Who provides business credit scores in the UK?

Several credit reference agencies, including Experian, Equifax and Creditsafe, provide business credit scores in the UK. Each has a unique scoring system to calculate risk levels, taking into account various factors and data sources. Lenders can use these insights when evaluating companies looking to borrow money, while you can see how well your business is rated.

In this guide, we look at who provides business credit scores in the UK, what the agencies do and how they score companies, and why it's important to understand your risk rating.

Disclaimer: Figures in this article are correct as of September 2026.

What is a credit reference agency?

A credit reference agency (CRA) is an institution that collects and maintains data on individual and business credit use, using sophisticated models to calculate the risk of missed payments, defaults and bankruptcy. Credit records evolve and scoring changes over time.

Certain CRAs focus on business credit, monitoring supplier payments and debt management, plus other financial activities and company information. Also known as business credit bureaus, they’re independent of lenders.

Get the low-down on the differences between personal and business credit.

Which are the main UK business credit reference agencies?

So, let’s get into who provides business credit scores. The main business credit reference agencies in the UK are Experian, Equifax, Creditsafe and Dun & Bradstreet. While Experian and Equifax also deal with personal credit, the latter two are primarily focused on business credit.

Here’s a brief overview of these UK business credit agencies: 

Experian

Regularly used by high street banks and commercial lenders, Experian tracks business payment habits, credit use, key financial filings and various public records and company demographics. 

Experian uses its Commercial Delphi Score to rate UK business credit risk levels. It predicts a company’s chances of failing to meet debt obligations within 12 months.

Experian’s business credit scoring scale

The Experian business credit scoring ranges from 0 to 100. Here are the broad risk ranges:

• 81 to 100: Low risk

• 26 to 80: Medium risk

• 25 and below: High risk

How to access your business credit report from Experian

Go to the Experian Business Express portal, register as a current company director and verify your business identity. Then you’ll be able to access Experian’s “My Business Profile” dashboard. There’s a free trial period to get your credit report and score (currently 2 months), after which you’ll need to pay £24.99 per month (plus VAT) for access.

Equifax

When judging commercial credit risk, Equifax analyses business payment history (paying creditors and suppliers), financial statements and filings, public records (including legal issues like CCJs) and various company details. 

Equifax’s business credit scoring scale

Unlike Experian, Equifax’s business credit scoring scale ranges from 0 to 1000. These are the main risk levels:

• 811 and above: Low risk

• 438 to 810: Medium risk

• Below 438: High risk

How to access your business credit report from Equifax

You’ll need to visit the Business section of Equifax’s website and fill out a form to request your business credit file and enquire about other services. While basic information is free, quote-based pricing is applied to full credit reports and insights. Equifax's commercial services are largely geared toward lenders, suppliers, and service providers.

However, certain third-party financial solutions, like Menna, provide Equifax scores, updates and insights via integrations. 

Creditsafe

Primarily focused on business credit, Creditsafe’s reports combine financial data and business payment behaviour with company ownership information and other public records, plus details of any CCJs or similar issues.

Creditsafe’s business credit scoring scale

Rating a business’s chances of becoming insolvent within 12 months, Creditsafe’s scale ranges between 0 and 100 (the higher the score, the lower the risk). Here are the risk bands:

• 71–100: Very low risk

• 51–70: Low risk

• 30–50: Moderate risk

• 21–29: High risk

• 1–20: Very high risk

If you’re not rated (say, if there’s insufficient data on your company), you’ll get a score of 0.

How to access your business credit report from Creditsafe

To get started, head to Creditsafe's My Company portal. Once you’ve provided the necessary company details and passed verification steps, you can view your company's score and report for free. For wider insights and tools to monitor other companies, you’ll need to subscribe, starting with a free trial, followed by a bespoke quote for monthly payments. 

Dun & Bradstreet

Like Creditsafe, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) is an agency dedicated to business credit, predominantly focused on trade credit. It has a vast global database and analyses business demographics, financial information, payment activities and red flags, such as CCJs.

Dun & Bradstreet’s credit scoring scale

D&B uses several scoring models for slightly different purposes. These are the three main models: 

• PAYDEX score: Based on historical payment performance and how prompt payments have been.

• Failure Score: Judging the risk of failure in the next 12 months.

• Delinquency Predictor Score: Giving suppliers insights into the likelihood of a business being late or unreliable with credit repayments.

Businesses are scored between 1 and 100 on each scale and given equivalent risk ratings, with high scores meaning lower risk.

