Requesting your full credit file from each agency

Every adult in the UK has the legal right to see the credit file that each credit reference agency holds about them, and to get a copy free of charge. The right comes from the Data Protection Act 2018, and it applies to all three of the main agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion¹. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the regulator that enforces the rules, is blunt about the cost: making this request is free of charge².

This free copy is usually called your statutory credit report. "Statutory" simply means it is the version the law says you are entitled to. You do not have to sign up to a paid subscription, give a card number or join a trial to get it, and you can ask for it as often as you like. Each agency keeps its own file on you, so a full picture means three separate requests, one to each agency.

The request is a type of subject access request, though you do not need to use that phrase or any special form of words. You can ask online, in writing or even by phone, and the agency normally has one month to send you the file². This page explains what the file contains, what identity documents to have ready, how long the process takes, and what to do if the agency gets something wrong.

Your legal right to a free copy of your credit file

The Data Protection Act 2018 gives you the right to see the personal information organisations hold about you, and credit reference agencies are no exception. Independent money advice sources are consistent on this point: you can contact any agency and ask for a free copy of your credit report under that Act¹, and you have a statutory right to request a copy from the three main agencies⁴. Which? confirms you can request a statutory copy of your credit report from any of the agencies free of charge⁵.

The right is unconditional in one important way: you do not have to explain why you want the file. Whether you are checking it before a mortgage application, worried about identity fraud, or simply curious, the agency must supply it. You also do not have to accept a summary or an abbreviated version. The statutory report is the full record the agency holds, and the free entitlement applies every time you ask, not just once a year.

It helps to know what sits behind the right. Lenders must base creditworthiness assessments on sufficient information obtained from you and a credit reference agency⁶, which is why the file exists at all: it is the record lenders consult when you apply for credit. Because decisions about lending are made using this data, the law gives you the ability to see exactly what is being said. The wider subject of how lenders use that data, and how scores are built from it, is covered in the credit scores guide.

Three agencies, three different files: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion

There are three main credit reference agencies in the UK: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion⁷. TransUnion was formerly known as Callcredit⁸. Although there are other approved agencies, lenders mainly use these three, and each must offer a free statutory credit report⁷.

The crucial point is that there is no single master file. Each agency gets different information from lenders, which means your credit file may not look the same at each one⁴. A lender may report your account to one agency but not the others, so a missed payment could appear on your Experian file while your Equifax file shows nothing amiss. This is why advice services recommend checking all three rather than relying on one.

Some free services show you one agency's data under a different brand name. Credit Karma and ClearScore are built on agency data³, but they show a file and score from a single agency, not all three. If a lender checks your application with an agency whose file you have never seen, you can be surprised by the result.

If you have a financial link to another person, such as a joint account, and you later want it removed, you must disassociate with all three agencies individually⁹. Asking one agency does not update the other two.

What your statutory credit file contains

Your credit file is a record of how you have borrowed and repaid, not a record of your whole life. StepChange lists what it holds: information on your debts, bank accounts, loans, credit cards and other credit, bills such as mobile phones, utilities and insurances, plus county court judgments, decrees and insolvencies like bankruptcy⁴.

Just as useful is what the file does not contain. Which? lists the exclusions: the amount of money in your current account, your salary, savings accounts, student loans, criminal record, medical history, and parking or driving fines⁵. Council tax arrears are also not kept by credit reference agencies¹. So a file that looks thin is not necessarily a bad sign: it simply reflects the credit relationships you have had.

One entry that often causes confusion is the statutory demand, a formal demand for payment a creditor can issue. Statutory demands are not recorded on your credit file, but all missed payments are¹¹. If you are trying to work out who you owe money to, the file is the place to start, because it lists your credit accounts in one place⁴.

How to make a request: online, in writing or by phone

The ICO sets out the options plainly: you can make a request verbally or in writing, and the agencies also usually provide an online form you can use to apply². In practice that means three routes, and all three are equally valid in law:

1. Online: each agency provides an online form for statutory requests². This is usually the fastest route because the identity checks can happen electronically.
2. In writing: you can send a letter to the agency asking for a copy of the information it holds about you. Keep a copy of the letter and note the date you posted it, because the response clock starts when the request is received².
3. By phone: a verbal request counts. The agency should record it and treat it the same way as a written one².

Whichever route you choose, a separate request is needed for each agency: a request to Experian does not produce copies from Equifax or TransUnion. Independent guidance confirms the practical pattern: to get a free copy of your credit report, you contact the credit reference agencies and fill in an application form, usually in writing, by phone or online¹².

The ICO lists the details a request should include: your full name, any other names you have used or been known by in the last six years, for example your maiden name, your full address including postcode, any other addresses you have lived at in the last six years, and your date of birth². The six-year lookback matches the period most information stays on the file, which is explained below.

Details and proof of identity the agency will ask for

Because your credit file is sensitive personal data, the agency must check that you are who you say you are before releasing it. This is a protection for you: without it, anyone who knew your name and address could request your file. Expect the agency to ask for evidence of identity, especially if you have recently moved address, in which case you may be asked for further documents⁹.

Guidance for people requesting their file, including those rebuilding finances after economic abuse, gives examples of what is accepted: a copy of any piece of photo ID such as a passport, driving licence or birth certificate, or bills or bank statements dated within the last three months⁹. If you do not have standard documents, it is worth contacting the agency to explain, because the agencies can work with alternative evidence. If you are helping someone else who lacks ID, the guide to certified copies explains who can confirm a document is genuine.

The identity check is also why the six-year address history matters. The agency matches your details against the records lenders have supplied, and an address it cannot verify is the most common reason a request stalls. If you have moved recently, include both the old and new addresses, and expect the agency to ask for documents tying you to the new address⁹.

