A credit freeze gives you a way to restrict access to your credit file before someone tries to open an account in your name. You have a right to place and lift a freeze for free, but one request will not cover every file. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion each require a separate request.

What a credit freeze does

A credit freeze, also called a security freeze, limits access to your credit report. Because creditors generally review a report before approving new credit, a freeze can make it harder for an identity thief to open an account in your name. It can also prevent you from opening a new account until you lift the freeze.

A freeze does not close accounts you already have or change your credit score. You can still request and review your own credit file. Some others may still have access, including creditors for accounts you already hold, certain government agencies and companies you have hired to monitor your file. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains these exceptions.

Place a freeze with each bureau

The three nationwide credit reporting companies maintain separate files. A confirmation from one company does not mean the other two files are frozen. You can request a freeze online, by phone or by mail. The steps and identity verification prompts may differ, so check each bureau’s current instructions.

  1. Equifax: Visit its security freeze instructions and follow the current process to request a freeze.
  2. Experian: Visit its credit freeze page and follow the instructions for placing a freeze.
  3. TransUnion: Use the TransUnion contact information linked from USAGov’s credit freeze guide to make a separate request.
Overhead view of three separate request forms on a desk beside a brass key, suggesting that each credit bureau needs its own freeze request.
A checklist showing separate credit freeze requests for Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Lift a freeze when access is needed

A freeze can be lifted temporarily or removed permanently. For example, if you plan to apply for credit, a temporary lift can make your file available for the application and then restore the freeze. If you know which bureau a creditor will check, you can focus the lift on that file. Otherwise, ask the creditor which report it needs before deciding which requests to make.

  1. Find the right bureau. Check your freeze records and contact the bureau whose file needs to be available. If more than one file needs to be checked, make a separate lift request with each bureau.
  2. Choose the type of lift. Review the bureau’s options for a temporary lift or a permanent removal. For a temporary lift, read the prompts about the access period before submitting the request.
  3. Keep the confirmation. Record the date, bureau, method and any confirmation number. Keep the record in a place you can find when you need to manage the freeze again.

Expect a bureau to ask you to confirm your identity. The reviewed sources do not specify the verification details or password and PIN procedures for each company, so follow the current instructions rather than assuming the process will be the same at all three.

Know the processing deadlines

According to USAGov, a freeze requested online or by phone must be placed within one business day. A request sent by mail must be completed within three business days. Keep the method and date of each request with its confirmation so you can track the separate files.

Lifting a freeze has a different deadline. An online or phone request must be completed within one hour, while a mailed request must be completed within three business days. Those deadlines matter when an application is waiting for a credit check. Confirm the bureau’s instructions and allow time for each request you need to make.

What is free, and what a freeze does not cover

Placing and lifting a security freeze is free at all three nationwide bureaus. The CFPB notes that companies also offer credit locks, sometimes for a fee or as part of a paid bundle. The agency says those locks are no more effective than the free security freeze you have a right to request.

A freeze does not stop every use of credit information. The federal law requiring free security freezes does not apply when a report is requested for employment, tenant screening or insurance purposes, according to the CFPB. A freeze also does not close an existing account. It should not be treated as a complete response to every kind of identity theft.

Fraud alerts are another tool, with a different purpose from restricting access through a freeze. The Federal Trade Commission’s consumer guidance covers both. For the terms of a particular freeze, including how it remains in effect and how to manage it later, check the confirmation and current instructions from the bureau that placed it.

Please seek a professional. This article is general information, not financial, tax or insurance advice. Please seek a licensed financial, tax or insurance professional about your own situation.