How long does information stay on my credit file?
Six years is a useful starting point, but it is not one clock for every entry. Find the date that matters for a missed payment, default, court judgment or debt solution, then check what the record actually says.
When does credit-file information disappear?
Many adverse entries are normally used in credit decisions for around six years, but the start date is different for each type. A default is usually counted from its default date; an England and Wales county court judgment from the judgment date; a settled non-defaulted account from closure. Insolvency and search records have their own rules. Read the entry and its status before counting forward.
Which event starts the clock?
These are common UK reporting periods, not promised removal dates or lender waiting rules. Agencies and record types can differ. Check the current information shown on each report.
On a phone, swipe sideways within the table.
| Record | Usual point to check | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Open credit account and missed payments | An open account can show a rolling period of up to six years of payment history. | Do not assume a late-payment marker has its own simple deletion date. Read the month, account status and agency guidance. |
| Settled account without a default | Normally six years from the account’s closure or settlement date. | Earlier payment history can remain within that account record during this period. |
| Recorded default | Normally six years from the recorded default date. | Paying or transferring the debt does not, by itself, start a fresh six-year default period. The status should be accurate. |
| County court judgment (England and Wales) | Normally six years from the judgment date. | Full payment within one calendar month can allow cancellation through the court. Later payment can mark the entry satisfied, rather than erase it. |
| Bankruptcy | Usually six years from the bankruptcy order. | A longer restriction or an unreported discharge can alter what appears; check the agency and official paperwork. |
| Individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) | Usually six years from its start; check whether the stated end is later. | An ongoing or extended arrangement may remain longer. The public insolvency register has a different timetable. |
| Debt relief order (DRO) | Usually six years from the order. | Included debts can also appear. The public insolvency register and your credit file are not the same record. |
| Credit-search footprint | Experian uses one year for an ordinary hard search in live decisions. | Soft searches and specialist footprints differ. Check the search type and agency rather than assuming one universal period. |
Timing checked against TransUnion’s file guide (PDF) (opens in a new tab), Experian’s credit-reference data-retention notice (opens in a new tab), GOV.UK’s CCJ and credit-rating guidance (opens in a new tab), GOV.UK’s bankruptcy-discharge guidance (opens in a new tab), GOV.UK’s IVA facts (opens in a new tab) and GOV.UK’s DRO guidance (opens in a new tab). A Scottish decree is not an England and Wales CCJ; Scottish Courts’ money-judgment guidance (opens in a new tab) gives the Scottish register rules. A debt management plan itself is not a single public insolvency entry: check how the underlying accounts were reported.
Last updated is not always the removal clock
Reports can show the event, account closure, payment and supplier-update dates together. They do not all start a new retention period.
A default settled later
Suppose a default is dated January 2021 and the balance is paid in 2024. The usual six years run from the recorded default date, not from the later payment. Check that the date and settled status are accurate.
Illustrative only; your report may need correction.
A closed account with an older late payment
A non-defaulted account closes in April 2023. Its history, including an earlier missed payment, can remain with the closed account for the normal period from closure. Counting only from the missed month could give the wrong expectation.
Read the agency’s account section, not just a score summary.
An IVA completed after year six
If an arrangement remains in force after its sixth anniversary, do not promise that every insolvency record disappears that day. Check the stated end, whether completion was reported, and the agency’s explanation.
The public register uses a separate clock.
Check the evidence before requesting a correction
A missing or unexpectedly persistent entry deserves a precise check. An accurate record cannot simply be erased because it is inconvenient for a mortgage application.
- Get a dated copy of the relevant reports. Use credit-report access guide (opens in a new tab) for free statutory routes and report-selection guide (opens in a new tab) if you need to decide which agency to inspect first.
- Identify the record type and dates. Note the agency, event date, closure or default date, current status and latest supplier update. Keep the report’s label separate from your own description.
- Compare with original evidence. For an account, check statements and provider correspondence. For a court or insolvency entry, check the relevant order, certificate or completion document.
- Raise a specific discrepancy. Contact the agency and the organisation that supplied account data, identifying the exact date or status in question. Use the court route for a judgment that needs cancellation or set-aside. Keep the replies.
ICO credit-file guidance (opens in a new tab) explains how to challenge inaccurate credit information. GOV.UK’s CCJ and credit-rating guidance (opens in a new tab) sets out the court certificate route for an England and Wales judgment. If the issue is a current payment difficulty, MoneyHelper’s debt-advice locator (opens in a new tab) offers a free debt-advice route; a new mortgage application may not be the immediate answer.
What changes when an old entry no longer appears?
A current report is useful evidence, but it is not a lender decision. Criteria, affordability, deposit, income and the answers required by an application still matter.
