How to check your credit score for free

Four credit information companies hold credit records in India: TransUnion CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark. Lenders report your loans and cards to them, and each calculates its own score, usually between 300 and 900.

• Under RBI rules, each bureau must give you one free full credit report, with your score, every year.
• Request it on the bureau’s own website with your PAN and mobile number: cibil.com, experian.in, equifax.co.in and crif.in. Avoid sites that ask for payment for the free report.
• Checking your own score does not lower it. Lenders’ checks when you apply for credit are what count.

• Payment history — any late or missed payments (“DPD”, days past due).
• Accounts you do not recognise — a possible sign of identity misuse.
• Loans shown as open that you have closed.
• Enquiries — how many times lenders checked your report recently.
• Card utilisation — using most of your card limits pulls the score down.

Raise a dispute with the bureau on its website, and with the lender that reported the wrong data. Under RBI rules, a complaint not resolved within 30 days earns you compensation of ₹100 for each day of delay, paid by the lender or bureau responsible. If it is still unresolved, or rejected, you can complain to the RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in.

Pay every EMI and card bill on time, clear overdue amounts, and keep card use well below the limit. What a low score changes when you apply, and how to improve your chances: personal loan with a low credit score. No credit history at all: your first loan.