Freezing your child’s credit isn’t the most exciting or glamorous thing to do but it IS critical. I just finished freezing my kids’ credit and honestly I shouldn’t have waited this long. My mistakes and the things I learned about freezing kids’ credit will help you. I’ve provided (hopefully) easy to follow instructions so you can go through the process to protect your babies from identity thieves with a lot less trouble than I had. A few copies of important documents, a standard form letter and a little bit of postage and you’ll be on your way to safely freezing your child’s credit.
Three Reasons Why You Should Freeze Your Child’s Credit:
- Children’s identities are specifically targeted for credit theft and often go undetected for years.
- Depending on the child’s age, you can introduce the importance of good credit and why they need to protect it before they actually need to use it. (You know, plant a seed. Lifelong learning and all that.)
- It’s FREE! It costs nothing to freeze your kids’ credit.
First Step: Stuff to Gather
(this is the easy part)
Driver’s Licenses
Social Security Cards
Passports
Military ID
Birth Certificates
Proof of Guardianship
Utility Bill, Phone Bill, W-2, Pay Stub, Mortgage or Bank Statement*
*occasionally requested to validate residence
Second Step: Draft Your Letter
(Here, use part of mine.)
“This is a formal request to place a PROTECTED SECURITY FREEZE on my minor child.”
Full Name (yours and child’s)
Complete Address
Social Security Numbers
Dates of Birth
Here are links to the three major credit reporting agencies:
Click here for TransUnion Protected Consumer Freeze then scroll down to the information section that says Minor/Child Freeze.
Address: TransUnion, PO Box 380, Woodlyn, PA 19094
“This is a formal request to place a PROTECTED SECURITY FREEZE on my minor child.”
Transunion will want:
Full Name, Social Security Number, complete addresses, dates of birth
INCLUDE – Sufficient proof of authority (like a birth certificate or court order)
INCLUDE – Proof of Child’s identity (like a social security card)
Click here for Experian and see their standard form letter for Minor Credit Freeze.
PO Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013
“This is a formal request to place a PROTECTED SECURITY FREEZE on my minor child.”
Experian will want:
Full Name, Social Security Number, complete addresses, dates of birth
INCLUDE – Driver’s license, state ID card, etc.
INCLUDE – Copy of utility bill, bank statement, etc.
INCLUDE – Proof of Child’s identity (Birth Certificate and Social security card)
Click here for details from Equifax.
Equifax, PO BOX 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348
“This is a formal request to place a PROTECTED SECURITY FREEZE on my minor child.”
Equifax will want:
Full Name, Social Security Number, complete addresses, dates of birth
INCLUDE – Driver’s License, state ID card, etc.
INCLUDE – copy of utility bill, bank statement, etc.
INCLUDE – Proof of Child’s identity (Birth Certificate and Social security card)
TIPS:
- Get organized. Gather all the necessary documents and get them in one place.
- Make copies of everything! The three credit organizations, EQUIFAX, EXPERIAN, and TRANSUNION require similar documents, so it was easier for me to make copies of everything and paperclip together what was the same. Then it was just a matter of stuffing envelopes like an assembly line.
- Write one letter then all you have to do is cut and paste the body of letter into a new document with a different receiver address. Review my Quick Reference List for what needs to be in the body of the letter.
- Use a tracking number or don’t. I didn’t. HOWEVER, I did take the envelopes INSIDE the Post Office, verified size and weight and made sure there was enough postage. It was a personal preference not to leave the envelopes in my home mailbox, but that’s just me.
- Avoid calling. Wait times are often horrendous and many times they will direct you to a website or a form letter.
- Make a file folder for each of your kids and label it with something easy to recognize like Credit Freeze Pin #s or similar. You will begin to receive official form letters in the mail that have IMPORTANT PIN#s to temporarily lift the freeze or to thaw it completely. YOU MUST HAVE THE PIN number for each credit reporting agency.
PITFALLS & OTHER THINGS
EQUIFAX takes longer to process. Wait times are typically much longer than the other two agencies.
IF YOU HAVE TEENAGERS: This is a special secret decoder message if you have teenagers. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE 16 to request a credit freeze. I made the mistake of submitting the paperwork for my 17-year old son. After 16, the three main reporting agencies do not recognize him as a “minor” so I no longer have the authority to request a freeze for him. It was frustrating to go through the whole process again with revisions to the letter and including only his paperwork, but it was good to show him a glimpse of “adulting” and the importance of understanding and protecting his credit.
IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE KID: My advice is to send separate letters for each kid. Obviously, this is up to you, but I had more trouble with the ones that I included both kids’ information in the same packet. One kid’s Pin# and secured freeze letter would come back and the other was missing. I think for ease of processing, one kid per letter, but again that’s up to you. I have two kids, and there were three reporting agencies so I sent six letters.
WHEN TO THAW KIDS’ CREDIT: Your child’s credit will need to be unfrozen before they are able to get a loan or credit account, such as a private student loan for college or their first credit card. You’ll need the PIN#s from EACH agency in order to do this.
Two final thoughts on freezing your kids credit: You cannot request a credit freeze for your minor child online. You MUST mail in the required documents. Secondly, requesting a freeze from one agency will not freeze credit at the others.
