TransUnion: credit reports, scores and how to check yours

TransUnion is one of the three credit reference agencies UK lenders use, alongside Experian and Equifax, and it is the agency behind the free Credit Karma service¹. It holds a credit report on you, calculates a credit score from it, and sells that information to lenders, landlords and other organisations that want to check whether to lend to you or take you on as a customer.

The score you see from TransUnion is changing. The scale is expanding from a maximum of 710 to a range of 0 to 999, and the way the score is calculated has been refined to take in a broader range of information, including how account balances change over time and how you use credit cards³. The new score rolls out across credit monitoring partners in phases from late September 2026 to June 2027, and during that rollout you may temporarily see two different TransUnion credit scores³.

You can see your TransUnion report and score for free through Credit Karma, which was previously called Noddle, and you are entitled to a free statutory credit report from TransUnion whether or not you use that service⁴. The sections below cover what TransUnion holds, how the score works, how to check it, how to fix errors and how to complain.

What TransUnion does as a credit reference agency

TransUnion is one of the main credit reference agencies in the UK¹. Independent guidance consistently names the same three: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, with TransUnion formerly known as Callcredit². Government guidance on debt relief orders names the same three as the main UK agencies⁸.

A credit reference agency does not decide whether you get credit. It collects information that lenders, and some other organisations, send it about your accounts and how you manage them, then supplies that information back to lenders who ask. Lenders combine it with their own records and their own lending rules to decide whether to accept you and on what terms².

TransUnion is also the agency behind several services you may meet without realising the connection. Credit Karma, which shows your TransUnion report and score free, is powered by TransUnion and was formerly Callcredit⁹. NatWest offers customers free access to their credit score and report through its mobile app and online banking in partnership with TransUnion¹⁰. Monzo's Credit Insights gives a free TransUnion score with monthly updates and visibility of your report, including soft and hard searches¹¹. Halifax's "Your Credit Score" shows your rating with TransUnion and is free to check¹².

Because the three agencies hold separate records, checking only one gives you part of the picture. If you are applying for a mortgage or a credit card, it is worth knowing which agency the lender is likely to check, and checking that one yourself first.

What goes on your TransUnion credit report

Your TransUnion report is a record of your borrowing and repayment history, built from what lenders and other organisations send in. It is not a single document held in one place: each agency holds its own version, which is why the three can differ.

A statutory credit report from TransUnion shows only the credit report information TransUnion holds on you, and it does not include a credit score¹. If you want the score as well, that comes through Credit Karma or one of the partner services.

Accounts appear on the report with their status. TransUnion classes an account as open only if the lender has sent updated data for it within the last 12 months, the account has not defaulted, and contractual or agreed payments are still being maintained⁵. An account that has gone quiet, or that has defaulted, is treated differently.

Buy now pay later is a growing part of the picture. Klarna reports existing, late and unpaid balances to Experian and TransUnion, so those balances are visible on your credit file¹⁰. TransUnion states that, at present, buy now pay later information does not affect your TransUnion credit score¹. Deferred Payment Credit accounts show in your credit report but are not taken into account when TransUnion calculates your new credit score⁵.

How the TransUnion credit score works

A credit score is a number an agency calculates from the information on your report, designed to summarise how risky you look as a borrower. It is not a verdict, and it is not the only thing a lender looks at.

TransUnion's score is categorised into five bandings, ranging from Very Low to Excellent¹. On the new 0 to 999 scale those bandings are:

The old scale ran from 0 to 710, and the bandings on it were different: Excellent 628 to 710, Good 604 to 627, Fair 566 to 603, Poor 551 to 565 and Very poor 0 to 550¹⁶. Independent guidance published before the change put the same figures slightly differently, with Good at 604 to 627 and Excellent at 628 to 710¹⁸. One bank's guidance described a "good" TransUnion score as starting at 604¹⁹.

The new scale also renames two bands: "Poor" and "Very Poor" become "Low" and "Very Low"³. The Low band on the new scale runs from 488 to 562, where the old Poor band ran from 551 to 565³.

What drives the score is the underlying report, not the number itself. TransUnion says the refined calculation takes in a broader range of information, including how your account balances change over time and your credit card use³. The information shared with organisations about your credit history is unchanged by the rescoring³.

The new TransUnion score scale: what changes for you

The headline change is the range: from a maximum of 710 to a maximum of 999³. TransUnion says the new score replaces your previous score out of 710, so the two are not comparable, and a jump or a fall in the number does not by itself mean your creditworthiness has changed⁵.

The rollout is phased. TransUnion says you will start to see the new score appearing from September 2026, and independent reporting puts the rollout across credit monitoring partners from late September 2026 to June 2027⁵. During that period you may temporarily see two different TransUnion credit scores, depending on which service you are looking at³.

The bandings keep five categories, from Very Low to Excellent, but the boundaries move with the scale¹. The renaming of "Poor" and "Very Poor" to "Low" and "Very Low" is a change of label rather than of underlying information³.

What does not change is the information lenders see. TransUnion states that the information shared with organisations about your credit history remains unchanged³. The rescoring affects the number and the banding you are shown, not the record behind it.

How to see your TransUnion report and score for free

There are two distinct free routes, and they give you different things.

