Paying for Additional Credit Reports

Every 12 months, you're entitled to a free credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies (also called "credit bureaus") and, in some cases, even more. And, if you need another copy from Equifax, Experian, or Transunion after you've exhausted your free copies, you can pay for one.

Getting Free Credit Reports

To get your free annual report from the three big credit reporting agencies—Experian, Equifax, and Transunion—go to AnnualCreditReport.com.

Under a legal settlement in 2020, finalized in 2022, you can get six free credit reports from Equifax each year for seven years. The free reports are in addition to the one free Equifax report, and the free Experian and TransUnion reports that you can get each year at AnnualCreditReport.com. Also, under the settlement terms, Equifax must provide free credit monitoring, identity theft assistance, and cash payments to people whose information was exposed in the hack.

And, in certain situations, you can get more free reports.

Paying for Additional Credit Reports

There are so many ways to get copies of your credit reports for free you will probably never need to buy a copy. But if you do need another copy—or if you don't qualify for a free copy—you'll have to pay about a fee to get a credit report from one of the nationwide credit reporting agencies.

The agencies' websites sometimes hide the charge for ordering one credit report and advertise a low cost or a free copy with a 30-day or longer trial membership for one of their services, such as credit monitoring. If you don't want the service, be sure to cancel it within the 30 days to avoid the high monthly fees.

How to Pay for Additional Credit Reports

To order additional credit reports after you've received your free annual report from the Annual Credit Report service, you must contact the credit reporting agency directly. You can do so:

• Online. The credit reporting agencies generally allow people to order reports from their websites. (See contact information below.)

• By mail. If you choose to order your report by mail, you can use Nolo's Letter to Request Credit Report. You can also find a copy of this letter in Nolo's Credit Repair, by Amy Loftsgordon and Cara O'Neill.

• By phone. (See contact information below).

You will have to provide some personal information so the credit reporting agency can identify you.

Contact Information for Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion

To contact the three nationwide credit reporting agencies directly, go to:

Equifax

P.O. Box 740241

Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

800-685-1111

www.equifax.com

Experian

866-200-6020

www.experian.com

TransUnion

800-888-4213

www.transunion.com

Disputing Errors

If you find errors, outdated information, or missing information on any of your credit reports, you should dispute those items with the credit reporting agency that produced the report. If the credit reporting agency won't fix the error or errors, consider talking to an attorney who can help you enforce your rights. You have the right to sue an agency that violates your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including continuing to report incorrect information.