A supplier shortens your payment terms, a leasing company turns you down, a business partner walks away without explanation. Behind such decisions there is often a poor rating at Creditreform. If you want to know what is stored about your company, you need the self-disclosure report (Eigenauskunft). This article explains how to obtain it and which entries you should check.
Many managing directors and business owners only learn second-hand that their creditworthiness is a problem. Credit insurers, banks and suppliers query credit reference agencies automatically and react to the credit rating index without explaining the background. You can only challenge an incorrect or outdated entry if you know about it. The first step is therefore always the same: request your own report and read it line by line.
- The self-disclosure report shows more than the company report that your business partners retrieve – in particular the debt collection history and details of the credit rating index.
- You can obtain it online via meine.creditreform.de or in writing from the regional Creditreform office.
- The first copy is free of charge; Creditreform must generally respond within one month.
- Above all, check settled collection cases, retention periods, entries in the register of debtors, the industry classification and master and balance sheet data.
How does the self-disclosure report differ from the company report?
The self-disclosure report is your own view of your data; the company report is what third parties see about you. When a supplier or bank queries your company at Creditreform, it receives a business report with master data, financial information, payment behaviour and the credit rating index (Bonitätsindex). The company report does not explain how this rating was arrived at.
The self-disclosure report, by contrast, also shows the debt collection history – the claims that Creditreform has collected or is collecting – and further details on the credit rating index. This is exactly the information you need to understand why your index is worse than expected. A single collection case concerning a small invoice paid long ago can be enough to noticeably worsen your rating.
How do you request your Creditreform self-disclosure report?
The quickest route is online via meine.creditreform.de, where you can request the self-disclosure report for your company.
Alternatively, submit a written request to the regional Creditreform office by email or post. Base your request on the right of access under Art. 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and expressly ask for complete information about all data stored on your company and the persons acting for it, the source of the data, the recipients to whom information has been disclosed and the retention period. State your company name, address and, if known, your Creditreform number (Crefonummer) so that the office can identify you clearly.
The first copy is free of charge (Art. 15(3) GDPR). Creditreform must generally respond within one month (Art. 12(3) GDPR). This period may be extended by two further months where necessary because of the complexity or number of requests; in that case, Creditreform must inform you within the first month and give reasons.
On the page of the LHR Crefo-Check you will find, in the section “Noch keine Eigenauskunft? So bekommen Sie sie” (No self-disclosure report yet? Here is how to get it), a request template to copy. If you wish, the check will also remind you by email to upload the report once you have received it.
Does the right of access also apply to a GmbH?
The GDPR directly protects only natural persons, so for companies the legal form matters. Under Art. 4(1) GDPR, personal data is information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.
- Sole traders and registered merchants (e. K.): The data on the business is at the same time data about you as a person. The right of access under Art. 15 GDPR applies in full.
- GmbH, UG, AG and other legal entities: The company itself is not a data subject within the meaning of the GDPR. However, the personal data of managing directors and shareholders that Creditreform stores in connection with the company is protected.
In practice, this distinction is less of an obstacle than it sounds: Creditreform provides companies with a self-disclosure report on request. For a GmbH, it is advisable to submit the request both for the company and for its managing directors and shareholders. This way you also see which information about the persons acting for the company is linked to it.
What should you check in the self-disclosure report?
Check every entry to see whether it is correct, complete and still up to date. In our experience, the following points deserve a close look:
Settled collection cases and retention periods. A claim that has been paid is not deleted automatically. The code of conduct of the association “Die Wirtschaftsauskunfteien e. V.”, whose members include Creditreform, in the version approved by the Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information with effect from 1 January 2025, provides as a basic rule that settled claims are stored for three years. The period is reduced to 18 months if no further negative data has been reported, there is no information from the register of debtors or from insolvency proceedings and the claim was settled within 100 days of being reported. Note the date of reporting and the date of payment for each case.
Entries in the register of debtors. Under Section 882e of the German Code of Civil Procedure (Zivilprozessordnung, ZPO), entries in the register of debtors (Schuldnerverzeichnis) are generally deleted three years after the order for entry, and under certain conditions earlier. Check whether Creditreform still lists an entry that has already been deleted. Look not only at the company but also at entries concerning managing directors and shareholders, as these can also affect the company’s rating.
