Isabelle Coetzee
Freelance Copywriter
This is what you will find on your credit report
7 min read
If you've never taken a close look at your credit report, this guide is a good place to start. Understanding what's on your report can make a real difference to your financial health, including:
Spotting errors made by lenders before they affect your score
Catching signs of fraud or identity theft early
Taking a more proactive approach to managing your credit scores
Keeping track of credit enquiries on your report
Because your credit report summarises your credit behaviour, its contents have a direct influence on your credit scores. If you have a personal loan, for example, your repayment history will be reflected on your report. Reviewing your report regularly may help you identify areas to address, which could in turn support stronger credit scores with some bureaus.
Below, we walk through the different sections of your credit report on ClearScore. You can follow along using your own report. Log in or sign up to ClearScore to get started. It only takes a couple of minutes, and it's free, forever.
1. Your credit score
If your credit report is the full story of your financial behaviour, your credit score is the summary. It appears prominently at the top of your report, along with an indicator showing whether it has increased, decreased, or stayed the same since your last update.
To give you more context, your report also displays the national average credit score, as well as the average in your immediate area, such as Cape Town or Durban.
With ClearScore, you have 24/7 access to your credit scores and full credit report. You can also download the ClearScore app to check in wherever you are.
2. Changes since last month
This section shows the most recent changes to your credit scores. You can browse through different months to see how your scores have shifted over time. As you do, the score displayed in the first section will update to reflect the period you're looking at.
You can also select "Understand why" to get a plain-language explanation of what drove any change (or lack of change) in a particular month.
3. Factors affecting your credit score
This section provides more detail on what has influenced your credit scores. Up to three factors are shown by default. Select "View all" to see all six under your report insights:
Court judgements: This is when a lender takes official legal action against you for unpaid accounts. Court judgments may remain on your credit report for up to five years, or less if rescinded by a court or abandoned by the credit provider.
Credit enquiries: This records whether you have applied for credit in the last six months. Multiple applications in a short period may lead to a dip in your scores.
Defaults: This is recorded when you repeatedly fail to pay an account and your lender marks it as in arrears. Under the National Credit Act, adverse information is retained on your report for a specified period. If you're dealing with a default, contacting your lender or a registered debt counsellor may help you explore your options.
Missed payments: A missed payment is noted when a single payment is not made on time. Under the National Credit Act, adverse payment information has statutory retention periods and may not be automatically removed once the issue is resolved. Speak to your lender or a registered debt counsellor for guidance. Different types of adverse information have different statutory treatment
Open accounts: Having a reasonable number of accounts with a long, positive history can support your credit scores. This section lets you track your progress.
Past credit utilisation: Keeping your balances low relative to your credit limits may help support stronger credit scores with some bureaus. This section shows your current utilisation percentage. Note that different credit bureaus in South Africa calculate and weight utilisation differently, so the impact on your score may vary.
Monitoring these factors regularly can help you identify areas to focus on. Ideally, you want each factor to show that you're "on track". Bear in mind that different bureaus may assess these factors in different ways.
If you notice that any information on your credit report hasn't been updated, visit the ClearScore Help Centre for support.
4. Your payment history
Payment history is typically one of the most important factors in credit scoring, and this section sits at the core of your credit report. Improving your payment record may help strengthen your credit scores with some bureaus over time, though the weight given to this factor may vary between different credit bureaus in South Africa.
Your report displays a clear visual of your payments from the last three years. A graph shows whether each payment was made on time, making it easy to see which months went well and which didn't.
How to read your payment history on your credit report
Each bar or marker on the graph represents a month. Green or positive indicators typically mean the payment was made on time. Any gaps or differently marked months are worth investigating, as these may reflect a missed or late payment.
5. How much you're borrowing
This section gives you an overview of how much you currently owe your lenders, your credit limit, and your overall credit utilisation. Clicking on the card reveals a breakdown of your current balance with each individual lender.
Please note that this information may not always reflect the very latest position. Lenders report your credit behaviour to the bureaus at their own pace, which may be monthly or quarterly. ClearScore always shows the most recent data that has been reported.
6. Your open accounts
The final section lets you review each of your open accounts in detail, including accounts with a current balance of R0.
