How long does bad credit last in the UK?

Negative credit information does not last forever. UK credit reference agencies hold most negative data for six years from the date of the event. Understanding this timeline helps you know when to expect your credit file to improve and what options you have in the meantime.

How long different types of information last

• Late payment markers: six years from the date of the late payment
• Defaults: six years from the date of default (not the date you started missing payments)
• County Court Judgements (CCJs): six years from the date of the judgement. Paying within 30 days removes it from the register but it may remain on credit files.
• Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs): six years from the start of the IVA
• Bankruptcy: six years from the date of discharge (not the date of bankruptcy order)
• Debt Relief Orders (DROs): six years from the date the DRO was made
• Hard searches from credit applications: six months to one year depending on the agency

The clock starts at the date of the event

An important distinction: the six-year period starts from the date of the event (default, CCJ, missed payment), not from when you eventually paid the debt or settled the account. A default registered in 2020 drops off in 2026, regardless of when it was paid.

What a clean credit file means in practice

After six years, negative entries are removed automatically — you do not need to request this. Once removed, they no longer affect your score. However, some very specialist lenders may ask about past insolvency beyond six years in their own application forms (separate from the credit check), so it is worth being aware of your history.

Rebuilding while negative information is still on file

You do not have to wait six years to have access to credit again. Building positive history alongside existing negative information — consistent on-time payments, low utilisation, electoral roll registration — gradually improves your position. Lenders look at the overall picture, and recent positive behaviour is weighted more heavily than older negative entries.