How long information stays on your credit file

Most information stays on your credit file for six years, but this is not always the case, and the date the six years starts from differs depending on the type of entry¹. Missed payments, defaults and court judgments are the entries that generally last the full six years², and information about you is usually held on your file for six years by the credit reference agencies³. Your credit file shows information about your credit use in the past six years⁴.

The six year period is not a punishment that resets if you pay. It is a retention rule: entries are removed six years from the date the event happened, whether or not the debt has been repaid⁵. What paying changes is how the entry is shown, not when it goes. This page sets out the retention periods for each kind of entry, how the start date is worked out, what happens to closed accounts and sold debts, and how to check your file and correct mistakes.

Six years is the rule for most entries

The starting point for almost everything on a credit file is six years. Information such as missed payments, default notices and court judgments will generally stay on your credit file for six years³. The credit reference agency will leave most information on your report for at least six years¹⁰. This covers not only problems: your file shows information about your credit use in the past six years, including accounts you have run well⁴.

The rule applies across the main kinds of adverse entry:

A few things matter about how the six years works in practice. First, it is not a rolling window that keeps entries alive while the account is open: each entry is dated, and it goes when its own six years are up. Second, the six years is a maximum for most adverse entries, not a minimum sentence that paying extends. Third, some entries have their own rules: certain magistrates' court fines are kept on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines for five years rather than six¹³. The detail that catches most people out is the start date, which is different for defaults and for judgments, and is covered in the sections below.

One common confusion is with the "seven year" rule sometimes mentioned online. That relates to how long information stays on someone's credit file in the United States of America, and it will not impact your debts here in the UK³.

Missed payments and defaults: six years from the date of default

Missed payments and defaults are recorded differently, but both last six years. Late payments stay on your credit history for six years, as do missed payments and defaults⁶. Arrears information stays on your credit report for six years¹⁴.

A default is the marker a lender puts on an account when the relationship has broken down, usually after payments have been missed for some time. It makes it harder to borrow more money as it stays on your credit file for six years¹⁵. The clock starts from a specific point: credit accounts in default stay on your credit report for six years from the date of default¹⁰. Defaults stay on your file for six years from the date added⁵. The same rule applies to mortgage debts and secured loans, where details stay on the credit reference agency's files for six years from the date the default was registered¹³.

The default date matters more than the payments that led up to it. A lender does not have to send you a default notice before marking the account as in default on your credit file: while it may be a requirement of the Consumer Credit Act to issue a default notice, there is no data protection obligation on a lender to do so¹⁶. The dedicated page on defaults and default notices explains what a default is and when it can be recorded.

The six year rule from the default date applies across credit types:

• Unsecured accounts: a defaulted account stays on your credit report for six years¹⁷
• Buy now pay later: a defaulted BNPL account stays on your credit report for six years¹⁷
• Full and final settlement: the account stays on your file for six years from the date the account was defaulted¹⁸
• Mortgages and secured loans: six years from the date the default was registered¹³
• Bankruptcy: accounts appear on your credit file for six years from when they default, and the bankruptcy itself appears for six years⁸

Where a car has been repossessed under a hire purchase or conditional sale agreement, the information is normally kept on your credit reference file for six years and can affect your ability to get credit¹⁹. The Financial Ombudsman Service has also confirmed in its payday lending reporting that a default will stay on the consumer's credit file for six years²⁰.

Paying off a debt changes how it is shown, not when it goes

The single most misunderstood point about credit files is what repayment achieves. If an account has defaulted, the debt is removed six years after the default, even if it is not fully repaid⁵. Information about the debt is taken off your file after six years even if you still owe it²¹. Paying a debt does not start a new six year period, and it does not remove the entry early.

What paying does change is the record itself. The people you owe update your credit file when you miss payments, but they should also do it when you repay your debts²². A paid default still shows as a default, but the account will show the debt as settled rather than outstanding, which lenders can see when they review your file.

A few specific situations are worth knowing:

• Written off debt: if a creditor writes a debt off, it will still show on your credit reference file as unpaid, which could make it more difficult to get credit in the future²³. Getting a debt written off has a negative impact on your credit reference file and may affect your ability to obtain credit for up to six years³.
• Debt relief orders: a DRO stays on your credit file for six years from the approval date¹¹. Official guidance states your DRO will stay on your credit file for six years, and so will the debts listed in it, which will not show as paid or settled during this time²⁴.
• Debt management plans: details are recorded on your file for six years, and if you have been in a plan for longer than this, your debts may have already dropped off²⁵.
• Getting debt advice: getting debt advice does not affect your credit file²⁶.

