How Long Does a Credit Freeze Last and How to Lift One

A credit freeze lasts indefinitely. Once you place one at Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion, it stays on your credit report until you personally ask the bureau to lift or remove it.¹ There is no expiration date, no annual renewal, and no fee to place, lift, or remove it.²

How Long a Credit Freeze Stays in Place

Under the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act of 2018, a credit freeze remains active permanently until you take action to change it.³ You can leave it on for months or years without doing anything. There is no paperwork to renew, no reminder you need to watch for, and no recurring cost.

Each bureau treats the freeze the same way. If you placed freezes at all three, all three stay on until you contact each one separately to change them.

What Stays Protected While the Freeze Is On

Because the freeze has no time limit, it is worth knowing what it does and does not affect during the long stretches you leave it alone.

A freeze does not hurt your credit score.⁴ Your existing accounts keep reporting normally, and the freeze itself is not visible to lenders looking at accounts you already hold. Its only practical effect is that any application for new credit will be turned away until you lift it.

The freeze blocks new lenders from pulling your report, but several types of access continue:

Banks and lenders you already have accounts with can still review your file for account management.
Certain government agencies, including child support agencies, can access your file.
Credit monitoring services you have hired can still see your report.
Soft inquiries, such as pre-screened credit offers, are not blocked.

These exceptions are built into federal law. One boundary is worth flagging: the federal freeze law does not cover requests for your report tied to employment, tenant screening, or insurance.² If an employer or landlord needs to check your credit, you may still need to lift the freeze depending on the bureau’s process.

Lifting Temporarily vs. Removing Permanently

Because a freeze does not end on its own, ending it is your choice, and there are two ways to do it. The right one depends on whether you want the protection to come back.

A temporary lift, sometimes called a thaw, opens your file for a date range you specify. The freeze lifts on the start date and goes back into place automatically on the end date. This is the practical choice when you are applying for a single loan or credit card.
A permanent removal takes the freeze off entirely. If you want the protection again later, you have to place a new freeze.

Both are free and follow the same legal processing deadlines.² Ask the lender which bureau they intend to check, and lift the freeze only at that bureau; there is no need to open all three files if only one will be pulled.⁴

How to Lift or Remove a Credit Freeze

You can lift or remove a freeze online, by phone, or by mail. You will need to contact each bureau separately, so plan on going through the process up to three times.

Online or Phone

Online portals and toll-free phone lines are the fastest routes. Federal law gives each bureau one hour to process an online or phone request to lift or remove a freeze.¹ That deadline makes these the clear choice for a time-sensitive credit application.

Managing the freeze online usually means logging into an account at each bureau’s website. By phone, the bureau will verify your identity using your name, date of birth, address, and Social Security number, and may ask additional security questions.

Mail

A mailed request gives the bureau up to three business days after receiving your letter to process the change.¹ Your letter should include your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, current address, and a copy of a government-issued ID.⁵ Mail is not practical when you need credit soon.

What to Have Ready

Whatever the method, be prepared with your full Social Security number, date of birth, and current address.⁵ If you were issued a PIN or password when you placed the freeze, keep it accessible. Some bureaus still use PINs for phone and mail requests, though online systems have moved toward account logins instead of a separate PIN.

If you have lost your PIN, each bureau offers recovery through its website, usually with identity verification questions. Recovery adds time, so store your original freeze confirmation somewhere safe.

After processing, the bureau will send a confirmation, typically an on-screen message or email for online requests. Check it before telling a lender to pull your report.

Freezes on Minors’ and Protected Persons’ Credit

The same indefinite duration applies to freezes placed on behalf of children under 16 and incapacitated adults.² A parent, guardian, or authorized representative can request the freeze. If the bureau does not already have a file for the child, it will create one specifically to freeze it.

The process differs from a standard adult freeze.⁴ Each bureau has its own documentation requirements, but you should expect to provide proof of your identity, proof of the child’s identity such as a birth certificate, and proof of your legal authority to act, such as guardianship papers or a power of attorney. Because these documents need manual review, this is usually handled by mail.

The freeze lasts indefinitely, and the guardian is the one who has to request removal, for example when a teenager turns 16 and wants to open a first account.

If a Bureau Misses the Deadline

If the bureau does not process your request within the legal deadlines, one hour for online or phone and three business days for mail, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through its online portal at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.⁶ You can also report the issue to the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov.

Before you complain, confirm your submission was complete. A wrong PIN, an outdated address, or missing identification can hold up processing without the bureau being at fault. If everything was in order and the deadline has passed, a written timeline of your request will make the complaint stronger.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
2
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Credit Freeze or Security Freeze on My Credit Report
3
Federal Trade Commission. Starting Today, New Federal Law Allows Consumers to Place Free Credit Freezes and Yearlong Fraud Alerts
4
Federal Trade Commission. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts
5
Annual Credit Report.com. Security Freeze Basics
6
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a Complaint