What should I do if I think my credit report is wrong?

Quick answer: If your credit report looks wrong, it could be an error, signs of identity fraud or it hasn’t updated yet. Contact the credit reference agency where you got the credit report from and let them know if you think something doesn’t look right.

If you think your credit report is wrong, it’s a good idea to get the error fixed quickly. This can help you apply for credit without a hitch. This guide explains what to do and how credit reference agencies can help.

First, it’s important to know whether you’re looking at an error, something that’s normal, or possible identity fraud.

If you see information you don’t recognise. Things like accounts or credit searches you never made could be signs of identity theft and fraud. This means someone may be trying to take out credit as you. Find out what to do if you’re a victim of identity fraud.

If there’s an error on your report. If something on your credit report is inaccurate, tell the credit reference agency (CRA) where you got the report from. They’ll look into it and contact the company who provided the information. Contact us if the error is on your Experian Credit Report.

If your personal details are old. You can usually change your name, address and contact details yourself. You can update your personal details with Experian when you sign up or log in. Make sure to update all three CRAs in the UK, as well as your lenders.

If your report hasn’t changed. It’s normal for new information to take four to eight weeks to show on your credit report. This is because lenders usually report once a month to CRAs, and often at different times.

If you want to add or remove a note. You can add a Notice of Correction to give lenders extra information when they run a credit check. For example, it could explain the reasons for a default, like sudden illness or losing your job.

It’s free to check your Experian Credit Report and Score using the Experian app. Your report and score update every 30 days if you log in. And don’t worry, checking won’t affect your score.

What to do if my credit score looks wrong?

If you think your credit score is wrong, here are some steps you can take.

Check your report for issues.

If your credit score looks wrong, it may be because there’s incorrect or missing information on your report. It’s free to check your Experian Credit Report on our app. Learn what affects your score and look for anything that doesn’t seem right.

Give your score time to update.

If you think your score should have changed and it hasn’t, it might be that it hasn’t updated yet. How long this takes depends on who you check your score with. Your Experian Credit Score updates every 30 days with a free account or daily with CreditExpert. Also, it can take up to eight weeks to see a change if we’re waiting on lenders for new information.

Understand how your score works.

If your score looks wrong and you’re not sure why, it can help to learn how your score is calculated. Keep in mind that it’s normal if your score looks different on different sites.

If you need a bit more help understanding your score, try CreditExpert free for 30 days.* See daily updates, what’s affecting your score and a personalised plan to improve it.

How to dispute my credit score?

You can complain if you think your score is wrong because of incorrect information on your report. Contact the CRA you checked your score with — Experian, Equifax or TransUnion.

Tell them which part of your report you think is inaccurate and causing your score to look wrong. They will contact the company who provided the information to try and fix the issue.

What to do if there’s wrong information on my credit report?

If you think your credit report is wrong, here are some steps that may help.

See if you can update personal details yourself.

Having the wrong address on your report can cause problems when you apply for credit. The good news is you can usually update your address in your online account with the credit reference agency, as well as your name and contact details.

Give your report time to update.

Check with the CRA to see how long this takes. Your Experian Credit Report updates every 30 days with a free account or daily with CreditExpert. Because lenders update us at different times, it can take up to eight weeks to see new information on your credit report.

Protect yourself from possible fraud.

If there’s information on your report that you don’t recognise, this could mean someone is trying to apply for credit pretending to be you. If you have been a victim of fraud, contact the police through Report Fraud and tell the lenders involved as soon as possible. Check to see if your credit and bank accounts are safe. You may want to lock your Experian Credit Report or apply for Protective Registration with Cifas to help protect your credit in the future.

Contact the credit reference agency to fix errors.

If there’s wrong information on your credit report, like a late payment you actually made on time, you can ask the credit reference agency that holds your report to look into the issue. Learn more about how to correct errors on your credit report below.

How do I dispute my credit report?

If you think wrong information has been recorded on your credit report, contact the credit reference agency (CRA) you checked your report with and ask for the information to be corrected. There are three CRAs in the UK, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

It’s important to know the information on your report isn’t owned by the credit reference agency. CRAs gather information about things like payments, defaults, accounts and balances from lenders. They get information about things like county court judgments and bankruptcies from public registers.