Response times: one month, extendable by two

The normal deadline is fixed: unless the agency needs more information, it has one month from receiving your request to respond². The ICO's guidance on data requests generally confirms the same rule, that a response is needed within one calendar month at the latest¹³.

There is a single extension, and it is limited. In certain circumstances the agency may need extra time to consider your request and can take up to an extra two months². The extension is meant for genuinely complicated requests, and if the agency uses it, it should tell you within the first month and explain why¹³. A routine request for a credit file should rarely qualify.

If the deadline passes without a response, you have routes to challenge it. The first step is to complain to the agency itself, and the guide to what to do if a company hasn't replied covers how to escalate. If the agency still does not respond, you can complain to the ICO, which regulates data protection and handles complaints about organisations that ignore access requests¹³. The complaint routes are covered in full later in this page.

Statutory file or free score service: what each gives you

You may have seen free apps and websites offering a credit score, and it is worth being clear about the difference. The statutory credit report is the underlying file: the record of accounts, balances, payment history and public records that the agency holds. You can get it for free from any of the three main agencies², and Which? confirms you have the legal right to check your report for free with all three¹⁴.

Free score services, and the paid subscriptions the agencies also sell, typically add a credit score on top of the file, along with alerts when something changes. Some of these services are free, some are paid, and Which? notes there may be a fee to obtain a copy of your credit report through a non-statutory route, with each agency having different rules and costs⁸. The statutory route is always free regardless².

The score itself is a number the agency or service calculates from the file, and each agency scores differently. What matters for lending decisions is the file underneath, because that is what lenders read. A score service that shows only one agency's data gives you a third of the picture at most, since each agency holds different information⁴. The credit scores guide explains how scores are built and why they differ between agencies.

How long information stays on your file: usually six years

Most information stays on your credit file for six years. Independent guidance is consistent on the period and on what it covers: missed payments, defaults and court judgments stay for six years¹⁰, and information such as missed payments, default notices and court judgments will generally stay on your file for six years¹⁵. The credit reference agency will leave most information on your report for at least six years¹, and arrears information stays on your report for six years¹⁶.

The six-year period is why the request form asks for your addresses for the last six years²: the agency needs to match you to the records that still exist. After six years, entries generally drop off automatically. You do not need to ask for them to be removed, and agencies will not remove accurate adverse information early just because it is inconvenient¹⁷.

Two things follow from this in practice. First, an old missed payment stops affecting you once it ages off the file, so time itself is a remedy for a patchy history. Second, if you are checking your file before a major application such as a mortgage, entries from up to six years back are still visible to lenders, so the full history matters, not just recent months. The guide to applying for a mortgage covers how lenders use that history.

Fixing mistakes and adding a notice of correction

Files go wrong, and the law gives you two distinct remedies. The first is correction. Under the right to rectification, a request involves stating clearly what you believe is inaccurate or incomplete, explaining how the organisation should correct it, and providing evidence of the inaccuracies where it is available¹⁸. The agency must then look at the entry and put right what is wrong.

The second remedy is the notice of correction. Credit reference agencies will not remove adverse information if it is correct, although consumers may ask to submit a notice of correction to explain the circumstances¹⁷. The ICO describes what it does: it allows you to write a statement explaining your situation, which will be seen by anyone who looks at the entry on your credit reference file and should be taken into consideration if you apply for credit². The limit is set in legislation: the notice must not exceed 200 words¹⁹, and guidance describes it as a notice of up to 200 words explaining why you got into debt or why you think information on your report is wrong¹.

A notice of correction can be added or removed at any time, and only organisations that check your credit reference file will see it²⁰. There is one side effect worth knowing before you add one: once a notice of correction is on your report, any application for credit you make must be read by a person and not given an automatic decision by a computer²⁰. That human check can work in your favour, but it can also slow applications down.

There is a related tool for a different problem. If you are worried someone might apply for credit in your name, for example after leaving an abusive relationship, you can add a password to your credit report to help prevent this, called a password notice of correction⁹. A lender checking your file would then need the password before opening an account.

Complaining when an agency gets it wrong

If an agency refuses your request, misses the deadline, or fails to correct an entry you have shown to be wrong, you have a formal complaints route. The first step is always to raise a formal complaint with the agency itself, using its own complaints procedure¹⁰. The guide to writing an effective complaint covers how to set one out, and it is worth including dates, copies of your request and the evidence behind any correction you asked for.

If the agency's response does not resolve the matter, two bodies can look at it, and they cover different angles:

• The Financial Ombudsman Service. You have the right to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service about how a credit reference agency has dealt with your credit file, following the agency's complaints process first¹. Advice NI confirms the same route: if the agency's own procedure does not resolve your complaint, you then have the right to complain to the ombudsman⁸. If you feel your complaint has not been resolved fairly, you can escalate it to the ombudsman¹⁰.
• The Information Commissioner's Office. Because the right to your file comes from data protection law, you can also complain to the ICO, which handles data protection complaints and can investigate organisations that breach the rules¹³.

The ombudsman looks at whether the agency treated you fairly in handling your file; the ICO looks at whether the agency complied with its data protection obligations. In practice, a complaint about a refused, delayed or wrongly handled statutory request fits both, and you can choose the route that matches your complaint. When the ombudsman takes on a case, it will ask you to reply to its enquiries or requests for information by a particular date, usually within two weeks, so keep an eye on the post once a case is open²¹.

Free, impartial help is available at every stage. Free consumer advice explains where to get support with a dispute, and the debt guide covers the advice charities that help people check and challenge their credit files.