How to Freeze and Unfreeze Your Credit at All 3 Bureaus

To freeze and unfreeze your credit at all three bureaus, you contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately, either online, by phone, or by mail. Each bureau keeps its own file on you, so a freeze at one does not affect the others. Placement is free, and federal law requires each bureau to activate an online or phone request within one business day and to process a lift or removal within one hour through the same channels.¹

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Each bureau will verify your identity before placing the freeze, so gather your documents first. You will need your full legal name including any suffix, your Social Security number, your date of birth, your current address plus every address from the past two years, and an email address. For mail-in requests, and sometimes for online verification, you will also need a photocopy of a government-issued photo ID (driver’s license, state ID, or passport) and proof of address such as a utility bill, bank statement, or insurance statement.²

Having everything ready before you sit down prevents a web portal from timing out mid-process.

Placing the Freeze at Each Bureau

You have three channels. Online is the fastest and gives immediate confirmation. Phone works through automated keypad entry. Mail is slowest but useful if you cannot verify online. The direct contact points, from the federal government’s identity theft resource:³

Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze or 800-685-1111
Experian: experian.com/help/credit-freeze or 888-397-3742
TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-freeze or 888-909-8872

Online, the system walks you through identity verification and confirms the freeze right away. Most bureaus have you create an account with a username and password rather than issuing a PIN. Experian no longer uses PINs at all and manages the freeze through your free Experian account. Equifax uses its myEquifax portal the same way. TransUnion may still issue a PIN depending on how you submit the request. Whatever credentials you end up with, store them somewhere secure, because losing them creates a headache when you need to lift the freeze later.

By phone, an automated system guides you through keypad entry of your personal information. You get a verbal confirmation and usually a written notice mailed to your address afterward.

For mail, send a written letter with photocopies of your ID and address proof to the bureau’s designated address. Use certified mail so you have delivery confirmation. The bureau must place the freeze within three business days of receiving a mailed request.¹

Lifting or Unfreezing Your Credit

You will need to lift your freeze whenever you apply for new credit yourself: a mortgage, a car loan, a credit card, even a new cell phone plan. You have two options.

A temporary lift opens your file for a set window of time, after which the freeze snaps back on automatically. Some bureaus also let you lift the freeze for a single named creditor rather than opening it to everyone. That is the option to use when you know exactly which lender needs access and when.

A permanent removal cancels the freeze entirely until you choose to place a new one.

Both are free. Both must be processed within one hour when you request them online or by phone, and within three business days when you send the request by mail.¹⁴

Use the same portal, phone number, or mailing address you used to place the freeze. Log in with your account credentials or PIN, choose lift or remove, and specify a date range if you are doing a temporary lift. The one-hour turnaround is fast enough that you can often lift the freeze right before a lender runs your credit and have it reinstated the same day. If you know which bureau your lender pulls from, you only need to lift it at that one bureau. Ask beforehand.

What a Freeze Does and Does Not Block

A freeze stops the bureau from releasing your report to anyone requesting it for a new credit application. Someone with your Social Security number cannot open a credit card, take out a car loan, or get a mortgage in your name while the freeze is active. It also means you cannot open new credit yourself without lifting it first.⁵

A freeze does not cut off all access to your file. Companies you already have accounts with can still pull your report for account reviews, credit line increases, and collections.⁶ Government agencies with a court order or subpoena keep access. Prescreened credit offers will still arrive in the mail; to stop those, opt out separately at OptOutPrescreen.com or by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT.

A freeze has no effect on your credit score. It controls who can see the report, not what is in it, and scoring models do not factor in whether a freeze exists.⁵

Freezing Files Beyond the Big Three

Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion handle most credit inquiries, but they are not the only agencies with a file on you. If you want thorough coverage, freeze your file at these too:

Innovis, a fourth consumer reporting agency some lenders use. Freeze online at innovis.com/securityFreeze, call 866-712-4546, or mail Innovis Consumer Assistance, PO Box 530088, Atlanta, GA 30353-0088.
ChexSystems, which banks and credit unions check when you apply for a checking or savings account. A ChexSystems freeze prevents someone from opening deposit accounts in your name.⁷
NCTUE, the National Consumer Telecom and Utilities Exchange, which utility companies and phone carriers query. Request a freeze by calling 866-349-5355 or by mail at Exchange Service Center – NCTUE, PO Box 105561, Atlanta, GA 30348.⁸

These take maybe 30 minutes total and close gaps that a thief can still exploit even when your big three files are locked.

Freezing a Child’s or Dependent’s Credit

Federal law lets parents and legal guardians freeze a child’s credit file under the same free-of-charge rules that apply to adults.¹ The process needs more documentation than freezing your own file because you have to prove both your identity and your authority over the child. Expect to provide the child’s birth certificate, the child’s Social Security card, your own government-issued ID, and proof of your relationship (the birth certificate usually covers this). Legal guardians who are not biological parents will need a court order or other official document establishing guardianship. Each bureau’s document requirements differ slightly, so check with all three before sending anything in.

The same approach applies if you manage finances for an incapacitated adult as a guardian or conservator. You will need a court order establishing your authority or a valid power of attorney, along with proof of your own identity.⁹ A freeze placed before any fraud occurs is far easier to manage than cleaning up afterward.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 US Code 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
2
Annual Credit Report.com. Security Freeze Basics
3
IdentityTheft.gov. Credit Bureau Contacts
4
Federal Trade Commission. Starting Today, New Federal Law Allows Consumers to Place Free Credit Freezes and Yearlong Fraud Alerts
5
Consumer Advice – FTC. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts
6
Federal Trade Commission. A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
7
ChexSystems. Security Freeze Information
8
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. National Consumer Telecom and Utilities Exchange (NCTUE)
9
Federal Trade Commission. Managing Someone Else’s Money – New Protection From ID Theft and Fraud