Sold debts. Debts are often sold on to collection firms. If the creditor does not tell you the debt has been sold, the collectors are working for the original creditor, and the original creditor still owns the debt²⁷. A sold debt should not appear as a new, separate default. The Information Commissioner's Office, which regulates how credit data is handled, has set out the fairness rule here: if entries are recorded on your credit file in a way that may look like two different debts, or that could make the debt remain on your credit file for longer than six years from the date of the original default, it is unlikely the ICO would consider this to be fair¹⁶. If a sold debt appears twice, the page on a sold debt showing twice on your file explains what to do.

County Court Judgments: six years on your file and the public register

A county court judgment (CCJ) is a civil court order that says you owe money and sets out how and when it must be repaid²⁸. Once made, it is recorded in two places: your credit file, and the public Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines.

A CCJ stays on the register and your credit files for six years⁷. Almost all county court and high court judgments are recorded on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines and kept on the register for six years¹³. The information is stored for six years by Registry Trust, which runs the public register²¹. ICO guidance confirms the position: data is held by Registry Trust Limited and on a credit reference file for six years from the date of the CCJ, HCJ, AO or decree, unless it is set aside or recalled by the courts²⁹.

The register is public, which is the part many people do not expect. This is a public record, so the information can be accessed by others, including credit reference agencies⁷. Anyone can check if you have an outstanding CCJ for a fee of £4⁹. Lenders will be able to see that you have a CCJ⁹.

The six years runs from the judgment, not from anything you do afterwards:

• A CCJ is recorded on your credit file for six years from the date it was issued³⁰
• County court judgments are deleted six years from the date the judgment was made, whether or not they have been paid¹³
• The CCJ is removed from the public register and your credit file after six years, even if you have not paid it off⁹

The equivalent entries outside England and Wales work the same way on your credit file. Details of a CCJ in England and Wales, a decree in Scotland, or a money judgment in Northern Ireland are added to your credit history for six years⁵. The pages on credit files in Scotland and credit files in Northern Ireland cover the separate court registers in those nations.

A CCJ can make borrowing harder or more expensive while it is recorded on your credit files⁷. If you ignore a CCJ, more court action can be taken against you, including bailiffs, an attachment of earnings order, a third party debt order, a charging order, or, if you owe more than £5,000, a bankruptcy application³⁰. The page on what a CCJ is and what to do about one covers the register in more detail.

Paying a CCJ within one month keeps it off the register

There is one exception to the six year rule for CCJs, and it is time critical. If you pay the debt in full within one month of the date of the CCJ, you can apply to the court to have your entry in the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines removed³¹. Pay it in full immediately and it will not be recorded on your credit file³².

The conditions for removal are narrow. You can get a CCJ removed from your credit file provided it was paid within 30 days of being issued, you successfully disputed it, or another party was proven responsible³³. If you paid the debt relating to the CCJ within 30 days or successfully disputed it, it might not even appear on your credit history at all³⁴.

The CCJ timeline: paying within one month removes it, paying later marks it satisfied, and after six years it goes regardless.

The one month deadline is counted from the date of the judgment, and the removal is not automatic: you apply to the court for a certificate of cancellation, which is the proof the debt was paid within one month²⁸. The narrow page on paying a CCJ within a month walks through the process step by step.

Satisfied or unsatisfied: how a paid CCJ is recorded

If the one month window has passed, paying the CCJ no longer removes it, but it does change how it is recorded. If you pay the debt off more than a month after the date of the CCJ, a note will be made against your entry on the Register to show that the debt has been satisfied, or paid³¹. The CCJ will still stay on your credit report until the six years is up, but your record will show that you have paid the debt³¹.

The mechanics work like this:

1. Pay the CCJ in full after one calendar month³⁶
2. Ask for your entry to be marked as satisfied, providing proof of payment³⁶
3. The court can grant a certificate of satisfaction⁹
4. The register will now show the CCJ as paid off, or satisfied⁹

If you pay after one month, it can be marked as satisfied but will remain for the full six years⁷. You cannot remove it from the register early once a month has passed⁹.

The practical effect of a satisfied marker is real but limited. A satisfied CCJ makes it easier to apply for credit in the six years before the CCJ drops off your credit file⁹, because a lender reading your file can see the debt has been dealt with. It does not restore your file to what it was before the judgment. The narrow page on getting a certificate of satisfaction covers the application in detail.

