Equifax powers the financial future of individuals and organisations around the world. Using the combined strength of unique trusted data, technology and innovative analytics, Equifax helps its customers make informed decisions.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe and more recently in the Asia Pacific region, with the acquisition of Veda, a data analytics company and the leading provider of credit information and analysis in Australia and New Zealand. Combined the companies bring nearly 170 years of data and insights experience to the marketplace.
A SwiftCheck report contains the commercial credit information of an organisation such as any overdue debts, registered defaults, invoice payment history as well as any court judgments that may have been entered against a business.
It also has information on directors, shareholders and officeholders within the organisation, so you can understand the business you are dealing with.
When you apply for credit such as a loan from a bank or apply for post paid services from a telecommunications or utilities company, they generally assess both the information on your application as well as information on your credit report against their own lending policies to make a decision on whether they will give you credit.
As part of completing your commercial credit application, you will have given a lender, phone or utility company permission to view your credit report held by a credit reporting body such as Equifax.
It's important to know that Equifax does not decide who should get credit, however, the information we provide may form part of the lenders' decision making.
ASIC data will be refreshed in a SwiftCheck report every time that a new report is ordered. You can check the status of this by looking at File Update Notices in the report.
Director information on other businesses run by that director will not be updated every time and will only be updated when a report is purchased directly on that business.
Due to additional requirements to validate business proprietor information the Company & Director Credit Report is only available for searches on Companies with an ACN.
Information on how to read your credit report, tips on how to manage your late payers and a glossary of credit terms are all available in our Resources section.
At this time the Company & Director + PPSR Credit Report is only available for searches on Companies with a ABN or ACN.
A SwiftCheck report costs from $99.95.
There can be instances where a SwiftCheck report will return no score.
This could mean that the organisation is new or has had no credit activity recorded on their file.
Just like any other score, you should base your decision on whether to provide commercial credit along with other factors, and if applicable on your potential relationship with the business.
The SwiftCheck report contains tips for you to consider, depending on the events that have occurred. Refer to the tips included in the SwiftCheck report to assist you.
A commercial credit risk score (Equifax Score) is a rating from -200 to 1200 that predicts the likelihood of a business having an adverse credit event in the next 12 months.
An adverse event on a credit file may negatively impact business’ ability to repay their debts. Examples of adverse events include registering a default, going into external administration, and court actions.
A commercial credit default is an overdue debt of $100 or more that has exceeded the agreed payment date.
Before listing commercial defaults or overdue debts, commercial credit providers or their agents must send a notice to your last known address stating their intention to list the default amount with a credit reporting body such as Equifax.
Commercial credit defaults stay on your credit report for five years even when you have paid the overdue amount.
The status of the default is updated to paid which can be looked upon more favourably by lenders but it will remain as part of your credit history.
You can only have a default removed if it was listed in error. A default will remain on a credit report for five years.
If a default is paid, the status will be updated to ‘paid’ however it cannot be removed.
Every time you apply for credit and a credit provider obtains a copy of your report, an enquiry is added to your credit report. This includes any loan, mortgage or utilities applications you may make.
Credit providers may take a negative view of a relatively high number of enquiries made in a short space of time, which may in turn affect your ability to obtain credit.
Not all businesses will have invoice payment history details. Equifax collects data from a range of different data points and will provide this information in the report whenever it is available.
Invoice payment history or trade payment history is a record of how frequently a business pays its bills and invoices.
If a business is consistently paying invoices late, it can be a potential indicator of an adverse event in the future.
Days beyond terms are an average of the amount of days the subject of the report is past due on its invoices to all creditors who are contributors to Equifax trade payment programme, Debtor IQ.
There is also an average of the late payment days of all industries across the entire Debtor IQ database.
Data is supplied by subscribers to Debtor IQ, Equifax portfolio management and trade payment platform.
Court actions are a record of any action taken by the court such as a writ or summon that is related to an outstanding debt.
