How to freeze your credit at all six bureaus

Published October 22, 2026

To freeze your credit completely, freeze it at six places, not three: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion for loans and cards, plus Innovis, ChexSystems (bank accounts) and NCTUE (phone and utility contracts). Each one is free, takes a few minutes online or by phone, doesn't affect your score, and lasts until you lift it. A freeze at one doesn't reach the others.

Before you start

Have at hand your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, and your current and previous addresses from the last two years. The bureaus verify your identity with questions about your credit history, such as old addresses or loan amounts.

The six, with links and phone numbers

1. Go to each bureau's freeze page (links above) and create an account. Type the addresses yourself; ignore ads and search results that offer paid “credit locks” instead.
2. Answer the identity questions. If you fail them, the bureau will ask for documents by mail; that's normal after identity theft.
3. Turn the freeze on. Online and phone requests take effect within one business day by law, usually immediately.
4. Save your login (or the PIN, if a bureau gives you one) in a password manager. You'll need it to lift the freeze.
5. Repeat with the other five. The big three first; then Innovis, ChexSystems and NCTUE.

A bureau may offer a paid product or a “lock” on the way. You don't need it: the freeze is the free protection that federal law guarantees.

How to unfreeze when you need credit

Before applying for a loan, card, apartment or phone plan, ask the lender which bureau they use, and lift the freeze only there. You can lift it for a set period (a weekend, two weeks) so it comes back on its own. Online or by phone, the bureau must lift it within one hour.

Why six and not three

Most guides stop at the big three, which cover loans and credit cards. Thieves also open bank accounts and phone or utility contracts, which are checked elsewhere:

• Innovis: the “fourth” credit bureau, used by some lenders.
• ChexSystems: used by most banks to open checking and savings accounts. A freeze here stops a thief from opening an account to move stolen money.
• NCTUE: used by phone, cable, internet and utility companies. It stops new phone lines in your name, a common step before a SIM-swap.

If you're about to open a bank account or a phone plan yourself, lift the ChexSystems or NCTUE freeze first, the same way as the others.

Freezing a child's credit

Parents can freeze the credit of a child under 16 at each bureau, also free. Children usually have no credit file, so the bureau creates one just to freeze it. It stays frozen until you ask to lift it, which makes sense when they're old enough to need credit.

Freeze, lock or fraud alert?

If someone is already using your identity, the freeze is step three of the full plan in identity theft: what to do right now.

Sources: FTC, “What To Know About Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts” · the bureaus' freeze pages linked above (checked October 2026) · Fair Credit Reporting Act §605A(i) (placement and removal times).