How to get a free business credit report in the UK

Credit reports are a vital way to assess your business's credit rating. Accessing a report from one of the main UK credit reference agencies (CRAs) helps you gauge your company’s risk rating and a range of different credit and financial metrics. 

Credit scores can have a major impact on your access to funding and credit. So, running regular credit reports should be a fundamental step in your financial governance and risk-checking processes as a business owner, CEO or CFO.

Let’s explore how to get a free business credit report, who the main report providers are and which free credit reporting services are offered in the UK. 

Can you get a free business credit report?

The short answer is ‘yes, to an extent’. Under UK law, individuals do have a legal right to request a personal statutory credit report. But the same does not apply for businesses. 

The main UK agencies do offer free basic access to business credit reports, trials or summary information. But full, detailed reports and monitoring are often a paid-for service. 

You can get a free business credit check from some UK-based CRAs, giving you basic credit score information. But if you want to dig deeper to look at the company’s insolvency risk score, risk rating and payment index, etc., you will need to pay for this information. 

Where to check your business credit report

The three main UK business CRAs are your first port of call for both free and paid-for business credit reports. Experian, Equifax and Creditsafe offer a mix of reporting that will get you started with basic credit checks and risk checking for you and your business.

Some reporting will be available for free, while other reports will be accessed through one-off payments, or subscriptions to paid credit platforms offered by the CRAs and other UK-based reporting providers.

Let’s look at what credit reporting is offered by each of the CRAs:

1. Experian

Experian offers its My Business Profile platform for business users. While this is a paid-for service, you can currently access the service for free for the first two months. From there on, My Business Profile will cost you £24.99 + VAT per month.

Experian My Business Profile shows you:

• The Experian business credit score for your company.  

• What the high-risk elements of your profile are and how they’re affecting your score

• Automatic alerts when there are significant changes to your credit score

• Ongoing advice and support to maximise your business credit score

Experian also offers a ‘Score Review Service’. By providing additional financial information to Experian, the CRA can review your credit report. According to Experian, 96% of reviews result in a positive uplift to your business credit score.

2. Equifax

Equifax is a key player in supplying commercial credit and risk information to banks and lenders. However, at present, they don’t offer a paid-for business credit report where you can directly check your own limited company’s credit score. 

If you’re a sole trader or director wanting to check your own personal credit score, Equifax does offer a free statutory business credit report. 

3. Creditsafe

CreditSafe offers a free company credit report service. You can enter a company name and check the basics of that entity's credit profile, including your own company. 

This free report shows your:

• Real-time credit score

• Payment history 

• County Court Judgments (CCJs) 

• Key financial indicators for the business

This service is positioned as a ‘free trial’ of the service, so you’ll only get temporary access to this business credit reporting service. Once the trial period ends (the duration of the free trial isn’t specified), you’ll then need to pay for the reports and credit information you require. 

Pricing will vary depending on the type of report you want to download.

4. Other routes

The three main UK CRAs are not the only routes available to you. If you’re looking for more detailed credit information, there are other providers available on the UK market – with some providers offering free business credit report options.

• Dun & Bradstreet is a business data and analytics firm that offers detailed, paid-for business credit reports. The D&B Credit Insights product offers a free option among the various levels of paid-for options. The free level allows you to monitor your business credit health at a glance and receive in-app and email alerts when there are important changes to your D&B score. 

• Credit Passport is a comprehensive real-time business credit score tool. Rather than relying on data from the CRAs, Credit Passport tracks your company’s bank information to give you real-time insights into your credit rating. The Basic level is free, with Plus (£20 p/month + VAT) and Premium levels (£80 p/month + VAT) adding key benefits, such as advanced analytics, lender-ready reports and your own dedicated account manager (for Premium users). 

• Capitalise is a business financial health and funding platform that offers in-depth business credit information about your business. Capitalise’s business credit score product is powered by Experian, so you’ll be able to view your full Experian credit profile, see the factors impacting your score and get insights into how to improve your risk rating. The basic level is free, with paid-for levels from £19.95 up to £59.95 p/month + VAT. With the premium product, you can also check the credit score of your third-party customer and potential new clients. 

