Freezing Your Credit: What It Does and Doesn’t Do

To freeze your credit, contact each of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — and request a security freeze online, by phone, or by mail. It is free under federal law, takes effect quickly, and blocks new lenders from pulling your credit report until you lift it. You have to request the freeze at each bureau separately, because freezing your file at one does not freeze it at the others.¹

What a Freeze Actually Blocks

A freeze locks your credit file so new creditors cannot pull it. When a mortgage lender, credit card issuer, or auto loan company tries to check your credit, access is denied and the application is typically rejected. Since identity thieves rely on opening new accounts in your name, cutting off that lookup cuts off their main avenue of attack.

The freeze does not touch your existing accounts. Current credit cards and loans keep working, your lenders keep reporting your payments and balances to the bureaus, and your credit score continues to move with your normal financial activity.¹ The freeze lasts indefinitely and does not expire.²

Several parties can still see your frozen file. Companies you already have accounts with can review it for account maintenance. Debt collectors, government agencies acting under court order or investigating fraud, child support enforcement agencies, and insurance underwriters all retain access. So do companies making pre-screened credit offers, which is why a freeze will not stop pre-approved offers from arriving in your mailbox. You can still pull your own report at any time.²

One boundary worth knowing: employers running background checks and landlords running tenant screenings are not on the exceptions list. A freeze blocks them, so you will need to lift it temporarily if you are job hunting or applying for a rental.³

Contacting Each Bureau

Online is the fastest route and typically takes effect within seconds.⁴ Phone requests run through automated prompts. Mail is slowest but gives you a paper trail. All three methods are free at every bureau.¹

Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze; 888-298-0045; P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
Experian: experian.com/freeze; 888-397-3742; P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-freeze; 888-909-8872; P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

What You Will Need

Each bureau asks for the same identifying details to match the request to your file:

Full legal name, including any suffixes
Social Security number
Date of birth
Current address and any previous addresses from the last two years

Use the address currently on file with each bureau. A mismatch slows things down.

How Fast It Takes Effect

Federal law sets the deadlines once the bureau verifies your identity. Online or phone requests must be applied within one business day; mail requests within three business days.² In practice, online freezes at all three bureaus post almost immediately.⁴

Save Your PIN

Each bureau sends you a confirmation along with a PIN or login credentials. Store them somewhere secure. You will need them to lift or remove the freeze later, and while every bureau offers a replacement process through its portal, by phone, or by mail, replacing a lost PIN adds delay exactly when you need to act quickly.

Lifting the Freeze When You Need Credit

When you apply for a loan, open a credit card, rent an apartment, or sit for a credit-check employment screen, you will need to lift the freeze. You can request either a temporary lift for a set time period or a permanent removal. Both are free.³

Contact each bureau using the PIN or credentials from when you placed the freeze. Federal deadlines are tighter for lifts than for placement: within one hour for online or phone requests, within three business days for mail.²

A temporary lift reinstates the freeze automatically when the time window expires. You do not need to contact the bureau again. Before lifting at all three bureaus, ask the lender which one they plan to pull from. Often you only need to lift at one.

Freeze, Fraud Alert, or Lock?

A freeze is the strongest of the three options, but it is not the only one.

A fraud alert tells lenders to take extra steps to verify your identity before opening a new account. You only need to contact one bureau, which is required to notify the other two. An initial alert lasts one year and can be renewed; confirmed identity theft victims can get an extended alert lasting seven years.⁵ An alert is lighter touch than a freeze because it adds a verification step rather than blocking access.

A credit lock is a commercial product each bureau sells, usually controlled through a mobile app. Locks are not governed by federal law, some carry monthly subscription fees, and they lack the statutory protections that apply to freezes, including the one-hour lift deadline and the guarantee of no cost. For most people, a freeze is the stronger consumer protection.

Don’t Forget the Secondary Bureaus

Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion are the three major bureaus, but others exist, and identity thieves can exploit them to open bank accounts, utility service, or phone lines in your name.

ChexSystems is the one banks and credit unions check when you apply for a checking or savings account. Freeze your file through its consumer portal, by phone at 800-887-7652, or by mail to P.O. Box 583399, Minneapolis, MN 55458.⁶

Innovis is a fourth national credit bureau that some lenders pull from. Freeze at innovis.com, by phone at 866-712-4546, or by mail to P.O. Box 530088, Atlanta, GA 30353-0088.⁷

The National Consumer Telecom and Utilities Exchange (NCTUE) tracks your history with phone, cable, and utility companies. Freeze it by calling 866-349-5355 or mailing a request to Exchange Service Center—NCTUE, P.O. Box 105561, Atlanta, GA 30348.

Freezing a Child’s or Incapacitated Adult’s Credit

Children under 16 are frequent identity theft targets because the fraud can go undetected for years. Federal law gives a parent, guardian, or other authorized representative the right to place a free freeze on behalf of a child under 16.² Most children do not yet have a credit file, so the bureau may need to create one before freezing it.⁵

You will generally need proof of your identity, proof of the child’s identity such as a birth certificate, and proof of your authority to act for the child, such as a birth certificate showing parentage, a court order, or a power of attorney.² Each bureau has its own forms and submission process, so check their individual websites.

The same right extends to legal guardians of incapacitated adults. The documentation is parallel: proof of your identity, proof of the protected person’s identity, and documentation of your legal authority, such as a court-issued guardianship order or a valid power of attorney.⁸

1
TransUnion. Credit Freeze
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention, Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
3
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Credit Freeze or Security Freeze on My Credit Report
4
Experian. Freeze Your Credit File for Free
5
Federal Trade Commission. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts
6
ChexSystems. Security Freeze Information
7
Innovis. Add or Manage a Security Freeze
8
Equifax. How Do I Place a Security Freeze on an Incapacitated Adult’s or Minor’s Equifax Credit Report