Industry classification. Creditreform assigns every company to an industry. An incorrect classification can worsen the credit rating index because industry-specific risks feed into the assessment. If your actual main activity does not match the industry on file, you should request a correction.
Master and balance sheet data. Outdated information on address, management, number of employees, turnover or capital distorts the picture. Often only an old set of annual accounts is on file although the figures have improved since. You can provide Creditreform with current balance sheets yourself.
Credit rating index. The index ranges from 100 to 600; the lower the value, the better the creditworthiness. Compare the value with the entries in the report: if a poor index cannot be explained by negative entries or weak financial data, there is good reason to believe that an entry is incorrect or given too much weight.
From 20 November 2026, a new Section 37a of the German Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz, BDSG) will additionally apply to scores relating to natural persons. It was introduced by the Act implementing the Consumer Credit Directive of 12 May 2026 (Federal Law Gazette 2026 I No. 139). It obliges controllers, at the request of the data subject, to disclose which data and criteria were used for a probability value and how they were weighted. For sole traders, this may become an important supplement to the self-disclosure report.
Does Creditreform have to delete an entry immediately after payment?
No. In its judgment of 18 December 2025 – I ZR 97/25, the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) held that data on payment defaults reported by contractual partners does not automatically have to be deleted immediately after the claim has been settled. Storage depends on a balancing of interests under Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, weighing the legitimate interests of the agency and its customers against the interests of the data subject in each individual case.
The case concerned a different credit reference agency. However, the BGH framed its principles generally for credit reference agencies, so they are likely to apply to Creditreform as well. In its assessment, the court referred to the review periods of the code of conduct, under which data subjects may assert special circumstances justifying a shorter retention period. The BGH set aside the appeal judgment and referred the case back; the court of appeal must now decide again, in particular on the claim for damages under Art. 82 GDPR.
For you, this means that a paid claim does not disappear from the report by itself. It is worth presenting the circumstances, however – such as a small amount, prompt payment once you became aware of the claim, a disputed claim or an otherwise spotless payment history. Equally important is the question of whether an entry may still feed into the credit rating index and be passed on to third parties at all.
What does this mean for managing directors and business owners?
If credit lines are cancelled, leasing applications rejected or payment terms shortened, you should not guess but check. Our suggested approach:
- Request the self-disclosure report: online via meine.creditreform.de or in writing under Art. 15 GDPR; for a GmbH, also for the managing directors.
- Collect evidence: invoices, proof of payment, correspondence with creditors and collection agencies, current annual accounts.
- Check the entries: recalculate retention periods, compare entries in the register of debtors, check the industry and master data.
- Request a correction: rectification under Art. 16 GDPR, erasure under Art. 17 GDPR or objection under Art. 21 GDPR, each with reasons and a deadline.
- Have recipients informed: if an entry is corrected, Creditreform should notify the recipients of earlier reports (Art. 19 GDPR).
Once you have your self-disclosure report, you can upload it to the free LHR Crefo-Check. The check shows you which entries may be open to challenge and which questions need to be clarified for this. The check is currently available in German.
From LHR’s practice
A business owner had promptly paid an invoice of EUR 89.67 once he became aware of it; nevertheless, a collection case significantly worsened his score. Following our out-of-court demand and a clarifying phone call, Creditreform restored the score to 260 points. The entry remained stored within the standard period but no longer fed into the rating and was no longer passed on to third parties – it was only visible in the self-disclosure report. Read the case (in German)
Frequently asked questions about the Creditreform self-disclosure report
How much does the Creditreform self-disclosure report cost?+
How long does it take to receive the report?+
Isn’t the company report my business partner retrieved enough?+
Can a GmbH also request a self-disclosure report?+
Is a paid collection case deleted automatically?+
Do you have your self-disclosure report?
Upload it to the free LHR Crefo-Check and see which entries may be open to challenge. No report yet? The page offers a request template to copy and an email reminder. For individual advice, contact us directly – we usually provide an initial assessment within 24 hours.
Further information
- Credit limit cancelled, leasing rejected: is Creditreform to blame? (in German)
- The Creditreform credit rating index explained: the scale from 100 to 600 (in German)
- Wrong industry at Creditreform: how the WZ code affects your rating (in German)
- Early deletion of an entry in the register of debtors under Section 882e(3) ZPO (in German)
- LHR fields of activity
- LHR successes
Related posts
