How business credit bureaus compare on data accuracy

Business credit bureaus differ in their scoring because Experian, Equifax, Creditsafe and Dun and Bradstreet each collect their own data, from different sources, on different schedules, and score it against their own model. That means the exact same UK business can show a strong score with one agency and only an average one with another, and neither reading is wrong. The difference comes down to which trade payments, public records and filings each bureau has managed to gather, and how current that information is at the moment someone checks it.

This guide compares how the main UK business credit bureaus source and score their data, where accuracy problems tend to creep in, and what you can do to keep your file consistent across all of them, including how Capitalise's own business credit score, powered by Experian, fits into the picture.

Why do business credit scores differ between agencies?

Business credit scores differ between agencies because each one runs its own scoring model over a different pool of data, so an identical company can score as strong on one report and only average on another, with both readings technically correct on that agency's own scale.

A few things drive this apart in practice:

• Data sources: not every lender, supplier or insurer reports payment data to every bureau, so one agency can hold a fuller trade history for your business than another

• Scoring models: each bureau trains its model on a different historical population and its own definition of a bad outcome, so identical data can still produce different scores

• Update timing: agencies refresh files as new filings and payment data reach them, so a recent change, such as a new County Court Judgment, can appear on one report weeks before it appears on another

• Thin file handling: newer businesses with limited trading history are treated differently by each agency, since some apply conservative default scores while others lean more heavily on director data or sector benchmarks, which is why young businesses often see the widest gap between agencies

If you want the detail behind that second point, our guide on how business credit scores are calculated breaks down exactly what each model weighs and why.

The main uk business credit bureaus compared

Here's how the four bureaus you're most likely to be assessed against actually differ.

Because these scales don't move in sync, or in Equifax's case aren't published at all, it's worth knowing what counts as a good business credit score on the ones you can actually check.

How each bureau sources and verifies its data

The mechanics behind each score explain a lot of the variation you'll see between reports.

• Experian runs its Commercial Delphi Score from company accounts, payment performance, director information and Current Account Turnover data shared through Commercial Credit Data Sharing. That last source lets Experian read cash flow patterns in something close to real time, rather than relying only on filed accounts that can already be 12 to 18 months old. Experian is the credit reference agency most UK high street banks and mainstream lenders check, which makes it the most widely referenced score in UK lending decisions.

• Creditsafe scores are a direct expression of probability of default, the likelihood your business becomes insolvent within 12 months, built from filed accounts, payment behaviour, director information and public records. Rather than one model for every business, Creditsafe runs different models depending on the size of the business, since the warning signs of insolvency look different in a large established company to a two year old micro business.

• Equifax pulls together business demographics, credit balances, payment trends and public records such as CCJs, but unlike Experian and Creditsafe, it doesn't publish a named scoring methodology or a public score scale for UK businesses. Its commercial data is used directly by lenders rather than something you can check and manage yourself, so the most useful thing you can do is keep your underlying payment history, filed accounts and public record entries accurate.

• Dun and Bradstreet assigns every business it tracks a nine digit D-U-N-S number and, rather than one overall score, produces several: a Viability Rating on your financial health, a Failure Score and Delinquency Score, and its best known PAYDEX payment score. PAYDEX depends heavily on trade references submitted directly by suppliers, so a business that hasn't asked its suppliers to report to D&B can end up with no PAYDEX score at all, even if its Experian or Creditsafe file looks strong.

Where data accuracy problems usually come from

Most accuracy issues aren't caused by an agency getting something wrong. They're caused by information that simply hasn't reached that agency yet, or hasn't been matched to your file correctly.

• Companies House details, such as your registered address or director information, that are out of date and stop agencies matching new data to your file

• Suppliers or lenders you deal with who don't report payment data to every bureau, leaving thin files with agencies they don't submit to

• A lag between when accounts are filed and when an agency processes them into your score

• A County Court Judgment or insolvency event that's appeared on one bureau's records before it's reached another, which is why it's worth checking the CCJ register directly if something on your file looks unfamiliar

• Small mismatches in your company name or trading address across different platforms, which can fragment your history into more than one file

How to check how accurate your business credit file is

Keeping your file accurate across all four bureaus takes a bit of upkeep, but it's straightforward once you know what to look at.

1. Check your file with each agency directly, rather than assuming one report speaks for all of them, since gaps in one bureau's data won't show up on another's

2. Keep your Companies House record current, including your registered address and director details, so agencies can match new activity to your business correctly

3. Ask key suppliers and lenders whether they report payment data to credit bureaus, since this is often the fastest way to close a thin file

4. Query anything that looks wrong, such as an outdated CCJ or a payment recorded as late when it wasn't, directly with the agency that holds it

5. You can use our Credit Review Service to request a professional review by Experian to reassess your file with the most current data available, rather than waiting for the next significant event that will impact your score, such as filing your accounts

If your score is thin rather than wrong, our guide on how to build business credit covers the steps that get agencies enough data to score you properly in the first place.

It's worth checking your own file for exactly the same reasons you'd check a customer's. If you extend credit terms to other businesses, running a company credit check before you agree terms tells you how accurate and current their file looks, using the same principles covered here.

Watch: Experian vs Creditsafe vs Dun and Bradstreet, what's the difference and why it matters

Your business credit score can look completely different depending on where you check it, and that's exactly what we cover in this short video. We explain why Experian, Creditsafe and Dun and Bradstreet are three separate agencies working from different data and different scoring models, why that produces different numbers for the same business, and which one is worth focusing on.

How capitalise's business credit score compares

Capitalise's business credit score is powered by Experian, so it shows your actual Commercial Delphi score, its risk band and your recommended credit limit, built from the same company accounts, payment performance, director information and Current Account Turnover data described above. Checking it is a soft search, so it never affects your score, and you can check it as often as you like.

Because Capitalise draws from Experian specifically, and Experian is the agency most UK lenders check, it's a genuinely useful, current view of the score that matters most in most lending decisions. Equifax doesn't publish a checkable score at all, so if a lender tells you it uses Equifax or Dun and Bradstreet data, the most useful thing you can still do is keep your Companies House filings, payment history and public record entries accurate everywhere, using the steps above.

Getting this right matters beyond the number itself. Lenders across our panel of 130+ UK lenders use exactly this kind of data to set the rates and terms they offer, so an accurate file, on every bureau that might be checked, puts you in the strongest possible position when you come to borrow.

Check your experian powered business credit score for free

The fastest way to see where you stand is to check the data yourself, rather than wait to find out through a lender or supplier. Sign up to Capitalise for free to check your Experian powered business credit score as often as you like, with no impact on your file, so you always know exactly what your report shows before anyone else checks it.