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Once a year you are allowed to receive a free copy of each of your credit reports.  You can always request them more often, but then you will have to pay for those requests unless you have a valid reason to request additional free copies (like you were turned down for credit or a job).

So how do you go about requesting your free credit reports?  I suggest that you request each one a different times of the year to give yourself some additional protection against identity theft.  Lets say you request your TransUnion report in February, Experian in June and Equifax in October.  By doing this you can keep an eye on your credit all year round and get a handle on any troubles you may find quickly.  You can request your reports online or in by submitting a request in writing.

The web address is: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/.  This is the only authorized address to get the “free” report, many other sites may claim to offer a free report but are there for commercial profit making purposes.  They want you to sign up for this or that service.  Even at this official address you need to be careful that you don’t end up signing up for some service the bureaus offer as a part of your request.

I’m a fan of making my request in writing, call me old school but I like to do it that way.  Your request should state your name (full legal name), current address and any recent previous addresses, date of birth, social security number, and that you are requesting you annual free report.  You should also include a copy of your driver’s license or other government-issued proof of your identity, which includes your current address, and a current utility bill containing your current address so the credit bureaus may promptly respond to your request.

The addresses are:

Equifax
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, Georgia 30374

Experian
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, Texas 75013

TransUnion
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834

If you are hearing impaired you can also request your free reports by calling the bureaus TDD service at 1-877-730-4104.

So what do you do if you find an error on your credit report once you have received your credit report?  Check out this article on I have errors on my credit report, now what?.  Maybe you need to build some credit?  Check out this post on Secured Credit Cards.