Your top accounts are shown by default. Select "View all" to see the full list. Clicking on any account opens a summary showing your payment history, account balance, and other key details.
Track your credit score for free with ClearScore
Your credit score tells the story of your financial reliability, and understanding it is the first step to taking control of your financial future. With ClearScore, you can access your credit score and full credit report completely free, updated weekly, for life.
Here's what you get:
1. See your credit score and report, always free
Access your complete Experian credit report, giving you a comprehensive view of how lenders see you. Check your score anytime, anywhere, with no hidden fees or charges, ever.
2. Understand what affects your score
Get clear insights into what's helping or hurting your credit score. Track payment history, credit utilisation, account age, and recent searches. See exactly which factors are making the biggest impact on your score.
3. Spot errors and opportunities
Review your credit report weekly to catch mistakes that could be dragging your score down. See all your credit accounts, payment history, and any searches in one place, updated regularly so you're always in the know.
4. Get personalised insights to improve
Receive tailored guidance on how to build your score over time. Whether you're starting from scratch or working to improve an existing score, you'll get actionable steps matched to your situation.
Why choose ClearScore for credit monitoring?
Free forever - Track your score and report with no fees, no trials, no catches
Weekly updates - See changes to your credit report every week, not just once a year
Experian data - Access your official Experian credit report and score
No impact on your score - Checking your own score won't affect your credit rating
Take control - Understand your financial health and make informed decisions about credit
Your credit score affects everything from mortgage rates to mobile phone contracts. With ClearScore, you can track your progress, spot opportunities to improve, and build the financial confidence to reach your goals.
Check your credit score on ClearScore
In conclusion
Your credit report is made up of several sections, each of which helps build a fuller picture of your credit health. The more familiar you are with what's on it, the better placed you are to take steps that could help improve or maintain your scores. This, in turn, may improve your chances of accessing the credit you need in the future.
It's worth noting that credit approval depends on many factors beyond your credit score, including your income, employment status, and the individual lender's own criteria.
Visit ClearScore's marketplace to see which offers you may already be eligible for, including loans, credit cards, and more.
This is what you will find on your credit report
Isabelle Coetzee
Freelance Copywriter
7 min read
If you've never taken a close look at your credit report, this guide is a good place to start. Understanding what's on your report can make a real difference to your financial health, including:
Spotting errors made by lenders before they affect your score
Catching signs of fraud or identity theft early
Taking a more proactive approach to managing your credit scores
Keeping track of credit enquiries on your report
Because your credit report summarises your credit behaviour, its contents have a direct influence on your credit scores. If you have a personal loan, for example, your repayment history will be reflected on your report. Reviewing your report regularly may help you identify areas to address, which could in turn support stronger credit scores with some bureaus.
Below, we walk through the different sections of your credit report on ClearScore. You can follow along using your own report. Log in or sign up to ClearScore to get started. It only takes a couple of minutes, and it's free, forever.
1. Your credit score
If your credit report is the full story of your financial behaviour, your credit score is the summary. It appears prominently at the top of your report, along with an indicator showing whether it has increased, decreased, or stayed the same since your last update.
To give you more context, your report also displays the national average credit score, as well as the average in your immediate area, such as Cape Town or Durban.
With ClearScore, you have 24/7 access to your credit scores and full credit report. You can also download the ClearScore app to check in wherever you are.
2. Changes since last month
This section shows the most recent changes to your credit scores. You can browse through different months to see how your scores have shifted over time. As you do, the score displayed in the first section will update to reflect the period you're looking at.
You can also select "Understand why" to get a plain-language explanation of what drove any change (or lack of change) in a particular month.
3. Factors affecting your credit score
This section provides more detail on what has influenced your credit scores. Up to three factors are shown by default. Select "View all" to see all six under your report insights:
Court judgements: This is when a lender takes official legal action against you for unpaid accounts. Court judgments may remain on your credit report for up to five years, or less if rescinded by a court or abandoned by the credit provider.
Credit enquiries: This records whether you have applied for credit in the last six months. Multiple applications in a short period may lead to a dip in your scores.
