With a new law that went into effect in 2005 allowing an individual to receive a free credit report once a year from all three credit reporting agencies, many people are wondering how to get them. These free government credit reports are available by written request or online.

To receive a free government credit report in the mail, simply send a written request to each one of the three major credit reporting agencies. These agencies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Once the agencies receive your written request, they will mail a copy of the report to the address that you specify in your request. Total turn around time to receive these reports is normally about six weeks.

Another option that you have to receive your free government credit report is by going online. Once online you can use a search engine such as google and type in the key words free government credit report. This search will bring up many sites. Most of the sites will offer you the free government credit report with your acceptance to try their credit monitoring services free for one month. Once that month is up they charge a monthly fee to continue monitoring your credit report. If you choose to receive your credit report through one of these companies and do not wish to continue their services, be sure to cancel the services before the thirty day trial period is up.

You can also go to www.annualcreditreport.com to receive your free government credit report. After you have entered some personal information and verified your identity, this website allows you to view your free government credit report from all three agencies. Just simply check the agencies you want to view your report with and it will show you to them one at a time. It is a good idea to check your free government credit report with all three agencies because they can, and almost always do, contain different information.

If you are viewing your free government credit report online, be sure to print a copy of each report and put them in a safe place for future reference.

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