How to access your business credit report from D&B

Go to the Dun & Bradstreet UK Portal, register your company and sign up to receive credit insights. You’ll get a DUNS number, which is a unique code that identifies your business in the global database. On the free tier, you’ll receive a basic risk overview and notifications of any changes. To access individual scores, a full report and ongoing insights, premium tiers start from £245/year.

Other ways to source your business credit score

Beyond business credit bureaus, you can use other tools to check your business credit score, including Red Flag Alert, Capitalise and Company Watch. However, they serve slightly different purposes. For example, Red Flag Alert is a wide-reaching risk monitoring tool, Capitalise is integrated with Experian, and Company Watch deals in predictive risk assessment.

Many banks also provide credit health snapshots from UK credit reference agencies within their apps. 

Note: CRA scores are benchmarks rather than lending thresholds, as each lender uses its own criteria and algorithms for judging creditworthiness and risk for finance approvals. 

Get more information about how to get a free business credit report.

Why business credit scores differ between agencies

As outlined above, each UK business credit reference agency holds different data and uses its own model for judging risk. This means you’ll get different credit ratings from each agency. 

Good financial practices and responsible credit use will generally serve your business well, but each agency weighs certain factors and behaviours differently. So don’t be surprised if your score goes up or down with one agency, but not with another. 

What is a good business credit score?

Business credit scores typically have associated risk-level bands. What’s considered a good business credit score varies between credit agencies, but you ideally want to fall into “low risk” or “low-to-medium risk” brackets.

See the credit scoring systems of the UK’s main CRAs above or check out our dedicated article on what is a business credit score.   

Which business credit bureau should you use?

All the main business credit bureaus in the UK we listed are well regarded, so whichever one you use to check your business credit score or evaluate your record, you’ll get a good idea of your creditworthiness in the eyes of potential lenders. While scoring varies, the aim in each case is to be viewed by prospective lenders as having minimal risk.

How do you check your business credit score?

You can get your business credit score by requesting it directly from one of the main UK credit reference agencies, or via third-party integrations. This is usually free, but if you want a deep dive into the data, you can request your full credit report from any agency. Some charge a one-off fee or offer free trials, with ongoing record updates and score tracking usually costing a monthly fee. Don’t worry, checking your own score and report won’t affect your credit score. 

You may want to check your score with multiple agencies to get a fuller picture and insights into the factors influencing your score.

See the typical costs involved for each provider or learn more about how to check your business credit score.

Checking your business credit and eligibility before applying for finance

It’s good practice to check your business credit score before applying for finance. This gives you an idea of how creditworthy you are to lenders and suppliers. You can also request your report to see what might be hindering your score and how to boost it ahead of future applications. 

Find out how to improve your business credit score in our article, which outlines some quick wins plus long-term best practices for managing credit. 

Making use of credit eligibility checkers

Your credit score isn’t the only factor at play for finance providers. Other eligibility factors apply, including your trading history, turnover, cash flow, revenue potential and industry, all of which highlight risk for lenders or ease their concerns. Note that lending requirements do vary by provider so it is important to check prior to making a full application. 

Look for providers’ qualification criteria and use eligibility checkers, which offer another way to judge your chances of finance approval. 

If you’re after a small business loan, use Funding Circle’s loan eligibility checker. It takes just 30 seconds and uses a soft search. This means no impact on your credit score.

FAQs about who provides business credit scores in the UK 

Need more info? Here are further common queries about who provides business credit scores in the UK:

Which credit reference agencies do lenders use?

It varies. Banks and commercial lenders frequently use Experian and Equifax, while trade credit lenders and suppliers often use Creditsafe and Dun & Bradstreet due to their specialisms. For larger firms and enterprise-level businesses trading globally, Dun & Bradstreet is a popular choice due to its extensive global database.

Note: Lenders don’t directly use credit scores from agencies to decide risk levels and make approval decisions. Each lender has its own risk appetites, thresholds and criteria for judging creditworthiness and approving/denying finance/credit applications.

Why is my business credit score different with each agency?

You’ll receive a different score depending on which business credit reference agency you check due to their unique scoring systems. While some of the same factors that influence credit scores apply to all models, each agency uses slightly different data sources and puts greater emphasis on certain factors.

That’s why it’s good to look at several business credit reference agencies to get a full picture of your company’s risk level and see what may be triggering improvements or dips in ratings.

Does checking my credit score with an agency affect it?

No. Checking your credit score only requires a soft search, which doesn't affect your credit rating and won’t be visible to future lenders and suppliers.

Disclaimer

06/09/26 – 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.