Court data is provided to Equifax daily, weekly and monthly and this is then updated directly into the bureau. It is the responsibility of the courts to provide us with this data while ensuring that this information is kept accurate, up to date and complete.
If you have ordered a SwiftCheck report and you have not received it in your email inbox, please check your junk mail folder.
If you still cannot see the report, please contact us and we will email you a copy of your latest report request within 2 business days.
For all billing enquiries, please contact us. All queries will be responded to within 2 business days.
Xero has changed the game for small business. Their beautiful cloud-based accounting software connects people with the right numbers anytime, anywhere, on any device. Xero is one of the fastest growing Software as a Service companies, leading the New Zealand, Australian and United Kingdom cloud accounting markets.
Live Contacts is functionality within Xero’s platform that reduces data entry, eradicates typos and makes easy work of adding new contacts in Xero. The capability will suggest the business you’re looking to create and if available will auto-populate their information including business name, address, ABN/NZBN, industry classification and credit risk indicator.
A credit risk indicator is visible within Xero’s Live Contacts and is a predictor of the likelihood of a business or company to record an adverse event on their credit file within the next 12 months.
The credit risk indicator is separated into five bands from Very High risk (Red) to Very Low risk (Dark Green) depending on the information contained on a business’ credit file.
An adverse event on a credit file means something that could negatively impact an organisations ability to repay their debt obligations. Registering a default, going into external administration as well as any court actions are all examples of adverse events.
Live Contacts are powered by Equifax, one of the leading providers of credit information and analysis in Australia and New Zealand. Equifax sources the Credit Risk Indicator information from multiple sources such as ASIC, ABN Register, Credit Providers, Courts, Bankruptcy etc. This information relates to companies and businesses only. It does not contain information about a persons’ personal credit such as a mortgage or a credit card.
Equifax is supplying this information to Xero to help small businesses make better decisions about who and how to supply credit when dealing with their business customers. This information has been used by lenders and big banks to help them make lending decisions, and is now being made more widely available.
The credit information that we supply has been simplified for small businesses, and is available as a credit report through SwiftCheck.
Live Contacts are powered by Equifax, one of the leading providers of credit information and analysis in Australia and New Zealand. Equifax sources the Credit Risk Indicator information from multiple sources such as commercial credit accounts and other debts, public record information, court judgements and writs, directorship details, proprietorship details, bankruptcies, debt agreements and personal insolvency.
No. This is available to all Xero users with access to contacts in Australia and New Zealand.
Visit the Xero or SwiftCheck websites for more information.
Court actions are updated weekly and monthly, depending on the information provided by the court. This can be different depending on the different courts around Australia.
In the instance where you feel court information is still incorrectly listed on your file please use our corrections dispute form.
There are a number of factors that go into making up a credit score. If you have defaulted on paying any invoices, have multiple credit enquiries in a short period of time, have any outstanding legal actions or have gone into external administration, then events such as these could result in a low credit score.
To find out more about what has affected your credit score, you can purchase a SwiftCheck report.
If you’re still unsure, or believe that something on your credit report is incorrect, you can submit a correction request.
Your Equifax File Number used in disputes is located in the footer on the bottom line of your credit report.
If you wish to submit a correction request with Equifax here's how it works:
1. Commercial correction request is received
The more information you can provide, the quicker we can investigate. If you are requesting on behalf of someone else, please also include the requester their details.
Important: By submitting your correction request you understand that the information you supply to us during the creation of this correction request, including your personal information, may also be disclosed to other interested parties in order to resolve your request for correction. This includes disclosure to the credit provider that has recorded an entry for which you are disputing the accuracy. This disclosure is in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
2. Equifax investigates
Once we receive your correction request, we will provide you with written confirmation that it has been received. Our Customer Resolutions team will investigate your request within 30 days and provide a response to you in writing. We may, however, notify you that there is a delay and seek to extend this time if we have not concluded our investigation.
