How to get your free credit reports, from the official site
Last updated: Sources checked: September 2026
You can get a free credit report from each of the three nationwide bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, at AnnualCreditReport.com. It is the site the federal government points people to for free reports. Pull all three, because each bureau holds its own file and an error can appear on one and not the others.
Free reports do not include your credit score. Reports show your history; scores are a separate product.
Where to go
Type AnnualCreditReport.com into your browser yourself rather than following an ad or a search result. Look-alike sites with similar names exist, and some of them charge for monitoring or ask for payment details. You should not need a credit card number to get the free reports.
How often
The site offers free reports from each bureau on a weekly basis. That matters for disputes: you can pull a fresh report to check whether a correction appeared, without waiting a year.
Steps
- Go to AnnualCreditReport.com and choose to request your reports.
- Enter your name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number when asked. This is how the bureaus find the right file.
- Answer the identity questions each bureau asks. They are drawn from your credit history.
- Choose all three bureaus.
- View each report and save a copy. Use your browser’s print-to-PDF option if a download is not offered.
- Name each file with the bureau and the date, for example
equifax-2026-10-02.pdf.
Why you save copies
A dated copy is your record of what the bureau said on that day. When you file a dispute, you will point to specific items on a specific report. After you file, you will compare a new report to the old one to see what changed. Keep every report, and store them somewhere private.
Other times a report is free
Federal law also gives you a free report in some situations beyond the weekly access, such as after a company turns you down for credit based on your report. In that case you generally have 60 days to ask for it. Placing a fraud alert is another trigger. The details are in section 612 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
What not to do
Do not pay for a report you can get free. Do not give your Social Security number to any site that reached you by email or text. Do not send your reports to anyone who offers to “fix” them for a fee before you understand what the law lets you do yourself.
Do this today
Go to AnnualCreditReport.com, pull all three reports, and save each as a dated PDF. Then read how to read a credit report.