Running a company credit check is straightforward: you can use a credit reference agency such as Experian, Equifax, or Creditsafe, to look up any registered UK company by name or Companies House number. The report will show your business credit score, payment history, any County Court Judgments (CCJs), and other public financial data. Experian, for example, sources data from Companies House, the Gazette, and Registry Trust, processing over 100,000 data updates every day. Most agencies offer a basic company credit check free of charge, with more detailed reports available on paid tiers.
What Is a Company Credit Score?
Every limited company registered at Companies House has a credit file. It works similarly to a personal credit score but tracks the financial behaviour of the business itself. The UK has three main credit reference agencies, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, each regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, alongside specialist business credit agencies like Creditsafe. Credit reference agencies pull together data from public records, filed accounts, payment behaviour, and legal filings to generate a score that represents how creditworthy your company appears to lenders. Creditsafe, for instance, scores businesses from 0 to 100, with a higher number indicating lower insolvency risk.
When you check a company’s credit score, you’ll typically see a numerical rating alongside a risk band (low, moderate, high). The score reflects factors such as how promptly the business pays suppliers, whether accounts are filed on time, the level of outstanding debt, and any adverse markers such as CCJs, Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs), or winding-up petitions.
This score is often the first thing a lender looks at. High-street banks tend to have rigid cut-off thresholds, which results in high decline rates for businesses with adverse markers.
How to Run a Company Credit Check: Step by Step
Choose a credit reference agency. The three main providers in the UK are Experian, Equifax, and Creditsafe. Each uses slightly different scoring models, so results can vary between them. For a quick overview, Creditsafe and Companies House itself offer basic reports at no cost.
Search for your company. You’ll need either your registered company name or your Companies House number. Enter the details on the agency’s website, and the report is usually generated instantly.
Review the report. Look beyond the headline score. Pay attention to the payment data, the credit limit recommendation, and any adverse filings. A CCJ from three years ago carries a different weight than one registered last month. Context matters.
Check for errors. Credit files aren’t always accurate. Outdated information, incorrect CCJ entries, or misattributed debts can all drag your score down unfairly. If you spot something wrong, you can dispute it directly with the agency or with the court that issued the judgment.
Run the check regularly. Your score isn’t static. It shifts as new data comes in, filed accounts, payment records, and resolved disputes. Checking quarterly gives you time to address problems before they surface in a lender’s assessment.
If you want a free company credit check to get started, both Creditsafe and the Companies House register offer no-cost searches that cover the basics. These won’t give you the full analytical breakdown of a paid report, but they’ll flag the major issues.
What Lenders Actually See
Lenders look at the full credit profile, and different lenders weigh different factors. A traditional bank might auto-decline based on a single CCJ. An alternative lender might look at the same CCJ, note that it was satisfied two years ago, and focus instead on your current trading performance and cashflow.
This is where many SME applications diverge between mainstream and specialist lenders. Many businesses assume a bank decline closes off all funding options, but it’s often based on a narrow, automated reading of your credit file. It doesn’t account for the story behind the numbers: a difficult trading year during Covid, a disputed invoice that escalated to a CCJ, or a CVA that’s now successfully been completed.
Specific things that drive a credit score down
- Late payments to suppliers. Paying invoices past their due dates is one of the most common drags on a business’s credit score. Payment behaviour is tracked over months, so a pattern of late settlements builds up on your file and takes consistent on-time (or slightly early) payments to reverse.
- County Court Judgments (CCJs). An outstanding CCJ is a significant red flag for lenders and credit reference agencies. Satisfying the judgment helps, but the record of it remains visible for six years, so the sooner it’s resolved, the sooner the impact starts to fade.
- Overdue filings at Companies House. Late accounts attract automatic penalties from Companies House and also act as a red flag on your credit file. Bringing filings up to date is one of the quickest wins available, since it’s entirely within your control.
- Thin credit history. A business with little borrowing or trade credit activity gives agencies very little to score against, which often results in a low or cautious rating. Building a track record through trade accounts and well-managed credit facilities helps over time.
- Unresolved disputes with suppliers. Open disputes that result in defaults or adverse markers will pull a score down. Settling them, even where the amount is contested, removes the negative entry and stops it from weighing on future applications.
How Soft and Hard Credit Checks Fit In
When you run a credit check on your own company, or when a third party looks up your publicly filed credit data, it counts as a soft credit check. Soft checks are informational lookups. They are visible only to you, leave no mark on your credit file, and do not affect your score. This is why you can check your company’s credit score as often as you like without consequence.
A hard credit check is different. It happens when you formally apply for finance, and the lender pulls a deeper view of your credit history as part of their underwriting process. Hard checks are recorded on your credit file and are visible to other lenders. Multiple hard checks in a short period can drag your score down by signalling that you are actively shopping for credit.
Knowing the difference matters when you are exploring funding options. Speaking to a broker who can carry out a soft check first lets you understand your standing without compounding the problem of repeated hard searches.
Where to check your business credit score
A quick comparison of the main providers UK businesses use to check their credit profile:
| Provider | Good for | Free option | Paid detail |
| Companies House | Filed accounts and company records | Yes | No full credit score |
| Creditsafe | Quick business credit score | Often available | More detailed reports |
| Experian | Detailed business credit data | Limited/free trial options vary | Yes |
| Equifax | Business credit checks | Varies | Yes |
