How to Get Your Free Credit Report in Canada

Every Canadian can get a free copy of their credit report from both national credit bureaus, Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada. The report is officially called a Consumer Disclosure, and you can request it online, by mail, or by phone. Both bureaus now let you view and download an updated version online once a month at no cost.¹ Online takes minutes. Mail takes a few weeks but works just as well if digital verification fails.

Pull your file from both bureaus, not just one. Lenders don’t report to both, so the two reports rarely match, and an error or unfamiliar account may show up on one and not the other.

What You Need Before You Request

Both bureaus ask for the same basics: full legal name, date of birth, current address, and any previous address if you’ve been at your current one less than two years. Your Social Insurance Number is optional but helps the bureaus match you to the right file, especially if your name is common.²

You’ll also need at least one valid, non-expired piece of Canadian government-issued photo ID. Both bureaus accept a driver’s licence, Canadian passport, permanent resident card, citizenship card, or certificate of Indian status.² Provincial health cards are generally not accepted as primary identification.

For mail requests, both bureaus require two pieces of ID. If neither shows your current address, add a proof-of-address document such as a phone bill, utility bill, or bank statement showing your name, address, and account number. That document must be less than 90 days old.³

Getting Your Report Online

Online is by far the fastest route. Both bureaus offer free monthly access to your Consumer Disclosure through their websites, and each version refreshes once per month.¹ The free disclosure portals are separate from the paid subscription products the bureaus market on their homepages, so look specifically for the Consumer Disclosure or free credit report page rather than the premium monitoring packages.

At Equifax, create a free myEquifax account. The system prompts you to enter personal information and answer security questions drawn from your existing credit history to verify your identity. Once verified, you can view your report on screen and download a PDF copy.³ TransUnion’s process is similar: navigate to the Consumer Disclosure page, enter your details, and complete their identity verification to access your file.²

Those security questions can trip people up, especially if your credit history is thin or you’ve recently moved. Typical questions ask you to identify a previous lender or confirm an approximate payment amount on one of your accounts. If you fail the online verification, you aren’t locked out. Switch to the mail or phone method instead.

Getting Your Report by Mail or Phone

If online doesn’t work, both bureaus accept requests by mail. Download the Consumer Request form from each bureau’s website, attach photocopies of your two pieces of ID, and mail the package to the correct address.

Equifax Canada: National Consumer Relations, Box 190, Montreal, Quebec, H1S 2Z2.⁴
TransUnion Canada: Consumer Relations Department, P.O. Box 338, LCD1, Hamilton, Ontario, L8L 7W2 (for English speakers outside Quebec).⁵

For phone requests, Equifax runs an automated system at 1-800-465-7166 (select “disclosure” or press 1), available 24 hours a day.⁴ TransUnion’s phone line is 1-800-663-9980, staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.⁵ Phone-initiated reports are still delivered by mail, so expect roughly two to three weeks for either route.

Will You Get a Credit Score Too

The report and the score are not the same thing. The report is your underlying data: accounts, balances, payment history, and inquiries. The score is a number calculated from that data.

Whether the free version includes a score depends on the bureau and your province. Equifax Canada currently provides both the credit report and score online at no charge, updated monthly.⁶ TransUnion includes the score in free disclosures only for Quebec residents, as required by Quebec’s Credit Assessment Agents Act.² Outside Quebec, getting your TransUnion score may require a paid product or a third-party service.

Different lenders use different scoring models, so the number on your bureau dashboard may not match what a mortgage lender pulls. It’s a reliable ballpark.

Does Checking Your Own Report Hurt Your Score

No. When you request your own Consumer Disclosure, the inquiry is a soft pull and is invisible to lenders. Only hard pulls, which happen when you apply for new credit, can affect your score.⁷

Your right to access your file at no cost is also backed by federal law. Under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), any organization holding your personal information must provide access at minimal or no cost within 30 days of your request.⁸

What’s Actually on the Report

A Canadian credit report lists your personal details (name, date of birth, addresses, employers), every credit account in your name, your payment history, any collections or bankruptcies, and every inquiry made against your file.⁹ The Consumer Disclosure you receive is more detailed than what lenders see. It includes account-management inquiries, non-credit-related inquiries, and your own requests for copies of your file, none of which appear on the version supplied to a business.²

Read it to catch errors, spot unfamiliar accounts that might signal fraud, and confirm that closed accounts are actually showing as closed.

How to Fix Errors You Find

If something’s wrong, you can challenge it. Common errors include accounts that aren’t yours, payments marked late when they weren’t, and balances that don’t match your records.

The fastest approach is to contact the creditor directly first. If a lender reported inaccurate information, they’re generally required to correct it with each bureau they report to. If that doesn’t resolve things, file a dispute with the bureaus.

Equifax: log in to myEquifax and submit a dispute online, or download the dispute form and mail it to National Consumer Relations, Box 190, Montreal, Quebec, H1S 2Z2.¹⁰
TransUnion: file online through your account, or mail the form to Consumer Relations Department, P.O. Box 338, LCD1, Hamilton, Ontario, L8L 7W2.¹¹

Include supporting documents (payment receipts, account statements, correspondence with the creditor) and explain clearly why you believe the information is wrong. Both bureaus generally complete their investigation within 30 days.¹² If the investigation confirms an error, the bureau corrects your file. If the information is found to be accurate but you still disagree, you can add a brief consumer statement to your report explaining your side.

If You Spot Signs of Fraud

If your report shows accounts you didn’t open or inquiries from lenders you never contacted, both bureaus offer protective measures.

Equifax offers two. An Identity Alert adds a note and your phone number to your file, encouraging lenders to call you before approving new credit. In Manitoba and Ontario, lenders are legally required to make that call when an Identity Alert is present; elsewhere it’s encouraged but not mandatory. A Fraud Warning is reserved for confirmed victims of identity theft and prompts Equifax to launch an investigation. Both stay on your file for six years unless you request removal in writing.¹³ TransUnion offers a Potential Fraud Alert for people who think they may be targeted but haven’t yet experienced misuse.¹⁴ Place the alert with each bureau separately; adding one at Equifax does not add one at TransUnion.

A credit freeze goes further, blocking access to your file for most lending purposes. This option is currently only available to Quebec residents under the province’s Credit Assessment Agents Act, and TransUnion does not charge to place or remove a freeze.¹⁴ Outside Quebec, fraud alerts are your primary tool.

1
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. Getting Your Credit Report and Credit Score
2
TransUnion Canada. Consumer Disclosure
3
Equifax Canada. How Do I Get My Free Credit Report
4
Equifax Canada. Contact Us
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TransUnion Canada. Contact Us
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Equifax Canada. Check Your Equifax Consumer Credit Report
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Equifax Canada. How Are Credit Scores Calculated
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Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Interpretation Bulletin – Access to Personal Information
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Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. Credit Report and Score Basics
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Equifax Canada. Dispute Credit Report Form
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TransUnion Canada. Credit Report Disputes and Complaints
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TransUnion Canada. Frequently Asked Credit Questions
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Equifax Canada. How Can I Place a Fraud Alert on My Equifax Credit Report
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TransUnion Canada. Fraud Victims Resources