Note: Due to the high volume of requests our Customer Resolutions team deals with, they are unable to discuss the progress of your correction request with you over the phone.
3. Equifax contacts the credit provider
If necessary, we will contact the credit provider on your behalf to have them verify the accuracy, or otherwise, of the correction request submitted by you.
4. Equifax reviews the credit provider's response
Equifax will then review the information given by the credit provider or supplier and make amendments, if any, to the entry(ies) to your commercial credit report.
5. Equifax finalises the investigation
Once the correction has been completed, we will send you a written communication notifying you that the correction has been made. Equifax will also issue you with an updated copy of your commercial credit report. In addition Equifax will notify any recipients of your report within the three months prior to the correction being made, in accordance with its obligations under the Credit Reporting Code. Equifax will do this automatically at the time the correction is made. If the correction request received from you cannot be validated and a correction is not made, Equifax will write to you setting out in detail the outcome of its investigation and why the requested correction(s) were not made.
If you believe you have an error on your report, there are a few steps you can take to have it removed.
1. Contact the credit provider
If the error relates to a credit facility that you have or have applied for, you should contact the supplier or credit provider such as the bank, telco or utility company that the error relates to.
You can ask them to investigate the incorrect listing and that your commercial credit file is amended. Search our Creditor Contact Directory to find contact details of most credit providers.
2. Contact Equifax
Equifax will investigate the accuracy of information on your business credit report that's in dispute or you think may need correcting. Please submit an investigation request here.
If you have a dispute regarding your trade payment information, please email your enquiry to debtoriq@equifax.com.
To view more details about your organisations credit enquiries, you must be a registered director or company secretary of the organisation. If you feel that the credit enquiries listed on your report are incorrect, you will need to first get a Business Credit File report.
To request this report, please enter your details at MyCreditFile.com.au.
Once you have this information, you can then contact us to discuss or submit a correction request if you believe it is in error.
Please refer to our Privacy Policy for more information.
If you believe there is something incorrect on your organisation’s credit file, you will be required to provide specific details of the entries you are disputing, such as the date the entry was listed on your credit file, account/reference numbers and amounts. Please ensure you have the details of all dispute entries before proceeding with the submission of a correction request. If you do not have a current copy of your organisations credit report or the specific details of the disputed entries, you may not able to complete the correction request form.
Once you have all of that information, you can submit your correction request here.
Any person or organisation (the complainant) who is dissatisfied with a product or service provided by Equifax for any reason has the right to make a complaint to us. We will endeavour to align our procedures with the relevant legal requirements and best practice as soon as possible.
How and where to complain
You can let us know about your complaint and how you've been impacted by using any of the contact details below.
What happens next?
Once a complaint has been received, you will be sent a written acknowledgment within 7 days of its receipt in addition to an outline of how we will deal with it. Equifax endeavours to resolve all complaints within 30 days of receiving it; however this will not always be possible. Consequently, if we foresee our investigation exceeding 30 days, we will inform you and seek your written approval for an extension; providing you with an indication of when to expect the investigation to be concluded as well.
What information is required when making a complaint?
When making a complaint, please provide the following information:
Your rights during the complaint process
You have the right to enquire as to the status of your complaint and you can do so by contacting us on the details provided above.
How to take your formal complaint further
If you're not satisfied with the outcome we propose, or if you believe you have not received a fair hearing, let us know and if we think it's appropriate, we'll undertake a further review of your complaint.
If you are not satisfied with our final response, you may contact the external dispute resolution scheme of which EAISS is a member, Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).
You may also make a complaint to Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
How to contact the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA)
Online: www.afca.org.au
Email: info@afca.org.au
Phone: 1800 931 678
Mail: Australian Financial Complaints Authority, GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001
How to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
If you wish to lodge a complaint with the OAIC, you may do so via an online complaint form, or by mail, fax or email using the contact details below:
Online: www.oaic.gov.au
Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au
Fax: 1300 363 992
Mail: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
