What the law says
Section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), codified at 15 U.S.C. § 1681g, is a federal statute.
Every consumer reporting agency must, upon request and subject to the identification requirement in § 1681h(a)(1), clearly and accurately disclose to the consumer:
all information in the consumer's file at the time of the request, except that this item does not require the agency to disclose credit scores or other risk scores or predictors, and, if the consumer asks and the agency has received appropriate proof of identity, the first 5 digits of the Social Security number (or similar identification number) are truncated in the disclosure;
the sources of the information, except sources of information acquired solely for use in preparing an investigative consumer report and actually used for no other purpose;
identification of each person that procured a consumer report for employment purposes during the 2-year period before the request, or for any other purpose during the 1-year period before the request, by name or trade name and, on the consumer's request, address and telephone number, with an exception for certain federal agencies that obtain reports to decide access to classified information, on a written finding by the agency head;
the dates, original payees, and amounts of any checks on which any adverse characterization of the consumer in the file is based;
a record of all inquiries the agency received during the 1-year period before the request that identified the consumer in connection with a credit or insurance transaction the consumer did not initiate;
if the consumer requests the credit file and not the credit score, a statement that the consumer may request and obtain a credit score.
With each written disclosure, the agency must also provide the summary of consumer rights prepared by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a list of the federal agencies that enforce the FCRA with their addresses and any appropriate phone numbers, a statement that the consumer may have additional rights under state law, and a statement that a consumer reporting agency is not required to remove accurate derogatory information from a file unless the information is outdated under § 1681c or cannot be verified; an agency described in § 1681a(p) must also provide a toll-free telephone number staffed during normal business hours.
How the disclosure is made: 15 U.S.C. § 1681h
The agency must require proper identification as a condition of making the disclosure, and the disclosure is made in writing unless the consumer authorizes another form available from the agency, such as in person, by telephone if the consumer has made a written request for that, or by electronic means if available. The agency must provide trained personnel to explain the information it furnishes.
When it is free: 15 U.S.C. § 1681j
The agencies described in § 1681a(p) and (w), which the statute calls nationwide consumer reporting agencies and nationwide specialty consumer reporting agencies, must make all § 1681g disclosures once during any 12-month period, upon request and without charge; for the § 1681a(p) agencies, this applies only if the request is made through the centralized source. A disclosure under this provision must be provided no later than 15 days after the request is received. It does not apply to an agency that has not been furnishing consumer reports to third parties on a continuing basis, for consumers nationwide, during the 12 months before the request.
Regulation V (12 CFR § 1022.136) requires the nationwide consumer reporting agencies to jointly operate that centralized source, with a single dedicated website, a single dedicated toll-free telephone number, and mail to a single address. Subject to rulemaking under the Credit CARD Act of 2009, the FCRA requires any advertisement for a free credit report to prominently disclose that free credit reports are available under federal law at "AnnualCreditReport.com" (or another source authorized under federal law).
A consumer reporting agency must also make the § 1681g disclosures without charge if the consumer requests them within 60 days after receiving an adverse action notice under § 1681m, or a notice from a debt collection agency affiliated with that consumer reporting agency stating that the consumer's credit rating may be or has been adversely affected. It must do so once during any 12-month period if the consumer certifies in writing that the consumer is unemployed and intends to apply for employment within 60 days, receives public welfare assistance, or has reason to believe the file contains inaccurate information due to fraud. The § 1681a(p) agencies must also make them without charge in connection with fraud alerts, as provided in § 1681c-1.
In other cases, an agency may impose a reasonable charge for a § 1681g disclosure, which must be indicated to the consumer before the disclosure is made; the statute sets the cap at $8 and requires the CFPB to increase it each January 1 based on changes in the Consumer Price Index.
If a consumer requests a reinvestigation after receiving a free annual disclosure under § 1681j(a), the reinvestigation must be completed no later than 45 days after the request is received, notwithstanding the time periods in § 1681i(a)(1).
Who it covers
Section 1681g applies to every consumer reporting agency. The free annual disclosure in § 1681j(a) applies only to the agencies described in § 1681a(p) and (w), with the conditions above.
What to ask the consumer reporting agency
Which persons procured a report on this file in the last year, or the last two years for employment purposes, and what are their addresses and telephone numbers?
What are the sources of the information in the file?
Will the disclosure truncate the first 5 digits of the Social Security number, and what proof of identity does that take?
Does this request carry a charge, and if so, how much is it?
Which forms of disclosure other than writing does the agency offer?
Source for the sections above: 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681g, 1681h and 1681j (FCRA, U.S. Code via govinfo.gov) and 12 CFR § 1022.136 — Regulation V (eCFR).
Sources: 15 U.S.C. § 1681g (govinfo.gov) · 15 U.S.C. § 1681h (govinfo.gov) · 15 U.S.C. § 1681j (govinfo.gov) · 12 CFR § 1022.136 (eCFR)
Sources last checked: October 21, 2026.
Consumer information — not financial or legal advice.