Freezing credit reports for a child is important: How to protect those under 18
Nearly 1 million children are victims of identity theft every year
More and more people are realizing the importance of taking a few minutes to freeze their credit files. This is a good thing.
The latest massive data breach has parents realizing they should freeze the files for their minor children as well. This is incredibly important, in part because if someone steals a child’s identity, you may not find out for years, until they try to get a credit card or rent an apartment. Adults can easily freeze their files by phone.
It’s a little more involved for a minor. It must be done by mail, depending on the child’s age. For Equifax and TransUnion, it must be done by mail for a child under 16. For Experian, it must be done by mail for a child under 14.
You’ll need:
- One of these for yourself: A copy of your driver’s license, Social Security card or your birth certificate.
- Proof of your address, using a utility bill or insurance statement. (Don’t use a bank statement, even though it’s allowed.)
- One of these for your child: A copy of the child’s birth certificate with your name on it, foster care certification or legal proof of adoption, guardianship or power of attorney.
- Both of these: A copy of the child’s Social Security card and a copy of the child’s birth certificate.
Form for Equifax:
https://assets.equifax.com/
Form for Experian:
https://www.experian.com/help/
https://www.experian.com/help/
TransUnion:
You need to compile your information in a letter yourself; there’s no form. See “Freeze Credit for a Minor” in these instructions:
https://www.transunion.com/
You need to compile your information in a letter yourself; there’s no form. See “Freeze Credit for a Minor” in these instructions:
https://www.transunion.com/
Should I freeze my child’s credit file?
You should absolutely freeze your child’s credit file. That way, they should be protected from most forms of identity theft. It would be unfortunate for your child to turn 18 and go to apply for a credit card or student loan and have negative information and fraudulent accounts on their files.
But mailing documents is a hassle.
If you think sending in the documents once is a pain, you should think about how time-consuming it will be if your child turns 18 and finds fraudulent accounts or negative information on their credit files from years and years ago, which could have been avoided by freezing their credit files when they were younger. It happens. A lot. Identity theft affected more than 900,000 kids in a 12-month period, according to a 2022 report from Javelin Strategy and Research.
Resolving cases of identity theft often takes several weeks or months, and sometimes years, after filing police reports, affidavits, etc. And during all of that time, your child likely would be unable to rent an apartment or apply for a credit card or loan.
What if we need to unfreeze it before they’re 16?
You only need to mail documents once. You should keep their file frozen. Another party shouldn’t have reason to check your child’s report before they’re 18, so there’s no reason to unfreeze it temporarily until then.
What if I want to add my child as an authorized user on my credit card?
You can add your child as an authorized user on a credit card without any bank pulling their credit file. They can be under 18 and be added as an authorized user.
However, not every bank will allow an authorized user who isn’t a “joint owner” on the account. Being a joint owner would require pulling their credit file. But a minor can’t be a joint owner on a credit card because you can’t be held liable for any agreement or contract they signed before they were 18.
This explainer from Chase Bank, which is the largest credit card issuer in the United States, provides more details.
Also, some banks will allow only one account owner and one authorized user per card. So if you and your partner already have a shared account, you may not be able to add your child. As Chase says, you should check with the particular card issuer.
Bottom line: You should have to do this only once. Once they turn 16, they should be able to unfreeze their files online temporarily by themselves.
It could get even easier.
A new bipartisan bill in Congress would make it much simpler for parents. The Credit Freeze for Newborns Act, introduced in August 2024 by Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and John Cornyn (R-TX), would allow parents to contact just one of three major credit bureaus to freeze their child’s credit files. That company would then be required to notify the other two bureaus within three days. (This is similar to the process of notifying the credit bureaus that someone has died; you need to only send documentation to one bureau.)
Identity theft is soaring; reduce your risk dramatically by simply freezing your credit files
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Authors
Teresa Murray
Consumer Watchdog, U.S. PIRG Education Fund
Teresa directs the Consumer Watchdog office, which looks out for consumers’ health, safety and financial security. Previously, she worked as a journalist covering consumer issues and personal finance for two decades for Ohio’s largest daily newspaper. She received dozens of state and national journalism awards, including Best Columnist in Ohio, a National Headliner Award for coverage of the 2008-09 financial crisis, and a journalism public service award for exposing improper billing practices by Verizon that affected 15 million customers nationwide. Teresa and her husband live in Greater Cleveland and have two sons. She enjoys biking, house projects and music, and serves on her church missions team and stewardship board.
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