Bad credit can affect your ability to get more credit. It also can affect your ability to get or keep a job. Employers often use a credit report when they hire and evaluate employees for promotion, reassignment, or retention.
According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and your state attorney general, an employer must get your permission to look at your credit report. If you don’t get a job because of information in your report, the employer must tell you how to get a copy from the consumer reporting company. There is no charge for the report if you request it within 60 days of getting notice that you did not get the job.
The FCRA also requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. To order your free annual report from one or all national consumer reporting companies, visit www.annualcreditreport.com, or call toll-free 877-322-8228.
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