How Do I Update My Address on My Credit Report?

When you move there are some important things you need to consider. From scheduling the moving truck and protecting your personal possessions to making sure your mail reaches you at your new location, it is important to make sure that everything gets done. One thing that often is overlooked when people move to a new location is updating the address the credit reporting agencies have on file. When you move it is important to make sure everyone--including those credit reporting agencies--have your new address on file.

New Address

Before you move it is important to contact all of your creditors, including the company holding your mortgage, the banks that hold your credit cards and of course your bank. It is a good idea to contact your creditors as soon as you have your new address. This will help to ensure that you do not miss any mail. Ideally the information you report to the credit card companies and your other creditors will in turn be reported to the credit reporting agencies.

Contact Credit Reporting Agencies

While you could simply wait for your creditors to update your address with the credit reporting agencies, it is better to take matters into your own hands and contact those agencies directly. Updating your address with the credit reporting agencies is easy--all you need to do is make a simple phone call to each agency, answer a few security questions and provide the updated address. The credit reporting agencies even provide toll free numbers to call, so updating your address will not cost you a dime.

The toll free numbers for the three major credit reporting agencies are:

Equifax: (800) 685-1111
TransUnion: (800) 916-8800
Experian: (888) 397-3742

Following Up

After you have contacted the credit reporting agencies and all of your creditors, it is important to follow up by checking your credit reports to make sure the proper address is shown. You can order a free copy of your credit report from each agency once each year by going to AnnualCreditReport.com, so it is a good idea to check your own credit reports for accuracy after you have settled into your new home. Not only will you have the peace of mind of knowing that your address is correct, but you will also have the opportunity to check your credit reports for errors.