How to Remove Personal Information from Your Credit Report

Your credit report contains sensitive personal information like your name, address Social Security number and accounts. While this information is needed for lenders and others to verify your identity, you may want to remove some details for privacy reasons. Fortunately, you have options to remove personal information from your credit report.

Why Remove Personal Info from Your Credit Report?

Here are some common reasons people want to delete personal details from their credit reports

• Stopping identity theft: Taking out information like your address can make it harder for thieves to open accounts in your name.

• Stalking/harassment concerns – If you’re concerned about an ex or stalker finding your address, deleting this info from your report adds a layer of protection.

• General privacy – Some people simply don’t want their personal info available in their credit reports. This is understandable given all the data breaches lately.

• Irrelevant information – You may want to remove old addresses, phone numbers, or employer details that are no longer current.

What Personal Information is in Your Credit Report?

Your credit report from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion contains:

• Full name
• Current and previous addresses
• Social Security number
• Date of birth
• Phone numbers
• Employer names and addresses
• Account histories (credit cards, loans, etc.)
• Public record details (bankruptcies, judgments, tax liens)
• Inquiries from lenders checking your credit

Not all of this info can be deleted. But you do have options to remove certain personal details.

How to Remove Specific Personal Information

If you want to get rid of personal information on your credit report, follow these steps:

Remove Your Address

You can request to have your address removed from your credit report. The credit bureaus will replace your street address with city and state only.

To do this:

• Go to each credit bureau’s website and search for address opt-out or confidential address options (links below).
• Submit a request to remove your street address and replace it with city/state only.
• Provide proof of identity and address verification.
• Allow 30 days for processing.

Remove Address from Experian Credit Report

Remove Address from Equifax Credit Report

Remove Address from TransUnion Credit Report

Remove Your Phone Number

You can ask the credit bureaus to take your phone number off of your report. Here’s how:

• Go to each credit bureau website (links above).
• Look for phone number opt-out options.
• Submit your request and verify identity.
• Allow 30 days for processing.

Remove Your Name

If you changed your name due to marriage, divorce or other reasons, you can remove your old name from your credit report.

• Get copies of documents proving your legal name change (marriage license, court order, etc.)
• Dispute the name with each credit bureau and submit your proof.
• Request name removal online or by mail.

Remove Other Information

For other personal details, you’ll need to dispute them with the credit bureaus:

• Incorrect address – If a current or past address is wrong, dispute it and provide proof of your correct address history.

• Incorrect employer – If a current or past employer name is inaccurate, dispute it with proof of employment.

• Closed accounts – You can dispute closed accounts that you want removed. Provide proof they are closed.

• Incorrect SSN – If you see the wrong Social Security number, dispute this immediately and provide your correct SSN. This could indicate fraud.

Learn how to dispute credit report errors

Tips for Removing Personal Information

• Review all three credit reports for unwanted personal details before disputing.

• Be prepared to verify your identity when requesting opt-outs. This prevents fraud.

• Know that lenders may still be able to access your info for legitimate purposes even if deleted from your reports.

• Deleting info doesn’t guarantee removal from lenders’ databases or marketing lists immediately.

• Removal requests may take 30-45 days to process. Follow up if your reports aren’t updated.

• You can request to opt-out again in the future if new information appears on your reports.

Alternatives to Removing Information

If you can’t remove certain personal details from your credit report, here are some other options:

• Place a fraud alert or credit freeze on your reports to limit access.

• Enroll in free credit monitoring to catch any suspicious activity indicating fraud.

• Sign up for the Do Not Call registry to reduce telemarketing calls.

• Use an email alias or secondary phone number when applying for accounts to avoid exposing your primary contact info.

Weigh the Pros and Cons

While removing personal information from your credit report provides privacy, it also has potential drawbacks:

Pros

• Increased privacy and identity theft protection

• Ability to reduce marketing solicitations

• Removal of irrelevant or outdated information

Cons

• Potential lender difficulties verifying your identity or location

• Errors if wrong info is removed and proper history not restored

• Possible delays if lenders can’t process your applications easily

• Ongoing diligence needed to ensure info doesn’t reappear

Consider the pros and cons before opting out of sharing information on your credit reports. In some cases, the benefits may outweigh the risks for you. Monitor your reports regularly and continue disputing unwanted details as needed. With persistence, you can better control the personal data available in your credit history.