There is no shortage of offers for credit repair and “free” credit reports. In fact, there have been lawsuits against companies that offer free credit reports that are not actually free, but include a membership or purchase of some other credit related product. If you have to pay for anything, the credit report is not free, but there are legitimate and legal ways to get your credit reports from all three credit bureaus that are entirely free.

Here are ways to get a real free credit report:

Annual Credit Report.com - The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that each of the three credit bureaus, TransUnion, Experian and Equifax, provide one free credit report from each bureau, every 12 months. You can request your reports from each credit agency, but it is especially handy to just go online to annualcreditreport.com, fill in your information and received access to your reports instantly online. You can also submit credit disputes online as well.

Denied Credit- If you have been denied credit, insurance or employment, you can request a free credit report within 60 days. You will need to contact the credit bureau that the creditor used to deny your application. Usually, you will receive a letter letting you know which bureau was used to make the determination.

Other Ways to Get a Free Credit Report

• If you are unemployed and plan on looking for work in 60 days
• If you are on Welfare
• If your report is wrong because of fraud or identity theft

With these possibilities for free credit reports, there is really no reason to ever pay any fees to receive one. If you have used your one free report from annualcreditreport.com but have been denied credit or are eligible for any of the other ways to get a report, you can still do so. All of these methods work together and if they apply to you, will enable you to receive a free credit report virtually any time you need one.

If you do plan on going through an agency or other company that provides credit services, make sure you read the fine print. If you have to sign up for a trial offer to receive the report and plan on canceling the service, mark your calendar and cancel in advance to prevent incurring any unintended charges.