How to do a free credit check with your ID number

If you have ever had a store account, a cellphone contract or a loan, credit bureaus keep a record of how you borrowed and repaid. Lenders check it when you apply for credit. You have the right to see it for free, using your ID number.

What your credit report shows

A credit report details your borrowing and repayment history and gives a picture of your current credit status, as the Credit Ombud (which has merged into the National Financial Ombud, NFO) puts it. It is where you see whether accounts are in arrears, or whether there are listings such as judgments or a debt review flag against your name.

Some bureaus and apps also show a credit score. Your legal right is to the report itself.

Your rights under the National Credit Act

The credit bureaus

The NCR names these primary credit bureaus. Each one keeps its own records, so you can check more than one.

How to check your credit record with your ID number

1. Choose a credit bureau from the list above.
2. Ask for your free report on the bureau’s website or by phone. You give your ID number and personal details, and the bureau verifies who you are before it shows the report. If a website rejects your ID number, check that you typed all 13 digits correctly with our ID number check.
3. Read every account on it. Check that each account is yours, and that the balances and payment history are right.

Only use a bureau on the NCR’s register of credit bureaus.

If something on your report is wrong

The NCR’s guideline sets out these steps:

1. Tell the credit bureau that the information is wrong, by email, phone or on its website. Send any documents that support your case, such as proof of payment. The bureau gives you a reference number.
2. The bureau hides the disputed information from lenders within 5 business days, while it investigates.
3. The bureau must finish within 20 business days. If it can’t find evidence that the information is correct, it must correct or remove it.
4. If you aren’t happy with the outcome, complain to the NCR within 20 business days on Form 29: email creditbureaudisputes@ncr.org.za or call 0860 627 627. You can also complain to the National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO), which took over the Credit Ombud, on 0860 800 900.

Disputing information is free. Correct information, such as a debt you really owe, stays on your record.

Stay safe

• Your yearly report from each bureau is free: don’t pay anyone to get it for you.
• The Credit Ombud (which has merged into the NFO) warned about “credit repair” businesses that promise, for a fee, to erase bad credit or “get you off the blacklist”. Be careful of any that want money upfront, don’t tell you what you can do yourself for free, or tell you not to contact the credit bureaus.
• Never share your ID number, one-time PINs or bank details with someone who contacts you out of the blue. Read our guide to avoiding scams.
• Before you take a small loan, check its interest and fees against the limits in the law with our loan cost check.