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.
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 on September 25, 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, the FTC said they will create one so it can be frozen. That record is not for credit. It exists so the freeze can be placed. Treat the 2018 alert as the explanation of the law, and the current FTC article as the how-to. If the two ever conflict, follow the current article and the bureau’s own form.
You have to contact each bureau. A freeze at one does not cover the other two. The FTC names Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, and says 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 says that to check whether a child has a credit report, you may have to send copies of:
- Your driver’s license or other government-issued identification
- Proof of your address, such as a utility bill, or a credit card or insurance statement
- The child’s birth certificate
- The child’s Social Security card
If you are not the parent, the FTC says you may have to send documents that prove you are the legal guardian. 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. The FTC’s current article points there for bureau contacts, and to each bureau’s own instructions. An older FTC checklist PDF lists phone numbers and tells readers to get updates at IdentityTheft.gov, because numbers change. Use the site, not a number from a blog.
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.
Place the freeze at all three bureaus
- Read the FTC’s page, How To Protect Your Child From Identity Theft, so you have the current age rule in front of you.
- Open IdentityTheft.gov from that page and follow its credit-bureau contacts. Then open each bureau’s own child or minor freeze instructions. The FTC links Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion from its article.
- Ask for a manual search of the child’s Social Security number if you are checking for an existing file, and ask for a minor freeze if you are placing one. Use the child’s real name and real number. A wrong digit creates a mess you will have to unwind.
- Send only the documents that bureau asks for, through the method that bureau’s page describes. Mail is still common for minor freezes. That is slow on purpose.
- Repeat for the other two bureaus. Save the confirmation from each one. Write down the date and the PIN or password they give you for lifting the freeze later. Store that with the birth certificate, not in the child’s notes app.
- When the child is old enough to apply for a card, a loan, or an apartment, you lift the freeze at the same three bureaus. The FTC says 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. The FTC says 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 that never checks credit. That is why the questions about school forms still matter.
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. Then follow the FTC’s three steps if fraud is real: tell each company’s fraud department and ask for written confirmation that the child is not responsible; tell each bureau and ask them to remove fraudulent accounts; place or confirm the freeze; report it at IdentityTheft.gov with as much detail as you have.
What to skip
- Do not pay a company that calls and offers to “freeze the child’s credit for you.” The FTC says 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 the birth certificate, Social Security card, your ID, and proof of address, stored safely.
- You contacted Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion through their own minor-freeze instructions, not an adult button and not a texted link.
- You saved each confirmation and the PIN or password for lifting the freeze.
- You did not pay anyone to do this.
- 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 use the guardian documents the bureau asks for, not a parent’s login. 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. The FTC says they may place or remove it themselves. Show them where the confirmations are before they apply for anything.
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 for a manual search of the Social Security number. 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. The FTC says a credit freeze for a child under 16 is free. Do not pay a third party to place it.
Does one freeze cover every lender?
No. You contact Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion separately. The FTC says the process for a minor is different from an adult freeze.
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 FTC says 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. Used for the 2018 law and the explanation that bureaus create a file if none exists so it can be frozen.
- IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC’s reporting site, identitytheft.gov, accessed September 25, 2026. The bureau-contacts page did not load on this check. Use the link from the FTC article rather than a copied phone number.
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.