How older entries affect borrowing and renting

Entries do not need to be recent to matter. A CCJ on your credit file can impact your credit score, borrowing, renting and employment opportunities³⁰. It might also be difficult to start renting a home from a private landlord or letting agent if you have a CCJ against you³¹.

For mortgages specifically, the six year record is the hurdle. A CCJ will stay on your record for six to seven years, and can be made for even minor sums³³. If your CCJ was longer than six years ago it will not appear on your credit file³⁴. Late payments stay on your credit history for six years, as do missed payments and defaults, and a default will lie on your credit report for six years⁶. Which? guidance for borrowers with poor credit histories sets out how lenders treat these entries while they remain⁶.

What this means in practice is that the effect of an entry fades before the entry itself goes. Lenders weight recent history more heavily, and an entry that is five years old with a satisfied marker reads very differently from one that is six months old and unpaid. But the entry is visible for the full six years, and a lender can take it into account for as long as it is there. The pages on how lenders decide and rebuilding your credit after debt problems cover what helps in the meantime.

Renting is affected because landlords and letting agents commonly run credit checks on prospective tenants. A judgment on your file can make a landlord less willing to offer a tenancy, and the entry is visible for the same six years. The page on tenant credit checks explains what landlords see.

Employment is a slightly different question. A CCJ is on a public register that anyone can search for a small fee³¹, so it is not only credit file checks that can surface it. The page on whether poor credit can affect your job covers which roles are affected.

Where information can be removed early

Genuine early removal is rare, and it is worth being clear about what is possible and what is not.

What can be removed early:

• A CCJ paid in full within one month of the judgment, by applying for a certificate of cancellation²⁸
• A CCJ that is set aside by the court, for example if you only found out about it after it was made because the papers went to an old address. This asks the court to cancel the CCJ and reopen the case so you can properly respond. It usually involves a fee and may require a hearing⁷
• A judgment successfully disputed, or where another party is proven responsible³³
• Entries that are wrong, through a dispute with the credit reference agency¹⁰

What cannot be removed early:

• A CCJ paid after one month. You cannot remove it from the register early⁹
• A default, simply because it has been paid⁵
• A correct entry that you would rather not show, other than by waiting out its six years¹⁰

The set aside route deserves a note. If you only found out about a judgment after it was made, perhaps because the papers went to an old address, you may be able to apply to set aside the judgment⁷. If the court agrees, the CCJ is cancelled and the case reopened, and the register entry is removed as a result. This is a court process, not a credit reference agency process, and it usually involves a fee and may require a hearing⁷. The narrow page on when a CCJ or register entry is not yours or is wrong covers it.

Be wary of anyone promising to remove accurate entries for a fee. Accurate information stays for its six years, and the routes above are the only ones the rules provide. The page on credit repair companies sets out what these firms can and cannot lawfully do.

Checking your credit file and disputing mistakes

Because so much turns on dates, checking your file is the only way to know what is on it and when each entry is due to go. If you suspect that a CCJ has been made against you, check your credit report with Experian, Equifax or TransUnion²⁸. You can also check for any judgments recorded against you through the public register, TrustOnline, for a small fee⁷. The page on how to check your credit report for free explains the free routes to all three agencies.

Deciding what to do about an entry: dispute it if it is wrong, add a note if it needs context, or wait out its six years if it is correct.

If an entry is wrong, raise a dispute with the credit reference agency that holds it. The ICO regulates how credit data is handled, and its guidance on credit explains your rights over the information agencies hold about you¹⁶. The page on how to correct wrong information on your credit report covers the dispute process and timescales.

If an entry is correct but the circumstances matter, you can ask the credit reference agency to put a notice on your report of up to 200 words explaining why you got into debt¹⁰. This is called a notice of correction, and lenders must read it when assessing an application. It does not change the entry or shorten its six years. The page on the notice of correction explains how to add one.

Two final points on checking. First, check all three agencies, because they do not all hold identical data and an entry can appear on one file and not another²⁸. Second, checking your own report does not harm your credit score: the page on whether checking your own score lowers it explains the difference between your own checks and lender searches.

If money problems are behind the entries on your file, free debt advice is available from charities including StepChange and National Debtline, and getting debt advice does not affect your credit file²⁶. The debt section of this site sets out the help available and how each debt solution is recorded on your file.