A
Simplified exampleContract information
“Current account at a bank, since March 2025.”
This is not a negative entry. It only shows that the contract exists.
Research as of: 06/10/2026
The essentials first
SCHUFA is a private company, not a public authority. It is a credit agency (Auskunftei): it collects certain information and shares it when the law allows. Germany has other credit agencies too.
Companies want to estimate whether agreed payments are likely to arrive. For this, SCHUFA calculates a score. A score is a statistical estimate, not a certain prediction.
You do not need to sign up with SCHUFA for data about you to be stored there. A SCHUFA account is just one way to see your own data.
- 1Stored datae.g. a current account or a loan
- 2Calculated estimatethe score, calculated from certain data
- 3The company's decisionthe bank, landlord or shop decides for itself
The score can strongly influence the decision. But the provider decides, often also using its own information such as your income.
Where does the information come from?
Contract partners
e.g. banks, credit card and leasing companies, mobile providers
report certain contract data
Public registers
e.g. debtor register, insolvency notices
certain entries are taken over
SCHUFA
stores information and calculates estimates
information only for a legitimate reason
Authorised companies
e.g. a bank where you want a contract
free information
You
can check what is stored about you
Not every purchase, no account transactions and no data from public offices go to SCHUFA automatically.
Which data – and which not?
May be stored
- name, date of birth and addresses
- certain bank accounts, credit cards, loans, leasing contracts and guarantees
- where applicable, payment defaults and entries from public registers
Not stored, according to SCHUFA
- income and assets
- nationality
- religion
- marital status
This information comes from SCHUFA itself. Banks also ask for their own information.
Your bank can check your income, even though it is not part of the SCHUFA score.
Being stored does not mean every piece of information is used in every score.
Three terms that are often confused
B
Simplified exampleEnquiry
“A mobile provider requested information in June.”
An enquiry is not an unpaid bill.
C
Simplified examplePayment default (Zahlungsstörung)
“A company reported an unpaid claim.”
A reported deviation from agreed payments. Legal conditions must be met for this.
A low score is not the same as a negative entry.
New in Germany: no score?
If no score is shown, there can be different reasons. Sometimes there is simply not enough data yet.
Too little data
No calculation possible yet. This is not a bad rating.
Score available
There is enough data for a calculation.
Open payment default
Another possible reason why no point value is calculated.
Check your details: is your name spelled correctly? Are your date of birth and addresses right?
- According to SCHUFA, no score is calculated, among other cases, when a person is unknown, or has been known for less than six months and has no bank contract.
- No score is calculated for minors either.
- This does not mean that everyone who moves here must wait six months. Do not take out a loan just to build up data.
The score: 100 to 999 points
The new SCHUFA score uses points from 100 to 999. SCHUFA groups them into four classes:
- sufficient (ausreichend)100–641
- acceptable (akzeptabel)642–708
- good (gut)709–775
- excellent (hervorragend)776–999
Simplified example Fictional example: 730 points
Points are not percentages. 800 points do not mean 80 percent.
The score does not rate your worth as a person.
A high value does not guarantee a contract.
For open negative information there is a separate class without a point value. Missing data is something else (see above).
Companies still use different score models. According to a SCHUFA statement of 30 Sept 2026, the switch runs until the end of 2028; the new score is meant to become the central model. Old percentage values cannot be converted into the new points.
Source: SCHUFA: The new SCHUFA score
Source: SCHUFA: Statement on the score switch (30 Sept 2026)
What influences the score?
SCHUFA names twelve criteria. They can be grouped into four topics:
Payments
Were any payment defaults reported?
Experience with contracts
How long have you had your oldest account and oldest credit card?
New enquiries and loans
How many enquiries and new loans were there in the last twelve months?
Address and identity
How long have you lived at your address? Was an identity check reported?
- 1Were payment problems reported?Official term: Zahlungsstörungen
- 2Since when have you had your oldest bank account?Official term: Alter des ältesten Bankvertrags
- 3Since when have you had your oldest credit card?Official term: Alter der ältesten Kreditkarte
- 4Since when have you lived at your current address?Official term: Alter der aktuellen Adresse
- 5How old is your newest credit line, i.e. a fixed credit limit?Official term: Alter des jüngsten Rahmenkredits
- 6How often were there enquiries or new contracts for a current account or credit card in twelve months?Official term: Anfragen und Abschlüsse Girokonto/Kreditkarte (12 Monate)
- 7How often did companies outside banking make enquiries in twelve months, e.g. shops?Official term: Anfragen außerhalb des Bankenbereichs (12 Monate)
- 8How many instalment loans did you take out in twelve months?Official term: Neu aufgenommene Ratenkredite (12 Monate)
- 9How long does your longest instalment loan still run?Official term: Längste Restlaufzeit von Ratenkrediten
- 10What is the status of your loans?Official term: Kreditstatus
- 11Do you have a loan for property?Official term: Immobilienkredit
- 12Was an identity check reported?Official term: Gemeldete Identitätsprüfung
Important when reading
- Not every purchase and not every change of contract leads to an enquiry that counts.
