How to contact each major credit bureau

Written by: Lance Cothern, CPA
• Updated •7 min read • Leer en español
Young man at home on cellphone, contacting a credit bureau to get a copy of his credit reportImage: Young man at home on cellphone, contacting a credit bureau to get a copy of his credit report

In a Nutshell

If you’re trying to contact a credit bureau because you have questions or want to dispute a mistake, it’s important that you know how to reach out. Here’s how to contact each of the three major bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
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If you have a problem with or question about your credit reports, you’ll need to know how to contact the credit bureau.

Equifax, Experian and TransUnion are the three major consumer credit bureaus that collect your credit information and compile it into credit reports. These credit reports are used as the basis for your credit scores.

Credit Karma provides free credit scores and free credit reports from Equifax and TransUnion using the VantageScore 3.0 scoring model, but Credit Karma is not a credit bureau.

If you notice information on your reports is incorrect or you have questions about the information on your reports, it makes sense to want to talk to someone about it. Here’s what you’ll need to know if you want to contact one of the three major credit bureaus.

How to contact Equifax

Equifax has a straightforward contact page that shows how to get in touch with the bureau based on the reason you’re trying to contact it. Note that many of these reasons can be addressed online via Equifax’s website. Their call center can be reached at 1-888-378-4329. Equifax also has a few specific ways to get in contact with them depending on what your concern is.

For a copy of your credit report

To request a copy of your Equifax credit report, you can: 

  • Call 1-888-378-4329 any time from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday Eastern time or from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Eastern time. 
  • Visit annualcreditreport.com 

Go to Equifax’s webpage.

For a dispute

You can dispute information on your Equifax credit report by:

  • Calling 1-888-378-4329 any time from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday Eastern time or from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Eastern time. 
  • Going to Equifax’s webpage. 
  • You can also mail your dispute to the following address: 

Equifax Information Services LLC

P.O. Box 740256 

Atlanta, GA 30374-0256

For a fraud alert

Placing a fraud alert on your Equifax credit report can be done by:

  • Calling 800-525-6285. 
  • Going to Equifax’s webpage. 
  • To place a fraud alert on your Equifax credit report by mail, contact Equifax at the following address.  

Equifax Information Services LLC 

P.O. Box 105069 

Atlanta, GA 30348-5069

For security freezes

For calls related to security freezes (including placing, temporarily lifting or permanently removing a security freeze):

  • Call Equifax at 1-888-298-0045 from 8 a.m. to midnight Eastern time, seven days a week.
  • Go to Equifax’s webpage. 
  • You can send correspondence about a security freeze to the following address.  

Equifax Information Services LLC 

P.O. Box 105788 

Atlanta, GA 30348-5788

For other Equifax products

  • If you want to contact Equifax about TrustedID Premier, Lock & Alert or the 2017 Equifax Cybersecurity Incident, you can reach support staff at 1-888-548-7878. The phone number is available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to midnight Eastern time.
  • If you need help using or want to cancel a different Equifax product, you can call 866-640-2273 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday Eastern time or 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Eastern time.

To opt out of mailing lists

You can opt out of Equifax mailing lists by calling 1-888-567-8688.

How to contact Experian

Experian’s contact page shows you how to get in touch with the bureau based on why you’re trying to contact it. Experian also offers many of these services via its website if you’d prefer to go online instead of calling or mailing. Their general consumer assistance phone number is 1-888-397-3742.

For a copy of your credit report

You can order your Experian credit report by phone by: 

  • Calling 1-888-397-3742. 

You can also request a copy online.

For a dispute

To dispute an item on your Experian credit report, there are the following options: 

  • File a dispute online. 
  • Dispute by phone after getting a copy of your Experian credit report. Then call the phone number listed on the report to begin a dispute by phone.
  • Reach out by mail at the following address: 

Experian 

P.O. Box 4500 

Allen, TX 75013

For fraud or identity theft

To contact Experian about fraud or identity theft: 

For other Experian products

For inquiries related to MyExperian products, you can:

  • Call 1-866-617-1894. This number is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central time.

To opt out of mailing lists

To be excluded from Experian’s marketing lists, you can: 

Experian 

P.O. Box 703 

Allen, TX 75013

How to contact TransUnion

TransUnion’s contact page shares the bureau’s contact information based on what you’re trying to accomplish. You can reach their service center at 800-916-8800 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time or Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time.

For a copy of your credit report

To get your free credit report from TransUnion:

  • Create an online account with TransUnion. 
  • Visit AnnualCreditReport.com.

For a dispute

If you need to dispute an item on your TransUnion credit report, you can:

  • Submit a dispute online. 
  • Call 800-916-8800 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time or Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time. 
  • Mail any relevant documents to the following address. 

TransUnion Consumer Solutions 

P.O. Box 2000 

Chester, PA 19016-2000.

For a fraud alert

For fraud alerts, contact TransUnion by:

  • Going to TransUnion’s webpage. 
  • Calling 800-916-8800 from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m Saturday and Sunday Eastern time.
  • Sending mail to the following address. 

TransUnion 

P.O. Box 200 

Chester, PA 19016

For security freezes

To freeze or unfreeze your credit with TransUnion, you can:

TransUnion 

P.O. Box 160 

Woodlyn, PA 19094

For other TransUnion products

  • For TransUnion credit monitoring, you can call 1-833-543-4353 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, or Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time.
  • You can contact TransUnion’s identity protection service after logging in to your account or by calling 833-570-2959 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 9 p.m. Eastern time, or Saturday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time.
  • You can also view and manage your subscriptions by logging into your TransUnion account. 

To opt out of mailing lists

If you wish to opt-out of TransUnion’s prescreened credit and insurance offers:

TransUnion Opt Out Request 

P.O. Box 505 

Woodlyn, PA 19094

Why you might want to get in touch with a credit bureau

You may want to contact a credit bureau for a number of reasons. Here are a few common instances you may want or need to contact credit bureaus directly.

Next steps: Review your credit reports

It’s important to regularly monitor your credit reports from each of the three major credit bureaus to look for potential errors across all three — they may not show the same information.  not every lender necessarily reports to every credit bureau. 

Mistakes on your credit reports could lead to lower credit scores, a loan denial or higher interest rates. If you find any errors, get in touch with the bureaus reporting the errors to begin the dispute process.

Credit Karma’s Direct Dispute™ tool can help you dispute errors on your TransUnion credit report directly in a just few steps through the app. Keep in mind that Credit Karma isn’t a credit bureau and doesn’t fix errors on your credit reports.

Once any errors are corrected, your credit reports and credit scores will be a more accurate representation of your credit to potential lenders.

FAQs for contacting the credit bureaus

What is the correct way to reach a credit bureau?

The correct way to reach a credit bureau can be different for everyone. The important thing is to make sure you have the correct contact info for the credit bureau — whether that is a phone number, email or mailing address — before giving any personal information.

What are the three credit bureaus you should contact?

The three major credit bureaus that you may want to contact if you want to dispute an error on your credit reports are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Credit Karma is not a credit bureau but it does provide free credit scores and reports from Equifax and TransUnion using the VantageScore 3.0 scoring model.

How do I contact FICO?

Keep in mind that FICO isn’t a credit bureau, but it can be reached at 1-800-319-4433 Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m and Saturday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific time. If you’d prefer FICO get back to you via e-mail, you can fill out a contact form.

About the author: Lance Cothern is a freelance writer specializing in personal finance. His work has appeared on Business Insider, USA Today.com and his website, MoneyManifesto.com. Lance holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in … Read more.