The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. If the consumer resides in Georgia, the consumer is entitled to two free credit reports per year from each of the following nationwide consumer credit reporting companies.

How to order your free credit report:
The three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies have set up a central website, a toll-free telephone number, and mailing address through which you can order your free credit report.

Annual Credit Report Request Services
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, Georgia 30348-5281
1-877-322-8228
annualcreditreport.com

Each credit reporting company may try to sell you your credit score, commonly known as FICO (Experian), Beacon (Equifax), or Empirica (Trans Union). These scores are used by creditors to determine if a consumer is a good credit risk. The higher your credit score, the better credit risk you are for the creditor. You are not required to purchase your credit score to receive your free credit report.

You will need to provide your name, address, social security number, and date of birth. If you have moved in the last two years, you may have to provide your previous address. To maintain the security of your file, each nationwide consumer credit reporting company may ask you for some information that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment. Each company may ask you for different information because the information each has in your file may come from different sources.

If you request your report online at annualcreditreport.com you should be able to access it immediately. If you order your report by calling toll-free 1-877-322-8228, your report will be processed and mailed to you within 15 days.