Defaults: This is recorded when you repeatedly fail to pay an account and your lender marks it as in arrears. Under the National Credit Act, adverse information is retained on your report for a specified period. If you're dealing with a default, contacting your lender or a registered debt counsellor may help you explore your options.
Missed payments: A missed payment is noted when a single payment is not made on time. Under the National Credit Act, adverse payment information has statutory retention periods and may not be automatically removed once the issue is resolved. Speak to your lender or a registered debt counsellor for guidance. Different types of adverse information have different statutory treatment
Open accounts: Having a reasonable number of accounts with a long, positive history can support your credit scores. This section lets you track your progress.
Past credit utilisation: Keeping your balances low relative to your credit limits may help support stronger credit scores with some bureaus. This section shows your current utilisation percentage. Note that different credit bureaus in South Africa calculate and weight utilisation differently, so the impact on your score may vary.
Monitoring these factors regularly can help you identify areas to focus on. Ideally, you want each factor to show that you're "on track". Bear in mind that different bureaus may assess these factors in different ways.
If you notice that any information on your credit report hasn't been updated, visit the ClearScore Help Centre for support.
4. Your payment history
Payment history is typically one of the most important factors in credit scoring, and this section sits at the core of your credit report. Improving your payment record may help strengthen your credit scores with some bureaus over time, though the weight given to this factor may vary between different credit bureaus in South Africa.
Your report displays a clear visual of your payments from the last three years. A graph shows whether each payment was made on time, making it easy to see which months went well and which didn't.
How to read your payment history on your credit report
Each bar or marker on the graph represents a month. Green or positive indicators typically mean the payment was made on time. Any gaps or differently marked months are worth investigating, as these may reflect a missed or late payment.
5. How much you're borrowing
This section gives you an overview of how much you currently owe your lenders, your credit limit, and your overall credit utilisation. Clicking on the card reveals a breakdown of your current balance with each individual lender.
Please note that this information may not always reflect the very latest position. Lenders report your credit behaviour to the bureaus at their own pace, which may be monthly or quarterly. ClearScore always shows the most recent data that has been reported.
6. Your open accounts
The final section lets you review each of your open accounts in detail, including accounts with a current balance of R0.
Your top accounts are shown by default. Select "View all" to see the full list. Clicking on any account opens a summary showing your payment history, account balance, and other key details.
Track your credit score for free with ClearScore
Your credit score tells the story of your financial reliability, and understanding it is the first step to taking control of your financial future. With ClearScore, you can access your credit score and full credit report completely free, updated weekly, for life.
Here's what you get:
1. See your credit score and report, always free
Access your complete Experian credit report, giving you a comprehensive view of how lenders see you. Check your score anytime, anywhere, with no hidden fees or charges, ever.
2. Understand what affects your score
Get clear insights into what's helping or hurting your credit score. Track payment history, credit utilisation, account age, and recent searches. See exactly which factors are making the biggest impact on your score.
3. Spot errors and opportunities
Review your credit report weekly to catch mistakes that could be dragging your score down. See all your credit accounts, payment history, and any searches in one place, updated regularly so you're always in the know.
4. Get personalised insights to improve
Receive tailored guidance on how to build your score over time. Whether you're starting from scratch or working to improve an existing score, you'll get actionable steps matched to your situation.
Why choose ClearScore for credit monitoring?
Free forever - Track your score and report with no fees, no trials, no catches
Weekly updates - See changes to your credit report every week, not just once a year
Experian data - Access your official Experian credit report and score
No impact on your score - Checking your own score won't affect your credit rating
Take control - Understand your financial health and make informed decisions about credit
Your credit score affects everything from mortgage rates to mobile phone contracts. With ClearScore, you can track your progress, spot opportunities to improve, and build the financial confidence to reach your goals.
Check your credit score on ClearScore
In conclusion
Your credit report is made up of several sections, each of which helps build a fuller picture of your credit health. The more familiar you are with what's on it, the better placed you are to take steps that could help improve or maintain your scores. This, in turn, may improve your chances of accessing the credit you need in the future.
It's worth noting that credit approval depends on many factors beyond your credit score, including your income, employment status, and the individual lender's own criteria.
Visit ClearScore's marketplace to see which offers you may already be eligible for, including loans, credit cards, and more.