Your credit score can have a huge impact on your life—for better or worse. In many ways, the three major credit bureaus are the keepers of your credit score. They’re responsible for maintaining credit reports, which means you may need to contact them about the information included on yours. While this may seem daunting, it’s really not complicated.
Read on to learn about when to contact a credit bureau and how to do it. Contact information and tips have been provided for each of the three credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax and TransUnion—to make it as simple as possible.
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Anytime you notice inaccuracies on your credit report, you should immediately contact the credit bureau. This can include misspelled names, incorrect address information, unreported salary changes or erroneous employment information.
Here are some other reasons why you might need to contact a credit bureau:
There are credit cards, collections missed payments or anything else on your report that you don’t recognize.
You’re in credit disputes with your credit card issuer or financial institution. You can address this with the credit bureaus, which are required to investigate.
For help talking to the credit bureaus and starting a credit repair plan, you can work with a professional credit repair agency. They offer credit monitoring, credit repair services and text alerts so you don’t miss a thing.
Information to Gather before You Call
You want to have the right information on hand when you call a credit bureau. Prepare yourself by collecting the following information in advance, just in case:
Your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth
A copy of your annual credit report
Evidence of the inaccuracies or errors, if relevant
Personal financial information, such as your mortgage information, depending on the reported issue
Any other supporting documentation
Credit Bureau Contact Information
Because there are so many potential reasons to contact a credit bureau—general inquiries, disputes and credit freezes, for example—there are many different phone numbers and online contact forms to wade through. If you call the wrong number, you may simply be told they cannot help you and directed to call a different number, wasting precious time and energy.
To help you avoid that frustration, we’ve gathered several ways you can contact the credit bureaus for common inquiries here.
Equifax Phone Numbers
If you don’t like talking on the phone, Equifax also offers live chat support. You can chat with a member of their customer support team between 8 a.m. and midnight (ET), Monday through Friday.
TransUnion Phone Numbers
Experian Phone Numbers
Alternatives to Calling Credit Bureaus
Not all experts think calling a credit bureau is the best approach. Don Petersen, an attorney at Howard Lewis & Peterson, PC, in Utah, recommends calling a bureau for only basic administrative questions—such as updating an address or asking if a recent data breach has affected you.
For most other issues, Petersen advises his clients to write to credit bureaus or submit disputes online. This provides you with an official record of your request.
If you do prefer to call a credit bureau, take notes during the call and follow up in writing after the telephone conversation. In your follow-up letter, you should include the name of the representative you spoke with as well as details of what transpired in your conversation.
Send important requests—especially disputes—through certified mail. This allows you to track the letter and ensure that the credit bureau responds in a timely manner. Never send original copies of documents, as the bureaus may not return anything you send.
Equifax Mailing Addresses
Reason for Contact
Address
Credit dispute
Equifax Information Services LLC P.O. Box 740256 Atlanta, GA 30374-0256
Request a copy of your credit report
Equifax Disclosure Department P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Fraud alert
Equifax Information Services LLC P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069
Credit freeze
Equifax Information Services LLC P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
TransUnion Mailing Addresses
Reason to Contact
Address
Credit freeze
TransUnion P.O. Box 160 Woodlyn, PA 19094
Credit dispute
TransUnion Consumer Solutions P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016-2000
Fraud alert
TransUnion Fraud Victim Assistance P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016
Request credit report
TransUnion LLC Consumer Disclosure Center P.O. Box 1000 Chester, PA 19016
Experian Mailing Addresses
Reason to Contact
Address
Credit dispute
Experian Dispute Department P.O. Box 4500 Allen, TX 75013
Chief Privacy Officer Compliance Department Experian 475 Anton Blvd. Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Report a relative’s death
Experian P.O. Box 9701 Allen, TX 75013
Track Your Credit
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have the right to obtain a free copy of all three reports once each year. These free reports can be accessed on the government-mandated site operated by the big three credit bureaus, AnnualCreditReport.com.
You can also sign up for the free credit report card offered by Credit.com, which provides a snapshot of your credit as well as the ability to dig deeper into the elements that affect your credit score. When you sign up, you’ll also get regular emails with tips and tricks for keeping your credit healthy.