Credit glossary
Equifax
One of the three nationwide credit bureaus, keeping its own credit file on you, separate from Experian's and TransUnion's.
Equifax holds whatever the lenders and collectors that report to it send, and not every lender reports to all three bureaus, so your Equifax file can differ from the others. Classic mortgage scoring uses FICO Score 5 on Equifax data. Equifax also publishes an educational Equifax Credit Score on a 280 to 850 range, which isn't the score lenders use for decisions.
For disputes by mail, Equifax's own help page lists Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374-0256, and its dispute line is 888-378-4329. Freezes are free online, by phone or by mail. Equifax says it offers additional free Equifax reports through AnnualCreditReport.com through December 31, 2026, on top of the weekly reports all three bureaus provide.
Guides that go deeper
- Why your three credit scores don't match, and when to worryYour Experian, Equifax and TransUnion scores come from three separate files updated on different days. What causes the gap, and when it points to an error.
- How to dispute a credit report error, step by stepA step-by-step guide to disputing credit report errors with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion: online vs. mail, what to include, and how to keep proof.
- The credit scores mortgage lenders actually pull in 2026Mortgage lenders pull FICO 2, 4 and 5 or VantageScore 4.0 from all three bureaus and use your middle score. The 2026 rules and FICO 10T's status.
Sources
- Mail-in credit report dispute, Equifax
- Credit report dispute, Equifax
- Equifax Credit Score Ranges, Equifax
- Free credit reports, Equifax
- Place a Security Freeze, Equifax
- FICO Score versions, myFICO
This is education, not legal or financial advice. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it.