Free vs paid: what you actually get

As we’ve seen, there are free-to-access business credit reports available to you. But there’s also a clear demand for more complex, in-depth, paid-for business credit solutions.

The question to ask yourself is whether a freebie credit report, or a more expensive deep dive into your credit profile is needed. There are pros and cons to both options, but ultimately your decision will come down to the level of reporting detail and support you require.

Free business credit reports:

• Pros: There’s no financial barrier to entry and you can quickly get a basic overview of your company’s credit position. Having this credit information helps you when approaching lenders and gives you a baseline point to improve your score.

• Cons: Truly free reports are usually relatively limited . You’ll only get the most basic credit information, which may not be enough in all circumstances.

Paid-for business credit reports:

• Pros: Paying for more complex and detailed business credit reporting provides more than just your credit score. You’ll usually have additional metrics, regular alerts and notifications and a broader overview of your financial health. Some paid-for providers will proactively support you to improve your business score. And some will have preferential routes to lenders and funding, making it easier to raise capital.  

• Cons: By signing up to a paid-for business credit product, you’re taking on a recurring monthly business expense. While you may have regular, updated credit information, you’re also eating into your monthly cash flow position. 

What to check in your business credit report

You’ve taken the plunge and opted to sign up for your choice of business credit report. Now that you have access to these metrics, what are the important things to check?

Let’s explore five key elements to review:

1. Review your credit score: First off, check your main risk score and recommended credit limit. Make sure they accurately reflect your current financial health, as suppliers and lenders will use these figures to set credit terms and cap your available lending.

2. Verify your payment history: Monitor your Days Beyond Terms (DBT) and payment performance. It’s important to resolve any disputed payments, so your overall commercial rating isn’t unnecessarily dragged down.

3. Check your credit utilisation: Review your active revolving credit lines (credit cards, etc.) to make sure your credit utilisation is looking healthy. Ensure that any credit facilities you’ve already settled are correctly marked as closed rather than active.

4. Audit your public records: Scan the report for any County Court Judgments (CCJs) or payment defaults. Make sure these CCJs and defaults are marked as expired if they are now resolved. This stops them having a negative impact on your credit profile.

5. Update your company filings: Make sure all of your company data, director listings and Companies House account filings are fully up-to-date. Incorrect information or late company accounts filings can have a negative impact on your overriding credit score.

Does checking your report affect your score?

You may be wondering if actively checking your business credit report has a direct impact on your credit rating. The good news is that checking your own credit report is a ‘soft credit check’ and does not affect your score.

Only hard credit checks from loan and credit card applications will directly impact your business credit score. Find out more about how hard searches compare to soft searches here.

Checking your eligibility with Funding Circle

Funding Circle is the UK's #1 platform for small business loans & finance, with £18 billion lent to UK businesses. If you’re looking to access business loans, business credit cards or asset finance, we’re the perfect starting point. 

You can quickly check your eligibility for Funding Circle finance. Plus, we only use soft searches at application, so there’s no direct impact on your business credit score for applying. Once you accept an offer, there will be a hard credit search.

Our new Funding Circle Cashback business credit card is the ideal way to access a line of credit, pay your operational expenses and extend the company’s cash runway

To be eligible for a Cashback card, your business needs to:

• Be based in the UK

• Be a limited company
• Have at least 1 year of trading history
• Have an annual turnover of at least £30,000

Get the lowdown on our Cashback business card

FAQs

Can I check my business credit report for free?

Yes, to an extent. The main UK agencies and report providers do offer free summary access or trials, though full reports and monitoring are usually a paid-for service.

Does checking my business credit report affect my score?

No. Checking your own report is a soft search and leaves no mark. Only hard searches from credit applications affect your score.

Which agencies provide UK business credit reports?

The main ones are Experian, Equifax and Creditsafe. Each may show slightly different scores.

How often should I check my business credit report?

At least three to four times a year, so you can spot and correct errors early.

29/08/26 – While we want to help as much as we can, the information found here is provided solely for informational purposes and should not be considered financial or legal advice. To the extent permitted by law, Funding Circle does not accept any liability for any loss or damage which may arise directly or indirectly from the use of, or reliance on, the information contained here. If you have any questions, please speak to your professional adviser or seek independent legal advice.