How credit reports and credit scores work in the UK
Published · 5 min read · Figures checked . UK rules and rates change, so check the official sources below before you act.
A credit report is the record of your borrowing held by credit reference agencies, and a credit score is only a summary of it. This guide explains what is on your file, your free rights to see it, how long entries last and how mistakes are put right.
What a credit report is and who holds it
A credit report, also called a credit file, is a record of information about your financial standing. In the UK it is held by three main credit reference agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Citizens Advice says the file can include your electoral roll entries, public records such as court judgments, the payment history on your accounts, home repossessions, financial associations (links to people you share finances with), previous searches by lenders and linked addresses. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) says lenders use the file to decide whether to offer credit. It is also used to check identity and to spot fraud. Living at the same address does not by itself create a link between two people.
Credit reports versus credit scores
The report holds the facts; a score is a number built from them. Citizens Advice explains that lenders award points for each fact in an application and add them up, that each lender sets its own threshold and uses its own system, and that lenders will not tell you what your score is. A score shown to you by an agency or a free app is therefore a guide, not the figure any particular lender used, and different agencies use different scales. So one lender can accept and another refuse without the file changing. In February 2026 the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) consulted on proposals aimed at fuller, more accurate credit files.
Your free right to see your file
You are entitled to a copy of your file from any of the three agencies, and the ICO says there is no fee for it. Look for the phrase statutory report, which is the legal name for the free copy, and note that you do not have to take out a monthly subscription to get it. The agency may ask for your full name, any other names used in the last six years, your current address and addresses from the last six years, and your date of birth, and sometimes proof of name and address. The agency has one month from receiving your request to respond. In some cases it can take up to an extra two months, but it should tell you within the first month that it needs longer and why. It can be worth checking all three, as Citizens Advice notes they sometimes differ.
How long information stays
Citizens Advice says information is usually held on your file for six years, although some items can stay longer, such as a bankruptcy restrictions order lasting more than six years. The ICO says a defaulted debt sold to a collection company should not remain on your file for longer than six years from the date of the original default, and that previous names and addresses are looked at for the last six years. For county court judgments, Citizens Advice says that if a judgment is over six years old it no longer appears on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines, even if unpaid. If you pay in full within one month of the date of the judgment you can apply to the court, with a certificate as proof, to have the entry removed; if you pay later, the register shows it as satisfied, and it stays on your credit report until the six years are up.
- Paying within one month of the judgment can lead to removal; paying later leads to a satisfied note, not removal.
- You cannot ask for accurate information to be deleted just because you would prefer lenders not to see it.
A worked example
The dates and amounts below are illustrative only. For example, suppose a debt defaulted on 10 January 2021. Six years from that date is 10 January 2027, so under the ICO's six-year rule it should not still be on the file after that date. Now suppose a county court judgment is dated 1 March 2024. If the debt is paid in full by 1 April 2024, which is within one month, the person can apply to have it removed from the Register. If instead it is paid on 20 May 2024, which is more than one month on, the entry is marked satisfied, and the six-year period runs to around 1 March 2030, which is 6 years after 1 March 2024. The exact end date should be confirmed with the agency.
Fixing mistakes and being refused credit
If you think something on your file is wrong, the ICO says to raise it with the agency that supplied the file, although the lender that supplied the information may be responsible and may need to be contacted directly. Lenders can update their own entries through the agencies. If a lender refuses to amend an entry, or does not act within one month of receiving proof, you can complain to the ICO, which does not decide financial disputes. Citizens Advice says you can also add a notice of correction, a short statement of your side that anyone viewing the entry will see. If a lender refuses you after checking your file, Citizens Advice says it must explain why and give the details of the agency it used. Citizens Advice advises caution about credit repair companies that claim to clear debt records.
Where to get free help
If entries on your file stem from debts you cannot manage, free and impartial help is available from MoneyHelper, Citizens Advice and the debt charity StepChange. The Financial Ombudsman Service can look at complaints about financial firms, and the ICO handles data accuracy complaints. This guide is general information, not personal advice. Court processes differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so it can be worth checking the arrangements where you live.
Check before you act
Rules, timescales and regulator proposals change, and the FCA's proposals from February 2026 were a consultation rather than final rules, so it can be worth confirming the details on the official pages linked below before relying on any of them.
Sources
For information only. See our disclaimer and editorial standards. Spotted an error? Tell us.
