How to Get a Completely Free Credit Report

As a result of a Federal law passed in late 2003, you are entitled to a completely free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting services (Equifax, TransUnion, Experian) once per year. (Eligibility has been rolling out in regions across the country; with the last group of states eligible on 9/1/05).

There's lots of 'noise' on the Internet... offers that tie free reports to signing up for some sort of credit monitoring service. There's nothing wrong with those offers if you want to keep very close tabs on your credit through the year.

However, if you just want the free reports available under this law, you need to visit www.annualcreditreport.com. That site is the official site for this free report benefit. When you visit the site, you will pick your state, and then will be taken individually to each of the reporting agencies where you can view/print your report.

I went through this earlier this AM --- a couple of the sites do offer to sell you additional services or add you to a mailing list. Keep in mind that you don't have to buy anything to access your free report. Also note that your credit score (FICO score) is not included in this free offer, so you will need to purchase that separately if you want to see that number.