How to Freeze a Child’s Credit

A credit freeze makes it harder for someone to open a new account in a child’s name. The Federal Trade Commission says the freeze is free, and for a child under 16 it stays on until a parent asks the credit bureaus to take it off. Most children do not have a credit file at all. That is normal. A freeze is how you keep a stranger from creating one and using it.

The short version: it is free, you do it separately at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, you prove who you and the child are with copies of documents, and most of it happens by mail or document upload rather than a one-click button. Plan on about an hour of paperwork and a few weeks for all three confirmations.

This guide is for a parent or legal guardian, and for an adult child helping a grandparent who is raising a child. It is not a way to hide a real debt, and it is not legal advice. Steps were checked against the FTC’s consumer page and the Equifax and Experian minor pages on October 31, 2026. The bureau websites change their forms. If a button does not match, use the FTC’s links instead of guessing.

What child identity theft is

The FTC says child identity theft happens when someone uses a child’s sensitive information to get services or benefits, or to commit fraud. That can be a Social Security number, a name and address, or a date of birth. The FTC lists what thieves use it for:

• Government benefits, such as health coverage or nutrition assistance
• A bank account or a credit card
• A loan
• A utility, such as water or electricity
• A place to rent

A child will not notice a credit card they never applied for. A parent usually finds out later, when a bill arrives, a benefit is denied, or a student loan is refused because of a credit history the child should not have.

Who can place the freeze

The FTC’s current guide draws a clear age line. If the child is under 16, a parent requests the freeze. It stays until you tell the bureaus to remove it. Minors who are 16 or 17 may request and remove a security freeze themselves.

The FTC explained in a 2018 consumer alert that a federal law lets parents, legal guardians, and some child-welfare representatives request a free security freeze for a person under 16. Parents need proof of authority, such as a birth certificate. If the bureaus do not already have a file on the child, they will create one so it can be frozen. Equifax says the same on its own page: a credit report is created for the child, then frozen. That record is not for credit. It exists so the freeze can be placed.

You have to contact each bureau. A freeze at one does not cover the other two. The minor process is different from an adult freeze. Do not use the adult “freeze my credit” button while logged in as yourself and assume the child is covered.

What to gather before you start

The FTC and Experian list the same set of copies:

• Your driver’s license or other government-issued ID
• Proof of your address, such as a utility bill, bank statement or insurance statement
• The child’s birth certificate
• The child’s Social Security card
• Proof of guardianship, if you are not named on the birth certificate

Send copies, never originals. Do not email those scans to a link in a text message. Use the bureau page you opened yourself, or the contact path on IdentityTheft.gov. Keep the originals in a locked place. The FTC also says to shred medical bills and other papers with the child’s information when you no longer need them, and to delete personal information before you give away a computer or a phone. Our guide to wiping an old phone or computer covers that last step.

Bureau by bureau

Equifax

Equifax asks parents and legal guardians of a child under 16 to download its Minor Freeze Request Form from its child identity theft page. The form lists the documents to include and the mailing address. Fill it in, attach copies of your ID, proof of address, and the child’s birth certificate and Social Security card, and mail it.

Experian

Experian’s minor request page has a form for three things: checking whether a minor has a report, adding a fraud alert, and adding or removing a security freeze. You fill in your details and the child’s, then either:

• Mail it with the copies listed above to Experian, PO Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013, or
• Upload it at experian.com/upload. Complete the identity check in Step 1 with your email address, upload the documents in Step 2, choose “Other” as the reason, and describe the request as a minor security freeze.

Experian says most requests get a reply within 10 to 15 days, by email or by mail. Experian also lets a minor aged 14 or older make the request themselves through its site.

TransUnion

TransUnion has its own child credit freeze page with a minor request process. Its site blocked our automated check, so we have not listed its steps here. Reach it from the bureau links in the FTC article or on IdentityTheft.gov, and send the same set of copies.

Step by step

1. Read the FTC’s page, How To Protect Your Child From Identity Theft, so you have the current age rule in front of you.
2. Gather the copies listed above, once, in one folder.
3. Submit the minor freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion using each bureau’s own minor process. Use the child’s real name and real number. A wrong digit creates a mess you will have to unwind.
4. Save the confirmation from each one. Write down the date and any PIN or password they give you for lifting the freeze later. Store that with the birth certificate, not in the child’s notes app.
5. If one bureau has not replied in about a month, contact it again through its own site. Do not assume silence means it worked.
6. When the child is old enough to apply for a card, a loan, or an apartment, lift the freeze at the same three bureaus. A 16- or 17-year-old may be able to do that themselves. Do not lift it “just to see” and forget to put it back.

