How to Freeze a Child’s Credit at All 3 Bureaus

To freeze a child’s credit at all 3 bureaus, you send a separate written request to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, each one including proof of the child’s identity, proof of your own identity, and proof that you have legal authority over the child. The bureaus do not share these requests, so leaving one out leaves that file exposed. The right to do this comes from a 2018 amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act covering children under 16, and it costs nothing.¹ Because most children have no credit file yet, each bureau creates one solely to apply the freeze.

Gather the Documents Before You Start

Every bureau asks for the same three categories of proof. Assembling everything before you touch a form is the difference between a freeze placed in days and a rejection letter asking for missing items weeks later.

For the Child

You need the child’s full legal name, Social Security number, date of birth, and current address, plus photocopies of the child’s birth certificate and Social Security card.² Experian lists the same documents.³ Send copies. You will not get originals back.

For You

A copy of a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, state ID card, or passport. Most bureaus also want proof of your current address in the form of a recent utility bill, bank statement, or insurance statement.³ The name on your ID should match the name on whatever authority document you send.

For Your Authority Over the Child

The federal statute recognizes several forms of “sufficient proof of authority”:¹

Biological or adoptive parents can send a birth certificate or adoption decree listing their name.
Legal guardians can send a court order establishing guardianship or a valid power of attorney.
Foster care representatives can send a written letter from the county welfare or probation agency certifying that the child is in foster care under its jurisdiction, no court order required.⁴

Before you send anything, it is worth checking whether the child’s Social Security number has already been misused. Collection calls in the child’s name, IRS notices about unpaid income taxes tied to their SSN, denials of health coverage or nutritional assistance, or a teenager’s rejected financial aid application all suggest existing fraud. A freeze prevents new accounts; it does not clean up damage already done. If you see these signs, place the freeze anyway, and separately dispute the fraudulent accounts with each bureau and file a report at IdentityTheft.gov.⁵

Send a Separate Request to Each Bureau

Three bureaus, three complete packets. Each has its own form and its own address.

Equifax

Download the Minor Freeze Request form from Equifax’s website, fill it out, and mail the completed form with your supporting documents to:⁶

Equifax Information Services LLC
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348

Equifax handles minor freeze requests by mail only. Online accounts with Equifax require the user to be at least 18.²

Experian

Experian provides a form on its help page and accepts submissions by standard mail or overnight delivery:³

Standard mail:
Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013

Overnight mail:
Experian
701 Experian Parkway
Allen, TX 75013

Experian also offers a digital upload option through its help page. You submit scanned documents online, select “Other” as the request reason, and specify it as a minor freeze request. The required documents are the same.

TransUnion

TransUnion processes minor freezes as “Protected Consumer Freezes,” and these can only be placed by mail because of the documentation requirements.⁷ Check TransUnion’s Protected Consumer Freeze page for the current mailing address, since bureau addresses occasionally change. The required documents mirror the other two bureaus: identity proof for you and the child, plus proof of authority.

Certified Mail Is Worth the Cost

No federal law requires certified mail, but you are sending copies of Social Security cards and birth certificates through the postal system. Certified mail with return receipt gives you a tracking number and written proof the bureau received your packet. As of 2026, USPS charges $5.30 for certified mail and $4.40 for a physical return receipt, or $2.82 for email notification.⁸ Across all three bureaus, expect roughly $35 to $40 in postage.

Timeline and the Confirmation Letter

The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires bureaus to place a freeze within one business day of receiving an electronic request and within three business days of a mailed request.⁹ Because minor freezes travel by mail at most bureaus, three business days from delivery is the realistic benchmark. It can take a little longer when the bureau has to create a credit file from scratch before freezing it.

Each bureau mails a confirmation letter with a unique PIN or confirmation code tied to the child’s file. That code is how you or, later, the child lifts or removes the freeze. Treat the confirmation letter as a legal document. Store the physical letters somewhere secure like a fireproof safe or a safety deposit box, and keep an encrypted digital backup in a password manager. Keep the codes separate from anything else containing the child’s Social Security number, because someone with both has everything they need.

What a Credit Freeze Does Not Block

A credit freeze is narrow. It stops new credit accounts from being opened because lenders cannot pull a frozen report. It does not touch other uses of a Social Security number:

Government benefit fraud, where someone claims benefits under the child’s SSN, involves no credit check.
Tax fraud, such as filing a fraudulent return using the child’s SSN, bypasses credit bureaus entirely.
Medical identity theft, using the child’s identity to obtain healthcare, does not involve credit inquiries.

The freeze also does not stop existing creditors or collection agencies from accessing the file. It blocks new inquiries only.

If Your Child Is 16 or 17

The protected consumer freeze under federal law applies to children under 16.¹ A 16 or 17 year old with an existing credit file can request a standard freeze on their own by phone or by mail, but cannot open bureau online accounts until 18.² A 16 or 17 year old with no credit file falls into a gap the statute does not address, because the rule forcing bureaus to create a file exists only for children under 16. Contacting each bureau directly is the only way to know their options. Most families place the freeze before the child’s 16th birthday for this reason.

Lifting the Freeze or Converting It Later

A protected consumer freeze does not expire on its own. It stays in place until someone acts on it, at any age.¹⁰ As parent or guardian, you can lift it temporarily or remove it permanently at any time while the child is under 16. Once the child turns 16, they can manage the freeze themselves.²

At 18, the freeze remains in place as a protected consumer freeze. It does not automatically convert to a standard adult freeze. The now-adult needs to contact each bureau to convert it, typically by mailing a written request with identity documents.¹⁰ A standard freeze can be managed online and lifted temporarily for specific windows when applying for credit, a lease, or a job.¹¹ This is the step families forget: a college freshman applies for a student card or an apartment, gets denied, and only then discovers the old protected freeze is still active. Handing over the PINs and a note of which code belongs to which bureau, when the child is ready to manage their own credit, is the last piece of the job you started years earlier.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
2
Equifax. Freezing Your Child’s Credit Report FAQ
3
Experian. Requesting a Minor’s Credit Report, Fraud Alert or Security Freeze
4
Federal Trade Commission. New Protections Available for Minors Under 16
5
Federal Trade Commission. How To Protect Your Child From Identity Theft
6
Equifax. Security Freeze – Freeze or Unfreeze Your Credit
7
TransUnion. Freeze Support Center – Credit Freeze FAQs
8
USPS. Insurance and Extra Services
9
Federal Trade Commission. Fair Credit Reporting Act
10
TransUnion. Child Identity Theft
11
Federal Trade Commission. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts