How do I get my free Equifax credit report?

Accessing your Equifax credit report is easy and it is free. You can request your credit report from Equifax in the following ways:

Free Equifax credit reports are delivered to you within 10 days.

You are entitled to a free credit report from Equifax once every 12 months or in the following situations:

  • You’ve been denied credit. In this case you need to make your request for a free credit file within 90 days from the date your application was declined;
  • You have submitted a correction request and have been advised that information on your file has been corrected.

When applying for your free Equifax credit report it is a good idea to have the following information at your fingertips:

  • Your full name;
  • Your date of birth;
  • Your driver's licence number;
  • Your current residential address;
  • Your previous addresses;
  • Your current employer or a previous employer;
  • Name of the organisation to which you last applied for credit.

Only you may request a copy of your own credit report. For security reasons, you will be asked to verify your identity prior to receiving a copy of your Equifax credit report.

Equifax also offers a range of subscription products where you can get your credit report, Equifax Score and features such as credit and identity monitoring. Find out more about our subscription plans.

 

Trending Questions

Phone:

You can call us on 138 332 (select option 2).

Online:

You can use our online form here.

What if I’ve forgotten my username or password?

Your username is the email address you used to sign up to the service. If you have forgotten your username please contact us or call us on 138 332.

If you have forgotten your password you can click on the Forgot Password link on the login screen for Your Credit and Identity member portal. You will need some identity information and answers to your security questions to reset your password.

How do I reset my password?

It is good security practice to regularly change your passwords. You can reset your password by using the Forgot Password link on the login screen or within the My Account section of the portal.

Demand for new Alternative Finance more than doubles

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SYDNEY, Monday, 16 April 2018 – Demand for new alternative finance increased 130 per cent in H2 2017[1], compared with the same period the previous year, according to newly released data from Equifax, the global information solutions company and the leading provider of credit information and analysis in Australia and New Zealand.

If you’ve been denied on an application by a credit provider and they advised that information on your Equifax credit report was a factor the first thing to do is to get a free copy of your Equifax credit report.

If you have been declined credit, you are entitled obtain a free Equifax credit report if you apply within 90 days of being declined.

Once you have a copy of your Equifax credit report you can better understand what information may have contributed to your application refusal.

Learn more:

Trending Questions

Phone:

You can call us on 138 332 (select option 2).

Online:

You can use our online form here.

Your  Equifax Score is a summary of your credit information held by Equifax and indicates how finance and utility providers may view you when applying for credit. It is derived from information held on your credit report as held by Equifax when the score is requested. The Equifax Score is a number between 0-1200 and in simple terms, the higher your Equifax Score, the better your credit profile and the a lower credit risk.

What can be collected in a credit report is strictly regulated by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). We calculate the score using private and public information, collected from credit providers and other agencies (e.g. repayment histories, court actions relating to debit and credit, insolvency and ASIC records).

What if I’ve forgotten my username or password?

Your username is the email address you used to sign up to the service. If you have forgotten your username please contact us or call us on 138 332.

If you have forgotten your password you can click on the Forgot Password link on the login screen for Your Credit and Identity member portal. You will need some identity information and answers to your security questions to reset your password.

How do I reset my password?

It is good security practice to regularly change your passwords. You can reset your password by using the Forgot Password link on the login screen or within the My Account section of the portal.

Why was I declined credit?

There are a number of reasons why a credit provider may reject an application for credit.

Each credit provider has their own lending criteria and these are the basis for their credit decisions. Your loan may have been rejected because:

  • The credit provider may be concerned that you will not be able to keep up with the repayments based on your income and current debts and financial obligations.
  • The amount of money in your savings account/s is not enough to prove that you will be able to meet the loan repayments.
  • The credit provider has checked your credit report and found that you have a default or other negative information.
  • Your employment history. If you are unemployed, change jobs frequently or are working your way through a probationary period, you may not be able to demonstrate you can service your loan.
  • Residential situation – moving house on a regular basis can be a potential reason for a credit application refusal.

Trending Questions

Phone:

You can call us on 138 332 (select option 2).

Online:

You can use our online form here.

If you have been denied credit it is best not to apply for credit again until you find out why. There are a number of factors that may result in an application for credit being refused, but this depends on the lending criteria of the credit provider. Nevertheless, reasons may include :

  • Level of income and savings to meet the loan repayments;
  • Number of other loans and other financial commitments you have;
  • How secure your employment is;
  • Details on your credit report which can include information such as previous bankruptcy, defaults, serious credit infringements, high number of credit applications and poor repayment history.

If you have been declined credit and the information on your credit report was a factor, the lender, phone or utility company will give you details of the credit reporting body they used.

If it was Equifax, the first step in understanding why your credit report has contributed to you being declined credit, is to obtain a free copy of your Equifax credit report. If you have been declined credit you are entitled obtain a free credit report if you apply within 90 days of being declined and provide evidence that a credit provider has declined your application for credit.

By getting a copy of your Equifax credit report you can better understand what information may have contributed to your application refusal. It is important to check your credit report regularly to ensure it is accurate.

If you believe there is incorrect or incomplete information on your Equifax credit report, it is important that you get this corrected. The information used to generate a credit report is provided by credit providers to Equifax, which include banks, phone and utility companies.

The most efficient way to correct information on an Equifax credit report is to speak directly with the credit provider that the error relates to, and ask that it be investigated and your credit report amended. We have a handy list of common creditor contacts. Alternatively, Equifax can investigate the subjected information via the Equifax Corrections Portal.

Find out more in our Corrections section.

Learn more: Read our "How to correct your credit report" fact sheet

What role does a credit report play in the provision of credit? How do lenders use my credit report?

When you apply for credit, your credit report can be an important piece of information. Credit providers may use it, along with the information on your application form and their own lending criteria, to help them get a clear picture of your credit commitments and how likely you are to be able to make repayments on future credit.

Credit providers can include banks, financial institutions, phone and utility (electricity, gas and water) companies.

Your credit report may be considered as part of the information that can be used to determine whether you are approved for a particular credit card, loan, mortgage or service, and on what terms.

Learn more:

What should I do if I’ve been rejected for a loan?

If you have been denied credit it is best not to apply for credit again until you find out why. There are a number of factors that may result in an application for credit being refused including:

  • Level of income and savings to meet the loan repayments;
  • Number of other loans and other financial commitments you have;
  • How secure your employment is;
  • Details on your credit report which can include information such as previous bankruptcy, defaults, serious credit infringements, high number of credit applications and poor repayment history.

If you have been declined credit and the information on your credit report was a factor, the lender, phone or utility company will give you details of the credit reporting body they used.

If it was Equifax, the first step in understanding why your Equifax credit report has contributed to you being declined credit, is to obtain a free copy of your Equifax credit report. If you have been declined credit you are entitled obtain a free credit report if you apply within 90 days of being declined and provide evidence that a credit provider has declined your application for credit.

By getting a copy of your Equifax credit report you can better understand what information may have contributed to your application refusal. It is important to check your Equifax credit report regularly to ensure it is accurate.

Learn more: https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/borrowing-and-credit/borrowing-basics/loan-rejection

Trending Questions

If you believe there is incorrect or incomplete information on your Equifax credit report, it is important that you get this corrected. The information used to generate a credit report is provided by credit providers to Equifax, which include banks, phone and utility companies.

The most efficient way to correct information on an Equifax credit report is to speak directly with the credit provider that the error relates to, and ask that it be investigated and your credit report amended. We have a handy list of common creditor contacts. Alternatively, Equifax can investigate the subjected information via the Equifax Corrections Portal.

Find out more in our Corrections section.

Learn more: Read our "How to correct your credit report" fact sheet

Insolvencies on the decline, but pockets of risk remain

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SYDNEY, Tuesday 10 April, 2018 – The number of Australian companies entering external administration (ex-ad) decreased by 20 per cent year-on-year in Q4 2017, but there are still pockets of concern according to newly released data from Equifax, the global information solutions company and the leading provider of credit information and analysis in Australia and New Zealand.

There are a number of different items that may look bad to a prospective lender or credit provider who views your credit report as part of their assessment process.

