Timeline For Free Credit Reports, by State

By a 2004 amendment to a federal law, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a free copy of your credit report will now be available to you every 12 months at each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. Your eligibility for free credit reports are phased in during 2005 depending on where you live.

Timeline for Free Credit Reports by State

Under state law, consumers in Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Vermont already have free access to their credit reports.

Western states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming - free reports are now available.

Midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin - free reports are available beginning March 1, 2005.

Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas - free reports are available beginning June 1, 2005.

Eastern states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and all U.S. territories - free credit reports are available beginning September 1, 2005.