How to Check Your Business Credit Report (and What to Look For)

You would not show up to a job interview without looking in the mirror. Applying for business funding without checking your business credit report is similar. Lenders will look. You should look first. This guide explains where to get your business credit reports, what each section means and what errors to look for.

Where to get your business credit reports

You can request reports directly from each bureau or use a service that combines them. Make sure you are looking at the right business, especially if your name is common or you have more than one location.

Step 1: Check your company details first

This is the section most owners skip, and it is where many problems start.

• Legal name matches your state filing exactly
• Trade name or DBA is listed correctly
• Address matches where you operate, your website and your Google Business Profile
• Phone is your main business line
• Industry code describes what you actually do
• Start date matches your formation date
• Employees and size are reasonable
• Status shows active

Read business credit mismatches for details on each.

Step 2: Review your scores

Look at each score and note which ones are missing. A missing score usually means too few accounts are reporting. Read business credit scores explained and thin business credit file.

Step 3: Review your tradelines

For each account, check:

• Do you recognize the account?
• Is it reporting to the right business?
• Are the payment dates and amounts right?
• Is the balance current?
• Are any accounts you pay missing?

Read business tradelines explained.

Step 4: Review inquiries

Inquiries show who has checked your business credit. Look for any you do not recognize. Unknown inquiries can be a sign of an application you did not make.

Step 5: Review public records

Look for:

• UCC filings. Do they match agreements you signed? Are paid off items terminated? Read UCC liens explained.
• Tax liens. Do resolved items show as released?
• Judgments. Do they belong to your business?
• Collections. Are they accurate and current?

Read tax liens and judgments.

Step 6: Compare the bureaus side by side

Put your three reports next to each other. Do they agree on your name, address, phone and industry? Is history showing at one bureau but missing at another? Differences between bureaus are common, but large gaps are worth understanding.

Step 7: Compare against your other records

Now compare your reports against your state filing, your website and your Google Business Profile. Lenders do this. You should too. Read how lenders verify your business online.

The most common errors we find

What to do when you find an error

1. Write down exactly what is wrong and where.
2. Gather documents that show the correct information, like your state filing or a payoff letter.
3. Contact the vendor if they reported the wrong information.
4. Use the bureau's own process to submit a correction with your documents.
5. Check again after a few weeks to confirm the change.

Reading your report if you have more than one location

If your business has several locations, each may have its own file or its own DUNS number. Check each one. Make sure the headquarters and branch details are correct, and that payments for each location report where they should. A branch with an old address can cause the same mismatch problems as a main office.

How often to check

Check before every funding application, after any big business change and at least every few months. Better yet, use monitoring so changes come to you. Read business credit monitoring.

Business credit report checklist

• I pulled reports from every bureau with a file on my business
• My company details are correct on each
• I know which scores I have and which are missing
• I recognize every tradeline and inquiry
• Public records are accurate and current
• My reports match my state filing, website and Google Business Profile
• I wrote down every error and a plan to fix it

A real world example

An HVAC company pulled its reports for the first time before applying for equipment financing. The owner expected to look at scores. Instead, the first page showed the company at an address it left three years earlier, with an industry code for retail. Fixing those two details before applying meant the lender saw the right business from the start.

How Credit Desk reviews your report for you

Reading three business credit reports and comparing them by hand takes time, and it is easy to miss things. Your free business credit review does it for you. We pull your files, compare your bureau file against your state filing, your website and your Google Business Profile, and show every finding on a private review page in plain words, with a Bankable Score before and after.

Then we fix what is wrong, help you build what is missing and monitor your files so the next time you check, there are no surprises.

The bottom line

Your business credit report is what lenders see. Look at it first, line by line, and fix what is wrong. Get your free business credit review and we will walk you through every section.