How to check your credit score?

You can check your credit score directly with any of Australia’s major credit reporting agencies, or through a number of third parties. There is no “best” credit score check, however, the three main reporting agencies in Australia are Experian, illion and Equifax. To check your credit score with Canstar, you’ll first need to create a free Canstar account and verify your identity. This involves providing some basic information, including your residential address and one valid form of photo identification- such as your passport or Australian driver licence number. Once verified, you’ll be able to access your credit score. To view your credit summary report, an additional layer of identity verification is required. You’ll need to provide a second, different form of identification from the one you used initially.

What information you need to find out your credit score?

When checking your credit score with Canstar, you will need to provide some key identifying information in order for Equifax to verify your identity. These will then be verified against government records, so it is important to enter these details correctly. Credit score check To access your credit score, you’ll simply need to provide your name and date of birth, residential address for the last three years, along with one form of photo identification using either your Passport or Australian driver licence. Credit summary report To view your full credit summary report, an additional layer of identity verification is required. You’ll need to provide a second, different form of identification from the one you used on your initial credit score check.

Why should I use Canstar to check my credit score?

At Canstar, we are committed to empowering consumers to make better financial decisions. We believe accessing your credit score could give you further insight into how you may be seen through a lender’s eyes when you apply for credit or a loan. If your score isn’t as high as you like, you can turn to us for some ideas on how you may be able to improve it over time. Improving your credit score could possibly result in a greater chance of having your next loan approved, greater borrowing capacity and access to lower rates on a loan or credit card.

What is the difference between a credit score and a credit report?

A credit score is a numerical figure that represents your creditworthiness, and is meant to indicate how reliable you are relative to other borrowers. A credit report is a more detailed picture of your finances that contains information about past or present loans or debt, and your repayment history. Any events such as bankruptcies or defaults may also be included in your credit report. Your credit score is derived from the information in your credit report, but they are two different things.

Is it safe to get my credit score?

When you check your credit score with Canstar, we connect you directly to Equifax, Australia’s leading credit bureau, who verifies your identity against Australian government databases to ensure only you can access your credit score. To provide you with this service, we temporarily hold some of your credit score information while your account with us is active. You may revoke your consent for us to access your credit information by deleting your account at any time, which will discontinue the credit score service. For more information, please refer to our privacy policy .

Will checking my credit score negatively impact it?

Checking your credit score with Canstar qualifies as a “soft” credit enquiry, which means your credit score will not be affected. According to Equifax, an inquiry with a check credit score tool like this can be either “soft” or “hard” – soft credit checks occur when you check your credit score through an authorised third party like Canstar, whereas hard credit checks occur when you actually apply for a credit or loan product, and a bank or lender requests access to your full credit report. According to Equifax, only hard credit checks will impact your credit score.

How much does checking your credit score cost?

Checking your credit score with Canstar is free. You can read more about our business model here .

How to improve your credit score?

If your credit score is low, and you are worried that you will be rejected for a loan application, then it’s important to remember that it can improve with time. The more you demonstrate responsible financial behaviour – paying bills and credit card statements on time and so on – the more your credit score can improve. Reducing the limit on any credit cards you hold can be another strategy for improving your credit score over time. If you want to know more, Canstar has a list of strategies to improve your credit score .

How do you fix mistakes in your credit report?

If you believe your credit score is lower than it should be because of an error in your credit report, then there are ways you can go about correcting this. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) recommends that you first contact the relevant credit provider – that is, the bank, organisation or retailer who you believe is responsible for the error – and enquire about the dispute. The OAIC also says that you can contact a credit reporting body (Equifax for example) and request that they correct your credit-related personal information.

Do you have to pay to fix errors in your credit report?

The Australian government’s Moneysmart says that some companies may try to charge you to remove mistakes from your credit report, however, it’s important to know that you can get errors fixed for free by yourself. You can fix errors by credit reporting agencies by contacting the agency directly, an errors by providers (who have given incorrect information) by contacting them. If a provider refuses to have incorrect information removed from your credit report, you can make a complaint to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (ACFA) and request dispute resolution. Moneysmart notes that you can only have error removed from your credit report, and cannot remove any information that it’s correct, even if it’s negative. If you do plan on dealing with a credit repair company, then it’s important to make sure they are licensed, which you can do by checking the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC’) website.

Why does Canstar access my credit score and my credit report?

When you sign up to Canstar’s Free Credit Score Tool, you become one of our credit score users. You will see your refreshed credit score score when you view it within the refresh availability period. A credit score refresh is available once every 30 days. This is a soft enquiry on your credit report and does not impact your score, however, it may be visible on your credit report. If you would like any assistance with this process or run into any difficulties, please reach out to enquiries@canstar.com.au and let us know.

