Question 1

Can I do a free company credit check?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with a Capitalise for Business account, you can run free credit checks. This gives you a basic overview of the companies risk profile. To access a full credit report, including a company's business credit score and credit limit, simply upgrade to one of our paid plans. Our plans are monthly and you can cancel at any time.

Question 2

How much does it cost to check company credit scores?

Accepted Answer

To check a company's full credit profile, including their credit score, simply use a Capitalise for Business paid plan, starting at just £19.95 per month.

Question 3

What information is needed to do a company credit check?

Accepted Answer

All you need is the company’s name or registration number. Simply log into your Capitalise account , enter the details, and you’ll be able to view the full credit report for that company.

Question 4

What is included in a company credit check report?

Accepted Answer

When you credit check a company, you can access key financial information, including: the company’s credit score and how it compares to similar businesses; the maximum credit limit they’re eligible for; any legal notices or actions taken against the business; their payment performance, such as invoice payment consistency; risk factors, like a recent drop in their credit score.

Question 5

Will I need permission to credit check a company?

Accepted Answer

No, you don’t need permission to credit check another company. Credit checks through Capitalise for Business are anonymous and leave no trace. We partner with Experian to access credit data on your behalf. This means that the rating of the company you check won’t be affected and your business won’t be linked to the credit check.

Question 6

What to do if a company credit check reveals a poor score?

Accepted Answer

If a company credit check reveals a poor score, it’s a signal to proceed with caution. In some cases, you may decide not to trade with that customer or partner, particularly if there are serious warning signs, such as a Gazette notice which indicates that the business may be closing down. If you choose to continue working with them, you can reduce your risk by tightening payment terms. This might include requesting upfront payment, shortening payment windows, or lowering credit limits. In some cases, switching to a proforma basis can help until the business demonstrates consistent payment behaviour.

Question 7

How to use credit check data to set payment terms?

Accepted Answer

Credit check data helps you tailor payment terms to match a customer’s risk profile. Companies with a high business credit score are generally lower risk, so you may feel confident offering standard terms (e.g. 30 days) and higher credit limits. For businesses with a low credit score, the risk is higher, so you can reduce exposure by shortening payment terms, lowering credit limits, or requiring partial or full upfront payment. Suggested credit limits and payment history within the report can also serve as a benchmark, helping you apply consistent, data-driven credit control across your customer base.

Question 8

How to apply credit limits from a credit report?

Accepted Answer

Suggested credit limits in a report provide a useful guideline, showing the recommended amount a credit bureau advises you to extend to a customer at any one time. If you go beyond this level, it may indicate a need for closer credit control and monitoring. When deciding how much credit to offer, this figure can act as a helpful benchmark. However, it shouldn’t be followed blindly. You should also consider your own risk tolerance, the size of the relationship, and the customer’s payment history with your business. Many companies choose to set internal limits below the suggested amount for added protection.

Question 9

What are the types of business credit reports?

Accepted Answer

Business credit reports range from basic summaries to more detailed, comprehensive reports. Basic reports, which we offer for free at Capitalise, include high level company information, such as a company's basic credit rating. Our paid plans unlock full reports, giving you a deeper view of a company’s financial health and risk profile. This includes the company’s full credit score and how it compares to similar businesses, the maximum credit limit they’re eligible for, any legal notices or actions taken against the business, their payment performance, and key risk indicators such as recent changes in their credit score.

Question 10

What are the advantages of company credit reports?

Accepted Answer

An advantage of company credit reports is that they help you make more informed decisions when working with other businesses by giving you clear visibility into their financial reliability. This allows you to assess risk before extending credit, reducing the likelihood of late payments or bad debt. They also strengthen your credit control processes by helping you set appropriate credit limits and payment terms based on real data. With ongoing monitoring and alerts, you can stay informed about changes in a company’s financial position and respond quickly if risk increases, helping to protect your cash flow.

Question 11

What are the major business credit bureaus?

Accepted Answer

Business credit bureaus collect and analyse financial data to generate credit reports and scores. The most widely used include Experian, Dun & Bradstreet, and Equifax. Each bureau uses its own data sources and scoring models, which means credit scores and reports can vary depending on the provider.

