How many free credit reports per year can you get? For 2021 and at least part of 2022, a lot.
That’s because of a special benefit the 3 national credit reporting agencies are offering due to the pandemic.
Until April 20, 2022, you’re allowed to get a free credit report from each of the 3 major credit reporting agencies every week if you like.
(See How to Get a Credit Report for Free for directions on how and where to get them.)
So if you really went all out, you could get at least 156 free credit reports in 2021. That’s great if you want to keep a close eye on things or are waiting for something to drop off or show up.
During normal times, the number is much lower.
How Many Free Credit Reports Per Year Can You Get Normally?
By law, you can normally get one free copy of your credit report per credit reporting agency per year.
So you can get a free TransUnion credit report, a free Equifax one, and a free Experian one each year.
That’s 3 per year.
You can get them all at once, a couple at once and one later, or spread them out throughout the year.
Any way is fine, but you should check each one at least once a year to make sure everything is correct.
Extra Reports from Equifax Until 2026
As part of the Equifax data breach settlement, you can get extra reports from them.
Until 2026, all U.S. consumers are allowed to get 7 copies of their Equifax credit report each year instead of the normal one per year.
You can get your extra six Equifax reports the same way you get the regular one: by going to AnnualCreditReport.com.
Reasons You May Be Able to Get Even More Copies
You can also always get free copies of your credit reports in some other cases too. This is true even if you already got your annual report (or weekly right now.)
Those other cases are if:
- you’ve been denied credit, insurance, or a job because of what’s on a credit report. (But you have to ask for them within 60 days of being notified.)
- you place a fraud alert on your file because you’re the victim of identity theft, or if something is incorrect because of fraud.
- you’re on public assistance
- you’re unemployed but planning to apply for a job within 60 days
And remember, getting a copy of your credit report does not hurt your credit score. It just lets you keep an eye on things.