How to Freeze Your Credit at All 3 Bureaus

A credit freeze stops new credit accounts from being opened in your name. It is free, you have a right to it under federal law, and you can request all three online yourself.

Here is what a freeze does, what it does not do, and how to place one at each of the three bureaus. Every point below comes from the FTC, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or the bureaus’ own pages. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Before you start

You have to do this three times. A freeze at Equifax does not cover Experian or TransUnion. It is free at all three, and the FTC states plainly that a freeze does not affect your credit score.

1. What a freeze actually does

The FTC describes it in one sentence, and the last two words are the part people miss.

Nobody can open a new credit account in your name, including you. That is the FTC’s own wording. Plan to lift the freeze before you apply for anything.
It is free to place and free to lift. The FTC: there is no cost to place or lift a credit freeze.
Anyone can have one, for any reason. You do not need to have been a victim of anything.
It lasts until you lift it. There is nothing to renew and no expiry date.
It does not affect your credit score. The CFPB puts it flatly: security freezes do not impact your credit scores in any way whatsoever.

2. What a freeze does not do

A freeze controls who can look at your credit file. Anything that does not involve your credit file sits outside what it can reach.

It does not protect accounts you already have. The CFPB states that a freeze does not prevent identity thieves from taking over existing accounts.
Some parties can still see your file. The CFPB names three: creditors of accounts you currently hold, certain government entities such as child support agencies, and companies you have hired to monitor your credit file.
It is not a shield against identity theft generally. It is one specific control on one specific file.

3. How to place one at each bureau

Online is fastest. Each bureau runs its own freeze page, and you will need to prove who you are at each one.

Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/
Experian: experian.com/freeze/center.html
TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-freeze

How long it takes. The CFPB states that when you request a freeze online or by phone, the bureau must place it within one business day. By mail, within three business days. You should get written confirmation no later than five business days after the freeze is placed.

What to have in front of you. The bureaus set their own requirements and they differ. Between them they ask for your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, your addresses for the past two years, and for mailed requests a copy of a government-issued ID and a utility bill or bank statement. Equifax verifies identity online with a one-time code by text or with questions drawn from your credit report.

4. Lifting it when you need credit

This is the part that puts people off, and it is easier than it sounds.

Lifting is free too, including a temporary lift for a period you choose. The CFPB states this explicitly.
One hour. The CFPB states that when you ask online or by phone, the bureau must lift the freeze within one hour. By mail, three business days.
You usually only need to contact one bureau. The FTC: you only need to contact the credit bureau a lender will use to check your credit. Ask the lender which one.
The bureaus call it different things. Experian says thaw. Equifax says temporary lift and permanent removal. TransUnion says temporarily lift. They mean the same thing.

The FTC lists the occasions for lifting it: applying for new credit or a job, renting an apartment, or buying insurance.

5. Freeze, fraud alert, or lock — which is which

These three get used interchangeably and they are not the same.

Credit freeze. Free. Anyone. Lasts until you lift it. You must contact all three bureaus separately.
Initial fraud alert. Free. Tells businesses to check with you before opening a new credit account. Lasts one year and can be renewed. You contact one bureau and that bureau has to tell the other two.
Extended fraud alert. Free, lasts seven years, for people who have filed an identity theft report with the FTC. It also requires the bureaus to take you off their marketing lists for unsolicited credit and insurance offers for five years.
Active duty alert. Free, one year, for active duty servicemembers.
Credit lock. The CFPB’s position is short and worth quoting: credit locks are no more effective than security freezes, which are free and which you have a right to by law. The CFPB also warns not to confuse the two, because locks may have monthly fees.

Freezing for someone else

The law allows people with certain legal authority to freeze another person’s file. The FTC calls that person a protected consumer: an incapacitated person, someone with an appointed guardian or conservator, or a child under 16.

What you need to show. A court order naming you guardian or conservator, or a valid power of attorney.
For a child under 16, a parent shows proof of authority such as a birth certificate. The FTC notes that if the bureaus do not already have a file on the child, they will create one so they can freeze it, and that this record cannot be used for credit purposes.
Marriage on its own is not legal authority. A spouse is not on the FTC’s list. Freezing a husband’s or wife’s file would need a power of attorney or a court appointment.
After a death, official guidance covers notifying the bureaus and other financial organizations. It does not cover placing a freeze.

Where to report it, and other free tools

Identity theft: IdentityTheft.gov, or 877-438-4338. You get a personal recovery plan and pre-filled letters.
Your free credit reports: AnnualCreditReport.com, or 1-877-322-8228. This is the only site authorized to fill orders for the free reports.
Unwanted pre-approved offers: this is a separate service, not a freeze. optoutprescreen.com, or 1-888-567-8688.
A complaint about a credit bureau: consumerfinance.gov/complaint, or 855-411-2372.
Other reporting companies: the CFPB publishes a list of consumer reporting companies that also let you freeze your report, including Innovis, NCTUE, ChexSystems and LexisNexis. It lists them; it does not tell you to freeze them.
If you would rather talk to a person: National Elder Fraud Hotline, 833-372-8311.

Remember this

Free. Three times. Lift it when you need it.

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Sources

Checked against these official sources on September 22, 2026:

This page is general information, not legal or financial advice.