How Trans and Nonbinary People Can Change Their Name on Credit Reports

Credit bureaus use the legal name on your credit report to consolidate your crediting activities, which together form your credit score and can help you get approval for credit cards, loans, and applications for apartments and mortgages. If you change your name, it's important to let these credit bureaus know, as doing so ensures your good credit activities continue to build your score and personal finances.

Fortunately, as part of a push to support transgender and nonbinary people, all three major credit bureaus -- Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian -- will let you change the deadname on your credit reports to reflect your legal name. The process isn't complicated, but you will need to complete some steps beforehand and confirm your legal name with supporting documents. Let's look at what you need to change your credit reports and what each bureaus asks you to provide to change your name.

1. Obtain a court-ordered name change

First, you'll have to go through your state's procedure to change your name legally. Often this involves filing a petition for a change of name at a local court in the state where you live. You'll have to bring certain identifying documents with you to court, like your birth certificate, and you might need an affidavit from someone close to you confirming your deadname and actual one. Since the requirements differ by state, it's best to check out your state's criteria, which you can find on the National Center for Transgender Equality's site

2. Report your legal name to banks, lenders, and credit card companies

Once you've changed your legal name, your next step is to update the deadname on your financial accounts. This means banks, credit card companies, or any other entity who's reporting crediting activities to the three credit bureaus. You can request copies of your credit report from all three bureaus to get an idea of which accounts need to be updated.

TransUnion requires you to complete this step before changing your deadname on its credit report, while Equifax and Experian strongly recommend it. Either way, keeping your financial accounts and credit reports under the same name ensures your reports aren't missing information or activities, which could affect your credit score.

3. Update your legal name to the three major credit bureaus

Each of the three credit bureaus has a different procedure for updating your name. Fortunately, the hard work is mostly behind you, and now you just have to show credit bureaus the right identifying documents to get your deadname removed. Let's look at what each credit bureaus requires.

Equifax

To change your name, sign in to your Equifax account using your deadname, then navigate to the dispute center. Once you're in, Equifax will ask you to upload identifying documents, such as:

• Court-ordered name change
• Social Security number (this could be your updated SSN card)
• Piece of mail, such as a bank statement, with your current address
• State driver's license number or passport with your date of birth

After you submit these documents, Equifax will work on updating your credit report to reflect your actual name.

TransUnion

TransUnion requires you to update your name on all financial accounts linked to your TransUnion credit report. Once that's done, you'll submit the following documents to the address below:

• Name change court order
• A letter with your Social Security number, date of birth, and address

TransUnion Consumer Solutions
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016-2000

Experian

Experian has an online portal where you can upload documents. Basically, you just need to upload your court-ordered name change, an identification card (with your deadname or actual one), and a dated bank, insurance, or utility statement. After you upload these, Experian will typically change your name within 10 business days.

Fortunately, credit bureaus are on your side and support your decision to change your name. If you need help updating your name on their credit reports, reach out to their help centers or call them at their respective numbers. Finally, it's a good idea to check your credit reports once your name change submission has been accepted, especially since you can request one free credit report weekly at AnnualCreditReport.com until the end of 2023.