Credit Score Basics > How far back does a credit report check go?

How far back does a credit report check go?

A credit report only goes back six years. That doesn’t mean that once six years have passed, you’re no longer responsible for your debts. You might also be required to disclose debts and defaults older than six years.

Here is how long things stay on your credit report, and when you might need to disclose older information.

What is a credit report?

Your credit report is a record of how well you've been managing your money. It includes information such as:

• bank accounts (including open and closed),
• lines of credit,
• how much have you borrowed,
• joint accounts,
• missed or late payments,
• defaults, bankruptcies, CCJs, or IVAs,
• and recent credit applications.

It's also important to keep in mind that your credit report is different from your credit score. Your credit score is a number that is based on the information from your credit report, and gives lenders a quick idea of how creditworthy you are.

Usually, if you have a good credit history, you should also have a good credit score. A high credit score will show lenders that you are a responsible borrower, which will help you get approved for credit cards, loans, and mortgages. It should also help you to get higher credit limits and lower interest rates.

You should also bear in mind that your credit report isn’t the only thing lenders look at. They’ll also consider other factors such as your income, your bills, your debt-to-income ratio, your credit utilisation (how close you are to the credit limit), and even if you have a stable address.

How long do things stay on my credit report?

Anything you see in your credit report will only be there for six years. That's because under a law called the Data Protection Act, your information is only kept by the credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) for six years after lenders send it to them.

This means that lenders will only see the last six years of your credit report. And not only lenders – even you won't be able to see more than six years from your credit history.

There are some exceptions to the six year rule, however:

• If you have a joint account with someone, it will show up as a financial association. This will stay on your credit file until all joint accounts between you and your associate (spouse, partner, etc.) are closed. If this happens, you also need to send a "Notice of Disassociation" to the credit reference agencies so they can manually remove the associate from your credit file.
• Hard checks (which happen when you apply for new credit lines) will be visible on your credit report only for two years.
• Your address history and contact information might be kept for longer than six years if the credit reference agencies deems it necessary.

There are also a few common misconceptions about how long information stays on your credit report:

• There are no "old versions" of your credit report. This is because the credit report is based on information that is constantly getting updated, while anything older than six years usually gets removed. In other words, you can't just call Experian and ask for a copy of your credit report from January 2015.
• Debts older than six years don't get "written off". For example, defaults and CCJs are removed from your credit report after six years – but the debt still exists. It's just harder to collect, and it also won't be visible when a lender runs a credit check.
• Open but unused accounts won't "disappear" from your credit report after six years. Only closed accounts are automatically removed from the report, so you should be careful about keeping unused accounts open. Also, only the last 4 years of payment history are visible in any case.

Here’s a quick summary to make it easier to understand:

• Closed accounts (for any reason): 6 years
• Late or missed payments: 6 years
• Bankruptcy, default, CCJ, IVA: also 6 years
• Active accounts: will show as long as the account is open, however only the last 4 years of payment history are visible
• Hard searches: 1-2 years
• Soft searches: 1 year, but they’re only visible to you
• Debt collection searches: 2 years
• CIFAS Protective Registration: 2 years
• CIFAS warning for victims of impersonation: up to 13 months
• Electoral registration: forever
• Financial connections: will show on your credit report until you request for them to be removed
• Notice of correction: will stay on your file also until you request for it to be removed.

Can lenders ask for information older than six years?

Yes, especially when it comes to events like bankruptcies or CCJs. When applying for a loan or mortgage, you might be asked if you have ever declared bankrupt, or taken to court for unpaid debts.

If the lender asks you this, you are legally obliged to provide them with this information – even if it's been more than six years since the default, bankruptcy, CCJ, or IVA.

The lender might also run a separate bankruptcy check on you by checking your name and address in the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Register.

How do I correct something on my credit report?

The first thing you need to do is to check your credit report by yourself. To do this, you have several options:

• You can apply for a Statutory Credit Report with any of the three main credit reference agencies. This is a free, basic version of your full credit report to which you're entitled to by law.
• You can subscribe to the premium credit score and report options that the credit agencies themselves offer. Experian's costs £14.99 a month, while Equifax offers one for £14.95 a month. Both have 30-day free trials. TransUnion does not offer something similar but you can check their credit report via Credit Karma.
• You can use CheckMyFile, which allows you to check your credit report with all three agencies in one go. CheckMyFile charges £14.99 per month, and it also has a 30-day free trial.

If you see any mistake in your credit report, you need to contact the relevant credit reference agency (or all of them) right away and let them know. They will let you know what to do next and what evidence you need to gather in order to prove that it's indeed a mistake.

In most cases, the credit reference agency will need to speak to the lender or company that marked the error in your report. They will also add a "Notice of Correction" to your credit file, which lets lenders know that the item in question is being disputed and might be an error.

• Credit Report