How to Freeze Your Credit for Free Under Federal Law

You can freeze your credit for free at all three nationwide credit bureaus, and it is the single most effective step you can take to keep someone from opening new accounts in your name. The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, signed in 2018, eliminated every fee for placing, lifting, and removing a security freeze under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.¹ A freeze locks your credit file so most third parties can’t pull it, which means a thief who has your Social Security number still can’t open a credit card or loan in your name. The freeze stays in place until you decide to lift it.²

How to Place a Freeze at Each Bureau

You have to contact each bureau separately. Freezing your file at Equifax does nothing at Experian or TransUnion, and a thief only needs one unfrozen report to open an account.³ Each bureau accepts freeze requests online, by phone, or by mail.

Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze, or 800-685-1111.
Experian: experian.com/freeze, or 888-397-3742.
TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-freeze, or 800-916-8800.

Each bureau will verify your identity before placing the freeze. Have your full name, date of birth, Social Security number, and current and previous addresses ready. Once the freeze is on, the bureau will give you a PIN, password, or account login for managing it later. Keep that credential somewhere safe. You’ll need it every time you want to lift or remove the freeze.

How Fast the Bureaus Must Act

The law sets hard deadlines. Online or phone requests must be honored within one business day. Mail requests get three business days after the bureau receives your letter.⁴

Lifts are faster. Online and phone requests to lift a freeze must go through within one hour. Mail requests to lift get the same three-business-day window.⁵ In practice, online lifts often go through in minutes.

What a Freeze Does and Doesn’t Do

A freeze doesn’t affect your credit score.⁵ Your existing accounts keep reporting, your score keeps updating, and your current creditors can still review your file. The freeze only stops new inquiries from companies you don’t already have a relationship with.

While a freeze is active, a limited group can still see your report: your current creditors and any collection agencies working for them; certain government agencies, such as child support enforcement; credit monitoring services you’ve signed up for; and you, whenever you want to check your own report.

You will need to lift the freeze before applying for a mortgage, auto loan, new credit card, apartment lease, or insurance policy. Some employers also run credit checks for positions that involve money or sensitive financial data, so you may need to lift it during a job application if the employer requests a credit-based background check.² A freeze is not all-or-nothing. You can thaw it for a specific creditor or window of time and refreeze it after.

Lifting Temporarily or Removing the Freeze

When a creditor needs access, you have two options. A temporary lift is what most people use. You can either specify exact dates or name a single creditor that needs to pull the file. Once the dates pass or the named creditor pulls the report, the freeze snaps back into place automatically. You submit the request through the same bureau portal, phone number, or mailing address you used to place it.⁵

Permanent removal lifts the freeze for good, which makes sense if you’re actively shopping for credit or refinancing. You can always place a new freeze later at no cost.

If You Lose Your PIN or Password

All three bureaus have moved toward account-based logins rather than standalone PINs, and each has recovery options.

Equifax: log into myEquifax, or call 888-298-0045. A representative will verify your identity through security questions or a one-time code.
Experian: use the Experian Freeze Center online, or call 888-397-3742.
TransUnion: log into the TransUnion Service Center or the myTransUnion app, or call 800-916-8800.

If digital recovery fails, each bureau accepts a mail request with a copy of a government-issued ID and proof of address, such as a utility bill. It is slower but works as a fallback.

Freezing a Child’s Credit

The 2018 law extended free freezes to children under 16 and to other protected consumers, including people with legal guardians.¹ A child’s Social Security number can be used for years before anyone notices, since the child isn’t applying for credit or checking a report.

Freezing a minor’s credit is more involved than freezing your own. You generally can’t do it online or by phone. Each bureau requires a written request by mail, along with documents proving your identity and your relationship to the child: a copy of the child’s birth certificate, the child’s Social Security card, your government-issued ID, and proof of your address. Legal guardians also need a court order or power of attorney establishing authority.

If the child has no credit file yet, which is true of most children, the bureau will create one solely to freeze it.

Credit Freeze vs. Credit Lock

Every major bureau now sells a credit lock product, sometimes bundled with identity monitoring subscriptions that can run $25 or more per month. Locks can be toggled through a mobile app; freezes go through the bureau’s freeze portal. The underlying effect on new inquiries is the same.

The difference is legal standing. A freeze is your right under federal law: the bureaus have to offer it, have to process it inside specific windows, and cannot charge for it. A lock is a commercial product governed by the bureau’s terms of service, so if a lock fails to block an inquiry, your remedies depend on that contract rather than federal statute.⁵ The CFPB has said credit locks are “no more effective than security freezes, which are free and which you have a right to by law.”

Credit Freeze vs. Fraud Alert

A fraud alert flags your file so creditors are supposed to take extra steps to verify your identity before opening a new account.² Creditors can still see your report, and the extra-step requirement relies on the creditor actually following through.

You only need to contact one bureau to place a fraud alert; that bureau must notify the other two.⁶ A standard alert expires after one year; a freeze lasts until you remove it.² For preventing identity theft rather than responding to it, a freeze is the stronger choice. You can also use both at the same time.

1
Federal Trade Commission. Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act
2
Federal Trade Commission. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts
3
USAGov. How to Place or Lift a Security Freeze on Your Credit Report
4
Federal Trade Commission. Starting Today, New Federal Law Allows Consumers to Place Free Credit Freezes And Yearlong Fraud Alerts
5
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Credit Freeze or Security Freeze on My Credit Report
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 US Code 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts