How do I check my credit record for free?

You can get your credit report free of charge once every 12 months from each registered credit bureau in South Africa. Ask for it on the bureau’s website or app, prove who you are, and read it line by line. If something is wrong, the bureau has to investigate when you dispute it, and it costs you nothing.

What a credit report is

A credit bureau collects information that lenders, retailers and some service providers report about the credit you have with them. Your report pulls that together under your ID number. Lenders read it, with your consent, when they decide whether to lend to you and how much.

There is more than one bureau. The best known include TransUnion, Experian and XDS. Not every lender reports to every bureau, so your reports can differ slightly. The National Credit Regulator registers credit bureaus, and the National Credit Act gives you the right to see and challenge the information they hold about you.

How to get your free report

1. Pick a bureau and go to its official website or app. Type the address yourself rather than following a link in a message.
2. Register and verify your identity. Expect to give your ID number and answer questions only you would know, such as recent accounts.
3. Choose the free annual report. Some sites also sell monitoring or extra products. You don’t need them to see your report.
4. Download or save it, and note the date. Repeat with a second bureau if you want the full picture.

What you will find on it

Personal details

Your name, ID number, addresses, employers and contact numbers that lenders have reported. Old addresses are normal; unknown ones are worth a question.

Accounts

Each credit agreement: the lender, when it was opened, the balance or limit, the instalment and a month-by-month payment history.

Enquiries

Lenders who looked at your report recently, usually because you applied for credit.

Adverse information

Accounts in arrears, handed over for collection, written off, or court judgments, where these are recorded.

Debt review flag

Shows if you are under debt review or have applied for it.

Score

Many bureaus show a score calculated from the report. Each bureau calculates its own, so scores differ.

How lenders use it

A lender is looking for two things: whether you have repaid credit as agreed, and how much of your income already goes to other debt. The second matters as much as the first. A clean record with large existing repayments can still mean a new loan isn’t affordable.

At RandLeaf, the credit record is one part of the assessment alongside your income and expenses. If we decline an application, you can ask us for the main reason and which bureau we used. What a decline means.

What to check, line by line

• Every account is one you actually opened. An account you don’t recognise can be a sign of identity fraud.
• Loans you have paid off show as settled or paid up, with a zero balance.
• Payment histories match what you paid. A missed month you know you paid is worth disputing.
• Enquiries are from lenders you applied to. Several unknown enquiries can mean someone is applying in your name.
• Your contact details are current, so lenders can reach you.

How to dispute a mistake

1. Dispute it with the bureau. Use the bureau’s dispute process and say exactly which entry is wrong and why.
2. Attach proof. A paid-up letter, a bank statement showing the payment, or a police case number for fraud.
3. Tell the lender too. If the lender reported the wrong information, it has to correct what it sends to the bureaus.
4. Keep a record of dates, reference numbers and who you spoke to.
5. Escalate if it isn’t resolved. The bureau must investigate within the time the regulations allow and tell you the outcome. If you are still not satisfied, you can complain to the National Financial Ombud Scheme, whose site explains which complaints it accepts, or to the National Credit Regulator.

How long information stays

Information doesn’t stay on your record forever. The regulations under the National Credit Act set how long each type of information may be kept, and the periods differ for things like enquiries, late payments and court judgments. If an old entry is still showing, ask the bureau when it is due to fall away and whether it should already have gone.

Your own repayment history matters most over the most recent months and years. A few months of paying every account on time can make a visible difference to how a lender reads your report, even if older problems are still listed.

Why your score is different at each bureau

Each bureau builds its own score from the information it holds, using its own method, and not every lender reports to every bureau. So one bureau may show a higher score than another on the same day. Lenders also use their own rules, which is why a score on its own doesn’t tell you whether a particular application will be approved. Read the accounts and payment history, not only the number.

Paid-up letters and settled accounts

When you finish repaying a loan, ask the lender for a paid-up letter and keep it. Lenders report to bureaus in regular cycles, so a settled account can take a while to show as paid up. If it still shows a balance after the next reporting cycle, the letter is your proof for a dispute. How to get a RandLeaf paid-up letter.

Be wary of paid “credit repair”

Some businesses promise to clean your credit record for a fee. Correct information can’t be removed just because someone pays to have it removed, and disputing incorrect information is free. If a service asks for money upfront to “clear” you from a list, treat it as a red flag. How to spot a fake offer.