission’s Web site that you can use to place your requests for free copies. The three credit bureaus also share a joint Web address, mailing address and phone number for you to easily access your free credit reports annually.

All you need to do to claim your free report is follow the link provided from the annual report Web site answer a few personal financial question. If you prefer to obtain a copy by mail, simply send a written request to one or all three of the credit bureaus along with two photocopied pieces of identification. Your report will be mailed to you. No information is available over the phone.