Credit scores versus credit reports

Your report is the underlying record

A credit report brings together information such as credit accounts, reported balances, repayment history, electoral register details, certain public records and credit searches.

It is not a list of every financial fact about you. Your salary, savings and day-to-day bank transactions are not normally part of a standard credit report.

Your score is one interpretation

A consumer credit score summarises a provider’s view of the information it holds. The score can be useful, but the report is where you can see and dispute the underlying details.

Which should you check?

• Use your report to check accuracy and spot unfamiliar activity.
• Use your score to understand trends within the same service.
• Check all three main agencies when you need a fuller view; their records can differ.