At one point, you may have set up an account with Credit Karma to gain access to your free yearly TransUnion and Equifax credit reports. In return for providing you with free credit reports, Credit Karma uses your information to suggest other financial products for you and earns a commission when you purchase those products.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- How to Delete Your Own Credit Karma Account
- How to Delete a Deceased Loved One's Credit Karma Account
- Deleting Credit Karma: Frequently Asked Questions
In an effort to simplify your life, you may wish to delete your Credit Karma account. Perhaps you were recently a victim of a data breach and you want to reduce the number of companies that have your private information. You might want to delete your account simply to reduce the number of emails you receive on a daily basis.
Take the following steps to delete a Credit Karma account. We will also help you delete the account of a loved one who died.
How to Delete Your Own Credit Karma Account
You can delete your Credit Karma account using a fairly simple process, but you may also consider a few other things before you make this decision. For example, Credit Karma does not dump your personal information when you delete your account. It takes up to two years for Credit Karma to make your data anonymous.
Do you still want to delete your account? Let’s get started with the process!
Here's how:
- Consider the ramifications of deleting your Credit Karma account.
- Log into your Credit Karma account.
- Select "Help Center" in the bottom left corner of your homepage.
- Select "Deactivate my Credit Karma account."
- Select "Cancel account."
- Confirm the account is deleted by trying to log in again.
Step 1: Consider the ramifications of deleting your Credit Karma account.
Before you cancel your account, you must realize that this means you won’t have access to any of your previous credit scores or report histories.
You will also lose access to your previous tax documents generated using Credit Karma’s tax preparation software.
Do you have a Credit Karma savings account? You will need to transfer the funds to a new account before closing yours with Credit Karma.
Step 2: Log into your Credit Karma account.
Log into your Credit Karma account by providing your login and password. If you don’t remember your login information, see if you can find the password saved on your computer’s password manager.
Step 3: Select “Help Center” in the bottom left corner of your homepage.
Key “deactivate account” into the help center’s search bar. Click on the results that read, “how do I cancel my membership?”
Step 4: Select “Deactivate my Credit Karma account.”
Click the deactivation option if you are ready to proceed.
Step 5: Select “Cancel account.”
A warning will ask whether you want to proceed with the cancellation. If you haven’t changed your mind, click “yes.”
Step 6: Confirm the account is deleted by trying to log in again.
If you are still able to log in, wait 24 hours and try again. If you can still access your account information, reach out to Credit Karma’s help desk.
How to Delete a Deceased Loved One’s Credit Karma Account
The Social Security Administration notifies the credit bureaus of your loved one’s death, but some families choose to ensure that this happens by contacting those agencies themselves.
Even if the credit bureaus know about your family member’s death, you may feel better deleting your loved one’s Credit Karma account as well. These accounts have sensitive information, and they can be risky in the wrong hands. In our post-loss checklist, you'll find important steps to take to protect your loved one's digital legacy.
You won’t find a standard procedure for deleting a deceased person’s Credit Karma account. Learn the steps for contacting their customer service representatives who can help you with this process.
Step 1: Fill out a contact form at the Credit Karma Help Center.
Visit this page of Credit Karma’s website to open a new case. You do not have to have your loved one’s login or password to receive support.
Step 2: Give the details of your loved one’s account on the Help Form.
Explain to the customer service help center that your loved one recently passed and that you wish to delete your loved one’s Credit Karma account to reduce their online presence.
Deleting Credit Karma: Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have additional questions about deleting your Credit Karma account (or the account of a loved one)? Here are some answers to these FAQs.
What happens when you deactivate your Credit Karma account?
According to Credit Karma’s privacy policies, canceling your account does not mean that your private information will automatically delete. After two years, Credit Karma will still retain the information, but your name will not be connected with the information.
Here’s what the fine print says:
“Due to our record keeping and information retention requirements, we do not delete information about you upon deactivation. We will, however, disable your account and stop sending you further communications. Furthermore, except to the extent necessary for legal or regulatory record-keeping purposes, we anonymize the data in your Member Profile two years after you deactivate your account. It may take a little more time for our automated backup systems to fully process the anonymized account.”
Can you make a new Credit Karma account after you deactivate or delete your old one?
Yes, you can return to Credit Karma later if you need its services in the future. Keep in mind that you won’t regain access to the information you previously stored in your account. Before canceling your membership, you may want to print out your credit report information or save it to a separate file on your computer.
A Lot to Take Care of When a Loved One Dies
As the executor of your loved one’s estate, you must pay the creditors, manage the decedent’s property, and distribute the assets to the beneficiaries. Your official duties may not include the management of the decedent’s digital afterlife.
This is something you may wish to do on top of your regular executor duties. You may also want to manage the deceased’s social media accounts and access documents and photos stored in the cloud.
You may feel overwhelmed with what feels like a never-ending to-do list but take a deep breath. Methodically go through the tasks and complete a few each day.
Sources:
- How Do I Cancel My Credit Karma Membership?” Credit Karma. https://support.creditkarma.com/s/article/How-do-I-cancel-my-membership-US?topParent=Manage_Your_Account_US&parentCategory=Manage_Your_Account_US&selectedCateg=Manage_Your_Account_US&parentCategoryLabel=Manage+Your+Account¤tCategLabel=Manage+Your+Account
- “Privacy Policy.” Credit Karma. https://www.creditkarma.com/about/privacy-20200101