How Do I Freeze My Credit Report at All Three Bureaus?

To freeze your credit at all three bureaus, you contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately — each has its own online portal, phone line, and mailing address, and each freeze is free under federal law.¹ No single portal handles all three at once, so plan on three short requests rather than one.² Online requests are the fastest; the bureau has one business day to place the freeze when you submit online or by phone, and three business days when you mail it in.

What a Freeze Actually Does

A credit freeze, sometimes called a security freeze, restricts who can pull your credit report. With a freeze in place, most lenders cannot see your file, which means they will not approve new loans or credit cards opened in your name. Identity thieves rely on that credit check happening, so cutting it off is what stops new fraudulent accounts.³

A freeze does not expire. It stays active until you lift it or remove it, it does not affect your credit score, and you can still see your own reports while it is in place.³

Some access continues even with a freeze on. Companies where you already have accounts can still review your file for account management. Certain government agencies, including law enforcement and child support agencies, can access it. Any credit monitoring service you have signed up for will continue to see your file. And the federal freeze does not block requests tied to employment screening, tenant screening, or insurance underwriting.³

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Each bureau will ask for the same core identifying information, so gather it once and reuse it three times:

Full legal name as it appears on your ID
Social Security number
Date of birth
Current and previous addresses for the last two years

Expect identity verification questions pulled from your credit history, like the amount of a recent loan payment or the name of a lender holding one of your accounts. The questions vary by bureau because the data behind them does.⁴ If a bureau cannot verify you online, it may ask for a copy of a government-issued photo ID and a recent utility bill. If you mail documents, send copies rather than originals, and use certified mail so you have proof of delivery.

Freezing at Equifax

Online: the Equifax security freeze page at equifax.com
Phone: 800-685-1111
Mail: Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348-5788⁵

Freezing at Experian

Online: experian.com/help/credit-freeze
Phone: 888-397-3742
Mail: Experian, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013⁵

Experian no longer uses a PIN. You manage your freeze through a free Experian account and sign in with your normal credentials.⁶

Freezing at TransUnion

Online: transunion.com/credit-freeze
Phone: 888-909-8872
Mail: TransUnion, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094⁵

Confirmation, PINs, and Timing

The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act made freezes free at all three bureaus nationwide, replacing fees that had run as high as $10 per bureau in some states.⁷ Each bureau has one business day to place a freeze requested online or by phone, and three business days for a mailed request.¹

Within five business days of placing the freeze, each bureau must send you written confirmation. The confirmation includes a PIN or instructions for setting up an online account, and you will need those credentials later to lift or remove the freeze.¹ Save them somewhere secure. Losing them can delay future access to your own credit.

Lifting the Freeze When You Need Credit

When you apply for a mortgage, car loan, new credit card, or utility service, the lender needs to pull your report. You contact the bureau where the freeze is in place and ask for a lift, using the same online, phone, or mail options.² An online or phone request must be honored within one hour. A mailed request has to be processed within three business days of receipt.¹

You can lift the freeze two ways. A temporary lift opens your report for a date range you choose, then reinstates the freeze automatically; some bureaus let you lift for a specific creditor instead of a time window. A permanent removal returns your file to its usual accessible state, and you can place a new freeze anytime at no cost.

Ask the lender which bureau they check before you apply. Lifting at just one is often enough for a single application, and your file stays frozen at the other two.

Freezing a Child’s or Dependent’s Credit

Federal law lets parents and legal guardians freeze the credit file of anyone under 16. If the bureaus do not already have a file on the child, they must create one for the sole purpose of freezing it, and that file cannot be used for credit decisions.⁸

You will need to send proof of your authority — a birth certificate for a parent, guardianship paperwork for a guardian — along with the child’s identifying information. Placing and removing a child’s freeze is free at all three bureaus.⁸

Legal guardians of incapacitated adults can also place a freeze. The process requires proof of your identity, proof of the adult’s identity, and documentation that you are their authorized representative. Each bureau has its own form, so contact them directly for the paperwork.⁹

Freeze, Lock, or Fraud Alert

A credit lock is not the same thing as a freeze. A freeze is a legal right under federal law and is always free.¹ A lock is a product offered by each bureau under its own terms of service, usually with faster app-based toggling. Equifax’s Lock & Alert is free. Experian’s CreditLock is bundled into a subscription at $24.99 per month, and TransUnion’s subscription with locking runs $29.95 per month. The core protection — blocking new creditors from seeing your report — is the same, so there is no need to pay for a lock unless you want the app convenience. For a child’s file, a freeze is the only option.

A fraud alert is a separate tool that works alongside a freeze. Rather than blocking access, it tells creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity before opening a new account, typically by calling you. An initial fraud alert is free and lasts one year, and you only need to contact one of the three bureaus; that bureau has to notify the other two.¹⁰ If you temporarily lift your freeze to apply for credit, the fraud alert keeps a verification layer in place during that window.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
2
USAGov. How to Place or Lift a Security Freeze on Your Credit Report
3
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Credit Freeze or Security Freeze on My Credit Report
4
Federal Trade Commission. Free Credit Reports
5
IdentityTheft.gov. Credit Bureau Contacts
6
Experian. Freeze or Unfreeze Your Credit File for Free
7
Federal Trade Commission. Starting Today, New Federal Law Allows Consumers to Place Free Credit Freezes and Yearlong Fraud Alerts
8
Federal Trade Commission. New Protections Available for Minors Under 16
9
Equifax. How Do I Place a Security Freeze on an Incapacitated Adult’s or Minor’s Equifax Credit Report
10
Federal Trade Commission. Fraud Alerts and Credit Freezes: What’s the Difference