The first is Credit Karma, which TransUnion owns. You can access your TransUnion report and score for free through Credit Karma, formerly called Noddle⁴. Credit Karma is free to use²⁰. This route gives you the score as well as the report.

The second is the statutory credit report. Every credit reference agency must provide one, and TransUnion's shows only the credit report information it holds on you, without a credit score¹. You can request it online at transunionstatreport.co.uk, by post, by email or by phone on 0330 024 7574, with lines open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, or by writing to the TransUnion Consumer Services Team, PO Box 647, Unit 4, Hull HU9 9QZ⁵.

Several banks and apps also give you a TransUnion score as part of their own service. NatWest provides free access to your credit score and report through its mobile app and online banking in partnership with TransUnion¹⁰. Halifax's "Your Credit Score" shows your rating with TransUnion and is free to check¹². Monzo's Credit Insights free version gives one credit score provided by TransUnion with monthly updates and visibility of your credit report, including soft and hard searches¹¹.

If you want all three agencies in one place, CheckMyFile offers a 30-day free trial giving access to information held by TransUnion, Experian and Equifax⁴.

Paid subscription or free access: how each one works

The free routes cover most of what a consumer needs: your report, your score and the ability to raise a dispute. Paid services exist mainly to add convenience, such as seeing all three agencies in one place or getting more frequent updates.

CheckMyFile is the clearest example. Its 30-day free trial gives access to information held by TransUnion, Experian and Equifax, after which it becomes a paid subscription⁴. That is useful if you want to compare what each agency holds without signing up to three separate services.

Credit Karma is free, and TransUnion describes it as the route to your TransUnion report and score at no cost⁴. Monzo's Credit Insights free version gives one TransUnion score with monthly updates and visibility of your credit report including soft and hard searches¹¹. The paid version of Credit Insights sits alongside Monzo's plans, and its terms set out what the service covers²².

Where a service is free, the commercial arrangement is usually that the provider shows you offers, or that the agency gains a customer relationship. That does not change what is on your report. Where a service is paid, check what you are getting that the free statutory report does not give you: usually a score, more frequent updates, or multiple agencies in one place.

Fixing a mistake on your TransUnion report

If something on your report is wrong, you can dispute it. TransUnion says raising a dispute is free of charge, and you can do it online through your statutory credit report, by email via the Consumer Enquiry Form, by calling 0330 024 7574, or by writing to the TransUnion Consumer Services Team, PO Box 647, Unit 4, Hull HU9 9QZ⁶.

Once a dispute is raised, TransUnion has 28 days to act on it²³. TransUnion also notes that a dispute can be closed if 28 days have passed since it was raised⁵.

If the issue is not that something is wrong but that it needs explaining, a notice of correction is the tool. You can ask TransUnion to add a notice of correction to your report if you think something needs an explanation, or if you do not agree with a change TransUnion has made²³. A notice of correction is a short statement in your own words that lenders see alongside the entry.

A notice of dispute is a different thing again, used where you are disputing an entry rather than explaining it⁵.

If a mistake is not corrected, or you are unhappy with how TransUnion has handled it, the next step is a complaint.

Making a complaint to TransUnion

TransUnion says you can register a complaint directly with its Customer Relations team for investigation, either verbally or in writing²⁴. To help it investigate, it asks for your full name, full address, date of birth, email address, a clear description of the complaint, any documentary evidence to support it, what outcome you require, and any relevant reference numbers²⁴.

TransUnion says it will acknowledge any written complaint within five days, and that for all cases, verbal or written, it will aim to provide a final response within eight weeks²⁴. Once it has issued its final response, it says it will not enter into further correspondence about the complaint unless asked to do so by the regulator²⁴.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, where the firm has not satisfied the complaint and it is appropriate to do so²⁵. TransUnion also notes that you have the right to seek recourse through the courts²⁴.

TransUnion publishes complaints data in accordance with its responsibilities under the regulation of the Financial Conduct Authority²⁴.

How TransUnion is regulated and what that means for your data

TransUnion International UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under registration number 737740²⁶. The FCA Register entry for the firm gives FRN 805757, with current trading names TransUnion Information Group and TransUnion, and previous names Callcredit and Callcredit Limited⁷. The company is active on the Companies House register, incorporated on 28 March 2000²⁷.

Being regulated matters to you in two ways. First, it means the firm must handle complaints through a process that ends at the Financial Ombudsman Service if you remain dissatisfied²⁵. Second, it means your data is handled under data protection law as well as financial rules.

When a service checks your credit report on your behalf, it does so under a data subject access request to TransUnion under Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation²³. That is the legal mechanism behind the "soft footprint" you see: once you start using a credit tracker, TransUnion leaves a soft footprint on your credit report each month, which is not visible to lenders in the way a hard search is²³.

TransUnion's history with the regulator is worth knowing. In 2020 the Information Commissioner's Office recorded that Equifax and TransUnion had ceased the supply of non-compliant products and services and committed to complying voluntarily, without enforcement action, and that they had made improvements alongside the withdrawal of those products and services, which together brought both into compliance with the law²⁸.

If your data is involved in a breach, checking your credit report with the three main agencies, TransUnion, Experian and Equifax, is the standard step to make sure credit is not being taken out in your name²⁹. For more on your rights when data goes wrong, see scams and fraud and consumer protection.