What Information Is Not Included in a Credit Report?

A credit report serves as a detailed record of an individual’s financial history, primarily focusing on how credit has been managed over time. Lenders rely on this information to assess creditworthiness, helping them determine the likelihood of timely bill payments and the terms for extending credit. While comprehensive for its intended purpose, a credit report is not an all-encompassing financial or personal document. Certain types of information are deliberately excluded, ensuring privacy, preventing discrimination, or simply because they are not relevant to credit risk assessment.

Personal and Demographic Data Not Included

Credit reports do not contain sensitive personal and demographic details that are irrelevant to financial reliability or legally protected to prevent discrimination. This excluded information includes an individual’s race, religion, national origin, gender, and marital status. Political affiliations and medical history are also not found on these reports, with the latter being protected under acts like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to safeguard privacy.

Specific employment details, such as exact salary amounts, are not typically part of a credit report, although current or past employers might be listed for identity verification. Educational background and criminal records are also excluded. These exclusions underscore the focus of credit reports on repayment behavior rather than broader personal characteristics or circumstances.

Financial Information Not Directly Related to Credit

While a credit report provides extensive financial information concerning debt, it does not include all aspects of an individual’s financial standing. Current bank account balances, whether checking or savings, are not reported to credit bureaus. Similarly, details of investment portfolios, such as holdings in stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, are not part of a credit report.

Exact income figures are also excluded, as creditors obtain this information directly from applicants during the loan application process through documents like pay stubs or W2 forms. Assets like real estate equity or vehicle ownership are generally not listed unless they are tied to a specific loan that has become delinquent, such as a mortgage foreclosure or vehicle repossession. This distinction ensures the report remains focused on credit accounts and repayment patterns rather than a comprehensive balance sheet.

Data That Ages Off Credit Reports

Credit reports are dynamic documents, and certain information is not permanently recorded; it “ages off” after specific timeframes. This process allows individuals to recover from past financial difficulties and ensures the report remains relevant to current credit risk. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) dictates these retention periods.

Most negative information, such as late payments, accounts sent to collections, or charge-offs, typically remains on a credit report for seven years from the date of the original delinquency. Bankruptcies have different retention periods; a Chapter 7 or 11 bankruptcy can stay on a report for up to 10 years from the filing date, while a Chapter 13 bankruptcy generally remains for seven years. Foreclosures also age off after seven years from the original delinquency date. Public records like paid tax liens are now removed after seven years from the payment date. Civil judgments are no longer included on credit reports by major bureaus.

Variably Reported Information

Some financial information may or may not appear on a credit report, depending on the reporting practices of the creditor or specific consumer choices. Rent payments are not automatically reported by all landlords to major credit bureaus. While some services allow for positive rent payment history to be reported, this is not a universal practice.

Utility bills for services like electricity, gas, water, internet, and phone are generally not reported to credit bureaus unless the account goes into collections. Payday loans and other short-term loans may or may not be reported, as not all lenders in this sector submit payment history to the major credit bureaus. Lastly, a distinction exists between “hard inquiries,” which occur when applying for new credit and can impact credit scores, and “soft inquiries,” such as checking your own credit report or pre-approved offers, which do not affect scores.