It’s up to the company that provided the information to decide whether it should be changed on your report. CRAs can’t make this decision. But they can contact the company for you and ask them to check their records.

While you’re waiting for an answer, the CRA can add a Notice of Correction to your report. This is a note telling lenders you have disputed something on your credit report. It may help lenders make a fairer decision, although they don’t have to consider it. Your applications may take a little longer, but the note will not affect your score.

If the company says your information is correct and you still don’t agree, you might want to contact them directly to try and sort it out. If you can’t come to an agreement, you may want to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. You can keep the Notice of Correction to tell other lenders you’re still disputing your credit report.

Telling Experian about information you think is wrong

If Experian has the wrong personal information

If you need to update your name or address on your Experian Credit Report, it’s easy to do this with a free account. Simply log in online or open the app. Go to ‘Report’, then ‘Personal details’ and click ‘Edit name or address’.

If there’s an error on your report

If you think Experian has wrong information about your credit history, please contact us so we can help. Let us know about anything you think is important, like if you’re making a credit application soon. We’ll do our best to get the issue fixed quickly.

If your report is linked to someone else’s

You can ask to break the link between your report and someone else’s if Experian has wrong information about a financial association. If you’re doing this after a breakup or divorce, you’ll usually need to pay off and close joint accounts. If you share a mortgage, we can sometimes break the link anyway if you have lived apart for over six months.

If you have had a gender transition

Your financial records should reflect the real you. Our gender transitioning support service will help you understand your options. We’ll break down exactly what’s on your credit report and how we can help update your information.

What if I think my Experian Credit Score is wrong?

It’s worth knowing that your Experian Credit Score isn’t wrong just because it doesn’t look like your score on other sites. Each credit reference agency (CRA) has their own way of scoring you. They have different scales and ways of calculating your number. Also, they may hold different information on you, as some lenders don’t report to all three CRAs. There’s no one score that’s “right” or “wrong”. But the Experian Credit Score is the UK’s most trusted.

If you still think your Experian Credit Score is wrong, please check your Experian Credit Report to make sure everything looks correct. If there’s an error, it could be affecting your score. Let us know if something doesn’t look right and we’ll help you get it fixed.

Frequently asked questions

How to get something removed from your credit report in the UK?

You can only get information removed from your credit report if it’s incorrect. You’ll need to contact the credit reference agency who holds the report with the error — Experian, Equifax or TransUnion. It may be more than one of them.

I’m about to apply for credit and I’ve just noticed an error on my credit report, what should I do?

Get in touch with the credit reference agency who holds your report. Give them as much information about the error as you can and explain that you need to make a credit application soon. The CRA will contact the company who provided the information to try and fix the issue. They can also add a Notice of Correction to your report explaining that you’ve said something isn’t right. Lenders will see this when you apply, although they don’t have to let it affect their decision.

If the error is related to a specific lender, you can also contact the lender directly, to see if you can resolve it with them.

It’s up to you whether you wait until the error is fixed before you make any applications. Just so you know, an error may mean you’re more likely to be refused credit. Also, a Notice of Correction can mean lenders take a little longer to make a decision.

How to fix a default on your credit file?

A default stays on your credit file for six years from the date of default, even if you pay off the debt. The good news is it should be marked as “settled” once it’s paid off, which lenders will see when they check your report. The default’s impact on your credit score will get smaller over time, and there are ways to help your score go up.

Why hasn’t a bankruptcy been removed from my credit report?

Once you’re discharged from bankruptcy, the information on your report should be updated by the lenders whose debts were included in the bankruptcy. But you may have to tell them about your discharge yourself.

Contact each lender with proof of your discharge and ask them to update the account on your credit report. Once they do this, your report should show that the debt has a £0 balance and is “settled”. Some reports say “satisfied” or “partially settled” instead.

If a lender doesn’t update your report within one month of seeing your proof, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office about them.

How to remove a Notice of Correction

If you’d like to remove a Notice of Correction, contact the credit reference agency that holds the report where you’re seeing the notice. It can take up to 28 days to see it come off your report.

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