A freeze does not erase a fraud that already happened. It restricts access to the report so new accounts are harder to open. It does not stop someone from using a Social Security number for a benefit or a job that never checks credit. That is why the questions about school forms still matter.

Check before the 16th birthday

Equifax notes that the FTC recommends checking whether a child has a credit report as their 16th birthday nears. If there is one, you have time to fix it before they apply for a job, an apartment or a car loan. Experian’s minor form has a “check if a minor has a credit report” option for exactly this. Put a reminder in the family calendar for the year your child turns 15.

Signs the information is already in use

The FTC lists warning signs:

• Someone contacts you about an overdue bill on an account you did not open.
• You are denied government benefits because the child’s Social Security number is already in use.
• The IRS writes about unpaid income taxes for the child. That can happen if someone used the number on a job’s tax forms.
• The child is denied a student loan because of bad credit.

A child under 18 generally will not have a credit report. If a bureau says one exists, treat that as a reason to look, not as proof of theft. If fraud is real:

1. Contact the fraud department of each company where an account was opened. Ask them to close it and send a letter confirming the child is not responsible. Equifax notes they may ask for the birth certificate and a police report.
2. Tell each bureau and ask them to remove the fraudulent accounts.
3. Place or confirm the freeze.
4. Report it at IdentityTheft.gov with as much detail as you have. The site builds a recovery plan and a report you can share.

What to skip

• Do not pay a company that calls and offers to “freeze the child’s credit for you.” The freeze is free. A caller who wants a fee, a gift card, or remote access to your computer is a scam. The gift-card rule is in gift cards are only for gifts.
• Do not put the child’s Social Security number in an email to a school app just because a form asks. Ask why they need it. The FTC’s four questions are in the school apps guide.
• Do not skip a bureau because the first one said there was no file. Thieves only need one bureau that will open an account.

Checklist

• You know whether the child is under 16, or 16 to 17.
• You have copies of the birth certificate, Social Security card, your ID, and proof of address. The originals are stored safely.
• You submitted the minor freeze at Equifax (form by mail), Experian (mail or upload) and TransUnion (its own minor page).
• You saved each confirmation and any PIN or password for lifting the freeze.
• You did not pay anyone to do this.
• A reminder is set to check the child’s file before they turn 16.
• If a bill or IRS letter already arrived, you reported it at IdentityTheft.gov and asked each company for written confirmation.

What this means for you

A parent of a young child can place the freeze once and leave it. You do not need to check it every month. You do need the paper trail for the day the child wants a first credit card or a student loan.

A grandparent who is the legal guardian should include proof of guardianship, because their name is not on the birth certificate. An adult child can help gather papers and sit through the forms. They should not send the child’s Social Security number from their own email to a service they found in an ad.

A teen who is 16 or 17 should know the freeze exists and may place or remove it themselves. Show them where the confirmations are before they apply for anything. Adults in the house can freeze their own credit too, online and in minutes. See our credit freeze review.

FAQ

Does a child normally have a credit report?

The FTC says a child under 18 generally will not. You find out by asking each bureau. Experian’s minor form has a check option, and you may have to send copies of your ID, proof of address, the birth certificate, and the Social Security card.

Is the freeze free?

Yes. A credit freeze for a child under 16 is free by law. Do not pay a third party to place it.

Can I freeze my child’s credit online?

Partly. Experian accepts the minor request and documents through its upload page. Equifax uses a form you mail. TransUnion has its own minor page. None of them work through the adult freeze button on your own account.

How long does it take?

Experian says most minor requests get a reply in 10 to 15 days. Mail-based requests can take longer. Follow up if you have not heard back in about a month.

Does one freeze cover every lender?

No. You contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion separately.

When do we take it off?

When the child needs a real credit check, such as a loan, a card, or some apartments. Under 16, a parent asks the bureaus to remove it. At 16 or 17, the minor may request and remove a freeze themselves. Put it back on if the application is done and they do not need new credit.

Sources

• Federal Trade Commission, “How To Protect Your Child From Identity Theft,” consumer.ftc.gov, accessed September 25, 2026.
• Federal Trade Commission, “New protections available for minors under 16,” March 11, 2019, consumer.ftc.gov, accessed September 25, 2026.
• Equifax, “Child identity theft,” equifax.com, accessed October 31, 2026.
• Experian, “Requesting a minor’s credit report, fraud alert or security freeze,” experian.com, accessed October 31, 2026.
• IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC’s reporting site, identitytheft.gov.

Photo: a parent and child looking at a phone together, via Pexels. Pexels License.

This is not legal or financial advice. Credit-bureau forms and age rules can change. If a step does not match the bureau’s page, follow that page and the FTC article above.

Update this guide if the FTC changes the under-16 rule, or if the three bureaus stop using a separate minor-freeze process.