Shopping around for credit

Each time you apply for credit and a credit provider obtains a copy of your credit report, a credit enquiry is added to your credit report. Lenders and credit providers view negatively a relatively high number of enquiries made in a short space of time, as it is a potential sign of credit stress. This may in turn affect your ability to obtain credit.

However, the number of enquiries recorded on your credit report is just one piece of information a lender may consider when assessing your application for credit. Lenders look at a variety of information on your application form, if you are existing customer as well as your credit report to assess your application.

Poor repayment history and late repayments

Repayment history information, such as if you make your credit card and loan repayments on time, can be held on your credit report.  Whilst one late repayment, depending upon how late it was, followed by making your repayments on time, may not  significantly impact your credit worthiness, a number of late payments could be an indication you are in financial stress  and may negatively impact a lender’s view on you based on your credit report.

Please note that information about whether you have paid your account on time or not cannot be listed by a telco or utility provider as they are not a licensed credit providers, unless you are 60 days or more overdue.

Defaults

Under the Privacy Act 1988, an overdue debt or default can be listed on your consumer credit report when it is overdue by 60 days or more, when the debt is at least $150. Defaults are view negatively by credit providers and can impact your ability to get future credit.

If you have had a default in the past but have paid it and established a good repayment history a lender may for example view your credit report more favourably. This is one of the benefits of comprehensive credit reporting.

Serious credit infringements

If you have an overdue debt, where you have left or appear to have left your last known address, it can be listed as a serious credit infringement. This information is viewed upon negatively by credit providers and can impact your ability to get credit in the future.

What to do if you can’t pay your bills or meet financial repayments?

If you can’t meet your monthly loan repayments or financial commitments in relation to your phone or utilities contracts, it’s important that you act quickly.

Firstly, talk to your credit providers and find out if they’ve got procedures in place to help customers experiencing financial hardship. If you talk to them before you default, you may avoid having a default listed on your credit report.

If you need financial advice or legal counselling, there are a number of free services offered by community organisations, community legal centres and some government agencies that may be of help.

Learn more:

If I am refused credit, will it impact my credit report?

If you’ve been denied credit by one credit provider and you continue to make a number of applications, the resulting enquiries on your credit report can negatively affect your chances of obtaining credit in the future.

Under comprehensive credit reporting, information on when an account is open and closed can also be held on your credit report. This, together with your repayment history, can help lenders get a clearer picture on your credit obligations and can be taken into account in their assessment of a credit application you make.

If you’ve been refused credit, you have a right to obtain your consumer credit information free of charge within 90 days of being declined credit.

Learn more: https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/borrowing-and-credit/borrowing-basics/loan-rejection

Trending Questions

If you have been denied credit it is best not to apply for credit again until you find out why. There are a number of factors that may result in an application for credit being refused, but this depends on the lending criteria of the credit provider. Nevertheless, reasons may include :

  • Level of income and savings to meet the loan repayments;
  • Number of other loans and other financial commitments you have;
  • How secure your employment is;
  • Details on your credit report which can include information such as previous bankruptcy, defaults, serious credit infringements, high number of credit applications and poor repayment history.

If you have been declined credit and the information on your credit report was a factor, the lender, phone or utility company will give you details of the credit reporting body they used.

If it was Equifax, the first step in understanding why your credit report has contributed to you being declined credit, is to obtain a free copy of your Equifax credit report. If you have been declined credit you are entitled obtain a free credit report if you apply within 90 days of being declined and provide evidence that a credit provider has declined your application for credit.

By getting a copy of your Equifax credit report you can better understand what information may have contributed to your application refusal. It is important to check your credit report regularly to ensure it is accurate.

SMEs riskiest after four years in business

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SYDNEY, Wednesday, 4 April 2018 – Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) approaching their four-year anniversary are entering the highest-risk period for business failure and should take extra steps to protect their business from financial stress, according to newly released data from Equifax, the global information solutions company and the leading provider of credit information and analysis in Australia and New Zealand.

Equifax Rebrand

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Veda is rebranded to Equifax in March 2017.

Consumer credit applications robust, however mortgage applications continue to fall

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Sydney, Australia – Tuesday, 6 March 2018: Consumer credit demand rose 10.2% in the December 2017 quarter, according to data from the latest Quarterly Consumer Credit Demand Index by Equifax.

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