- For the two enquiry criteria, several enquiries within 28 days count only once. This does not mean enquiries never have an effect.
- It is about new contracts, not the number of accounts you already have.
- If one criterion gives 0 points, that does not mean 0 points overall.
- What counts is how long you have lived at an address – not how your postcode is rated.
- A reported identity check is not the same as creating an online account.
- Do not postpone a necessary move, keep expensive accounts or take out a loan just for points.
Everyday examples
Tap a situation.
Ana moved to Germany two months ago. A landlord asks about SCHUFA.
What this means
There is probably little or no data yet. This is not a bad rating.
Sensible next step
Request the free data copy, check the details and explain that you are new. Offer other proof, e.g. your employment contract.
Check your data for free
There are two equal free ways. You can choose freely.
SCHUFA also offers paid subscriptions. You do not need them to check your own data.
Can't identify yourself digitally? Check the SCHUFA page for other ways currently offered, e.g. a letter with a PIN.
- The law does not limit access to once a year. Only for clearly unfounded or excessive requests may a company refuse or charge a fee.
- A correction and the visible recalculation of the score do not necessarily happen at the same time.
Data copy or proof for others?
For my own check
The data copy is extensive. It is meant for you.
As proof
Others usually only need the information they really require (Bonitätsnachweis).
Flat hunting: the German Data Protection Conference considers it unlawful for landlords to demand the full data copy under Art. 15 GDPR. It contains too much information.
A paid SCHUFA product is not required by law.
Source: Data Protection Conference: Self-disclosure of prospective tenants (2026)
Payment defaults and storage periods
A single reminder does not automatically lead to a SCHUFA entry. And a paid claim is not always deleted immediately.
- Claim paid in fullThe period starts here
- 18 monthsonly if all conditions are met
- 36 monthsbasic rule
Shortened to 18 months only if all of this applies:
- paid within 100 days after the report
- no further negative data until 18 months after payment
- no entries from the debtor register or insolvency notices
These periods do not apply to all SCHUFA data.
You do not have to sit out wrong or unlawful entries: you can demand that they are corrected or deleted.
Source: HBDI: Storage of settled claims
In the usual reminder case, things that count include: two written reminders after the due date, at least four weeks since the first reminder, a prior notice about the possible report, and you have not disputed the claim.
There are other cases, e.g. when a court has confirmed the claim. So there is no fixed sequence for everyone.
Found a mistake or been refused?
- 1Check the data and the reporting company.
- 2Describe the mistake precisely and collect evidence.
- 3Contact SCHUFA and, if needed, the reporting company.
- 4If you dispute the accuracy: ask for processing to be restricted during the review.
- 5Check the result.
The answer must generally come within one month. An extension of up to two more months is possible if it is justified and communicated within the first month.
Source: Data protection Baden-Württemberg: Data subject rights
Contract refused?
Ask the provider which credit agency and which score mattered. You can request an understandable explanation of the key data and the assessment. This does not give you a right to the contract.
Where to get help
- Consumer advice centre (Verbraucherzentrale)
- Data protection authority: for SCHUFA, the Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection (HBDI)
- SCHUFA arbitration board – only after contacting private customer service
- Recognised debt counselling for payment problems
Poor creditworthiness alone does not rule out a basic account. But conditions and other legal grounds for refusal apply. More about bank accounts
Terms on this page
Tap a word. The terms stay in German so you recognise them in letters and forms.
SCHUFA: Statement on the score switch (30 Sept 2026)
- State of information
- October 2026
- Last checked
- 06/10/2026
Consumer advice centre: What to do about a SCHUFA entry
- State of information
- October 2026
- Last checked
- 06/10/2026
This is orientation, not legal advice. Please check the details at the official source.
Your next steps
Answer a few questions. MeaNext shows you which topics and steps fit your situation.