Planning to buy or move
Know what happened, when it happened and how it was resolved before asking about possible mortgage routes. A first-time buyer and a home mover may have different deposits and existing commitments; a clear report alone does not answer affordability.
Remortgaging or self-employed
Timing may matter alongside the existing mortgage, income evidence and any recent borrowing. Do not delay dealing with a current mortgage deadline while waiting for a credit-file date. Ask an adviser what information is needed for your situation.
Use the bad credit mortgages service guide (opens in a new tab) for Count Ready’s service and individual adverse-credit situations. The mortgage-application explanation guide (opens in a new tab) helps organise a factual account of past credit problems. If you are unsure what is recorded at all, the guide to recognising adverse credit (opens in a new tab) guide owns that earlier step. Answer every lender or broker question accurately, even where an old item is no longer visible on a report.
See how clients describe the advice
Credit-file timing can be frustrating when an old entry remains visible or a completion is missing. Before you enquire, it is reasonable to see how clients describe an adviser’s clarity, communication and support.
The reviews are on Google so you can read them in context. Other clients’ experiences cannot establish what a lender will decide about your own mortgage.
Credit-file retention: FAQs
Does paying a default restart the six-year period?
No. An accurate default normally remains for six years from its recorded default date, even if the balance is paid later. The balance or status should reflect what happened. Check the date and status on each report; ask the provider or agency to investigate a date you believe is wrong.
Can selling a debt give the same default a new six-year date?
A transfer to a debt purchaser should not restart the original default clock. Match the accounts and default dates before assuming two entries are separate debts. If the transferred record appears newly defaulted or duplicates the debt, ask the relevant organisations and credit reference agencies to check it.
Is a missed payment removed exactly six years after that month?
Do not rely on that calculation without reading the whole account. An open account can show a rolling period of payment history; a settled, non-defaulted account can remain for six years from closure. Check the affected month, account status and the agency’s explanation of its report.
What if a CCJ was paid within one month?
For an England and Wales county court judgment paid in full within one calendar month, you can apply to have the register entry cancelled and obtain a certificate of cancellation. Payment alone is not proof that the register or credit report has already changed. GOV.UK explains the court process. A later full payment may instead be recorded as satisfied.
Can an IVA or bankruptcy remain after the usual six years?
It can depend on the record and whether an arrangement or restriction continues. Experian’s data-retention notice uses six years from the insolvency start or the stated end date, whichever is later, and identifies some extended restrictions. Check whether completion or discharge has reached the agency and ask it to correct an inaccurate status.
How long does a mortgage credit search show?
At Experian, an ordinary hard-search footprint is kept for one year for live decisions. Search types and agencies can differ; check the particular report. A soft search is not visible to lenders in the same way. Ask the adviser what kind of search a proposed step involves before agreeing to it.
What if an entry is still there after the expected date?
Check the report date, event date and the account or court record type first. Ask the organisation that supplied the data and the credit reference agency to investigate a specific inaccuracy. For a judgment, use the relevant court route where cancellation or set-aside is in question. Do not assume a recent provider update resets the original event date.
Will a mortgage be accepted once an old entry disappears?
No. A clear-looking report does not determine affordability, lender criteria, income evidence or the answer to an application question about past events. Tell an adviser what happened and when, and answer the lender’s questions accurately. An individual assessment is needed before anyone can discuss suitable options.
Discuss the dates before your mortgage next step
Tell Count Ready whether you are buying, moving or remortgaging, then briefly describe the entry and its recorded date. For example: “My default is dated 2021, settled in 2024, and I am unsure what to prepare before remortgaging.”
Keep full credit reports, passwords, identification and complete account numbers out of the first message. Ask which documents are needed, how they should be shared securely, what fees apply and whether a credit search is proposed. An enquiry does not establish eligibility.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. This is general UK information, not an assessment of a particular lender, credit file or legal position.
How this guide was checked
We used current first-party explanations from Experian, TransUnion, GOV.UK, the Scottish Courts and the ICO. They describe different records and jurisdictions; the table summarises them for readers, rather than replacing the original guidance.
Experian’s credit-reference data-retention notice (opens in a new tab) explains data used in decisions versus other agency retention. TransUnion’s file guide (PDF) (opens in a new tab) explains account closure and defaults. GOV.UK’s CCJ and credit-rating guidance (opens in a new tab), GOV.UK’s bankruptcy-discharge guidance (opens in a new tab), GOV.UK’s IVA facts (opens in a new tab) and GOV.UK’s DRO guidance (opens in a new tab) cover official court or insolvency records. Report formats, source updates and individual situations can change. human sitemap (opens in a new tab) lists the existing Count Ready guides.
Information and source links reviewed 29 September 2026.