What can you do if there are unfamiliar loans in your credit report?

If you find that your credit report contains loans or debts you didn’t sign up for, then it’s possible you may be a victim of fraud or identity theft. If you believe you have fallen victim to this, then it’s important to change your passwords and contact your financial institution to let them know. You may also need to cancel cards linked to your accounts and have them reissued. You can also contact ICDARE, Australia and New Zealand’s national identity and cyber support service, by calling 1800 595 160 or visiting them online.

When do defaults get added to your credit report?

If you default on a payment for a utility or credit card bill, or a on a loan repayment, then your provider may report this to credit agencies. The Australian government’s Moneysmart says that providers can report defaults if the amount owed is $15o or more, if they are unable to contact you, if 60 days or more have passed since the due date, and if they have asked you to pay the debt either over the phone or in writing.

How is your credit score calculated?

Your credit score is calculated based on the information contained in your credit report. Credit agencies will consider factors including current and former loans you’ve had, applications you’ve made for loans or credit products, and your history of repayments. If you have made relatively few loan applications and pay your bills on time, this could be reflected in a higher credit score; on the other hand, if you have made frequent loan applications and have a history of late repayments or defaults, your credit score is likely to be negatively affected.

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Q: What is a good credit score?

Your credit score will be a number between zero and 1000 or 1200, depending on which credit reporting agency you’re using. If you’ve found yourself wondering “what is my credit score?”, Equifax assigns a credit score in six bands, which are as follows: Excellent: 853 – 1200 Very Good: 735 – 852 Good: 661 – 734 Average: 460 – 660 Below Average: 0 – 459 Based on these criteria, a ‘good’ credit score in Australia is anything above 661.

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How do I get my Credit Score?

Create a free Canstar Account

To keep your information secure and retrievable, you will need a free Canstar Account. This will also enable you to continue to monitor your score.

Verify your identity

Enter your passport or driver licence number, along with your residential address, through our secure platform so we can verify you against government records.

Access your credit score and report

After retrieving your score, you can verify with a different ID to securely access your credit summary, contributing factors and score insights.

What is a Credit Score?

Reflects borrowing behaviour

Credit scores are a reflection of an individual’s financial habits over time. Generally speaking, the more responsible you are with loans and repayments, the higher your score will be, reflecting your overall creditworthiness.

Based on your credit history

Credit scores are calculated using information from a person’s credit report, including past and present debts, loans and loan enquiries, credit and store cards you’ve held, and your current credit card limit, amongst other factors.

Used by lenders

Credit scores are used by lenders to assess the risk of lending money to individuals – generally speaking, if a borrower is perceived as less risky, they may have a higher chance of approval for a loan or credit product.

Why check my credit score?

Financial peace of mind

Even if you think you have a healthy credit score, it can be worth checking now and again just to get a picture of your financial health, and make sure there are no errors that need correcting.

Planning a big purchase

If you are planning on applying for a loan for a major purchase like a house, then it can be good to know your credit score, in order to get an idea of how banks and lenders will view you as a borrower before you start the application process.

Seeing if there’s improvement

If you have been trying to improve your credit score in order to be seen more favourably by banks and lenders, then periodically checking it to see if it has moved up can give you an idea of whether your strategies are working.

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What our customers are saying

Love this tool – super easy to use, and great to get an instant snapshot of your credit rating.

Cathy W.

Doing a check was user friendly and quick.

Reg. O

Have been relying on Canstar for years initially to research bank loan rates and this helped me talk confidently either to new lenders or to negotiate better rates with existing lenders.

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Written by

Nina RinellaEditor-in-Chief

Edited by

Alasdair DuncanDeputy Finance Editor

14 Feb, 2026

Fact Checked

Author: Nina Rinella

As Canstar’s Editor-in-Chief, Nina heads up a team of talented journalists committed to helping empower consumers to take greater control of their finances. Previously Nina founded her own agency where she provided content and communications support to clients around Australia for eight years. She also spent four years as the PR Manager for American Express Australia, and has worked at a Brisbane communications agency where she supported dozens of clients, including Sunsuper and Suncorp.

Nina has ghostwritten dozens of opinion pieces for publications including The Australian and has been interviewed on finance topics by the Herald Sun and the Sydney Morning Herald. When she’s not dreaming up ways to put a fresh spin on finance, she’s taking her own advice by trying to pay her house off as quickly as possible and raising two money-savvy kids.

Nina has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English Literature from the University of Queensland. She’s also an experienced presenter, and has hosted numerous events and YouTube series.

You can follow her on Instagram or Twitter, or Canstar on Facebook.

You can also read more about Canstar’s editorial team and our robust fact-checking process.