public-service · credit freeze cost and timing
What the U.S. Code Says a Credit Freeze Costs and Takes
The 2023 U.S. Code text on the price and deadlines for placing and removing a "national security freeze" on a credit report.
In this article
Updated: Sources: 1
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What matters now
- Placing the freeze costs nothing: the statute's text is "free of charge."
- A phone or electronic placement request must be honored within "1 business day after receiving the request."
- A mailed placement request must be honored within "3 business days after receiving the request."
- Removing the freeze is also "free of charge," within "1 hour after receiving the request for removal" (phone/electronic) or "3 business days after receiving the request for removal" (mail).
Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-1(i), as published in the “United States Code, 2023 Edition” on govinfo.gov, a consumer reporting agency must act on a consumer’s own direct request to place a “National security freeze.” Placing the freeze is “free of charge.” A phone or electronic placement request must be honored within “1 business day after receiving the request.” A mailed placement request must be honored within “3 business days after receiving the request.” Removing the freeze is also “free of charge.” A phone or electronic removal request must be honored within “1 hour after receiving the request for removal,” and a mailed removal request within “3 business days after receiving the request for removal.”
This original record-reading guide is a general reading aid, not cited evidence. It does not depict a source record; the article text and source links provide the facts.
Key points
- Placing the freeze costs nothing: the statute’s text is “free of charge.”
- A phone or electronic placement request must be honored within “1 business day after receiving the request.”
- A mailed placement request must be honored within “3 business days after receiving the request.”
- Removing the freeze is also “free of charge,” within “1 hour after receiving the request for removal” (phone/electronic) or “3 business days after receiving the request for removal” (mail).
- This text comes from the codified section §1681c–1. Identity theft prevention; fraud alerts and active duty alerts in the “United States Code, 2023 Edition.”
What the statute names
The relevant statutory heading is §1681c–1. Identity theft prevention; fraud alerts and active duty alerts, and the specific mechanism it addresses is the “National security freeze.”
What it costs to place
The statute’s text is unambiguous on price: a consumer reporting agency places the freeze “free of charge.”
Placement timing
The timing depends on how the request arrives. For a phone or electronic request, the agency must act “1 business day after receiving the request.” For a mailed request, the deadline is “3 business days after receiving the request.”
Cost and speed of removal
Removal is likewise “free of charge.” The statute sets a much faster clock for a phone or electronic removal request — “1 hour after receiving the request for removal” — and the same three-business-day window for a mailed removal request: “3 business days after receiving the request for removal.”
What this article excludes
This article reports only the cost and timing language found in the “United States Code, 2023 Edition” text of § 1681c-1(i). It does not advise whether any individual reader should freeze or unfreeze their credit — that is a personal decision outside the scope of this statutory summary. It also does not describe what placing a freeze does to an existing account, credit card, or loan a reader already holds. Finally, because federal law can be amended, this article states only what the 2023 Edition says as published. Readers who need to confirm whether this language is still current should consult the live section directly at govinfo.gov, rather than treating this summary as a guarantee of present-day law.