Question 12

What are the key factors in a business credit report?

Accepted Answer

Business credit reports are based on several core factors that indicate a company’s financial reliability. Payment history is one of the most important, as it shows whether a business pays its invoices on time. Credit utilisation is also considered, reflecting how much of its available credit a business is using. Public records, such as County Court Judgements (CCJs), insolvencies, or other legal notices, also play a significant role. Together, these factors provide an overall picture of risk, helping you assess how likely a business is to meet its financial obligations.

Question 13

How many UK businesses have a poor credit score?

Accepted Answer

According to Capitalise's platform data, 52% of UK businesses across all company sizes carry an E or F credit score, the two highest-risk bands on Experian's scale. This figure is based on 123,083 companies signed up to the Capitalise platform with credit data available as of January 2026. That means more than half of the businesses you could be trading with today sit in the high risk category. A company credit check lets you identify which of your customers, suppliers, and partners fall into that group, before a late payment or bad debt affects your cash flow.

Provider	Monthly cost	What you see about your own business	Can you check other companies?	Cost per company check	Monitoring & alerts	Contract
Capitalise	From £19.95/mo	Full Experian score, CAIS & CATO data, risk factors, 12-month payment history from banks, lenders and suppliers	Yes, Full financial data & payment history available. Included on Pro and Enterprise subscriptions, with Credit Bundles for additional checks	From £0.25/check	Real time alerts on all plans	Rolling monthly, no contract
Experian My Business Profile	From £24.99/mo + VAT	Full Experian score, CAIS data, risk factors, score alerts	No, own score only	Not available on this product	Score change alerts	Monthly billing, free to cancel any time
Experian Business Express	From £24.99/mo + VAT	Not included, product is for checking other businesses only	Yes, full financial data & payment history available	£24.99 per single report; from £1.50/report on a Pro annual plan	Monitoring alerts available on Pro annual contract	Annual contracts, 1 year, 2 year and 3 year billing available
Creditsafe	Quote based	Credit score, suggested credit limit, financial performance and risk factors	Yes	Subscription pricing available via a quote only	Company monitoring available	Quote based, typically annual contract
Dun & Bradstreet	From £245/year	Free: overall business risk rating only. Paid tiers add credit recommendation, failure score, D&B Rating, delinquency score, and PAYDEX® score	Yes, only on a Credit Insights Plus subscription	Not publicly listed	Available	Annual
iwoca Credit Compass	Free	Free Equifax score, credit history, financial status, Companies House assessment	No	Not available	Monthly updates only	No contract

Monthly plan	What you get
Business Free	View your basic business credit score
Start up plan £19.95/mo	View your full business credit score Understand all the risk factors impacting it See your 12 month payment performance reported by banks, lenders and suppliers View your CAIS and CATO data reported by banks and lenders showing individual accounts and balances Receive alerts when your risk profile changes Access to exclusive online resources Rolling monthly, cancellable at any time
Pro plan £24.95/mo	View your full business credit score Understand all the risk factors impacting it See your 12 month payment performance reported by banks, lenders and suppliers View your CAIS and CATO data reported by banks and lenders showing individual accounts and balances Receive alerts when your risk profile changes Access to exclusive online resources Credit check and monitor in real-time up to 10 companies, protecting your business from risk Rolling monthly, cancellable at any time
Enterprise plan £59.95/mo	View your full business credit score Understand all the risk factors impacting it See your 12 month payment performance reported by banks, lenders and suppliers View your CAIS and CATO data reported by banks and lenders showing individual accounts and balances Receive alerts when your risk profile changes Access to exclusive online resources Credit check and monitor in real-time up to 100 companies, protecting your business from risk Rolling monthly, cancellable at any time

Monthly plan	Price	£/ additional check
Credit Bundle 10	£3.50	£0.35
Credit Bundle 25	£7.50	£0.30
Credit Bundle 50	£14.00	£0.28
Credit Bundle 100	£25.00	£0.25

Credit check any UK limited company

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Make informed decisions

Stay ahead with real time alerts to changes

Protect your business

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Why businesses choose Capitalise for company credit checks?

View our plans and pricing

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