SCHUFA is viewed critically by many people because they don't know exactly what we do and how we work. We want to change that. That is why we are sharing first-hand information with you here.

SCHUFA is an authority

SCHUFA is not a public authority and never has been. It has been managed under private law since its foundation in 1927 and has been a public limited company since 2000, although its shares are not traded on the stock exchange. Its shareholders include cooperative banks, savings banks and companies from the financial and retail sectors.

SCHUFA has no information about me because I have always paid everything on time

Almost every private individual in Germany is "in the SCHUFA". This is not a bad thing at all. It just means that we have data about you. We only have positive information on over 90 percent of all the people stored with us - and that can make your life easier: When buying on account, financing a car or a new kitchen, we help you to fulfill your wish quickly and easily. Positive information includes, for example, information on current or repaid loans and contractual behavior in credit transactions.

SCHUFA keeps the score formula secret

Parts of the score calculation must always remain a business secret so that the result is meaningful. After all, if the calculation model were completely open, the score could be manipulated and would no longer have any value.

Good to know: The formula for calculating the score is known to the responsible data protection authority and is checked by it and independent scientists. In addition, all our score calculations are subject to the GDPR, the European General Data Protection Regulation.

If you order a SCHUFA report, the score deteriorates

No. No matter what information you request from SCHUFA or what product you order from us: This has no influence whatsoever on your score.

SCHUFA uses information from social networks

That is wrong. We do not use any data from social networks.

SCHUFA uses information on the residential area when calculating scores

By default, we do NOT use any data on your residential area for our scoring. Only in a few exceptional cases - namely if we do not have any relevant information about the person in question - do we use address data at all. And only in the area of online retail. This applies to just 0.3 percent of all calculations.

You need a lawyer to have your SCHUFA data corrected

You do not need a lawyer if an entry does not correspond to the facts. If you have any questions or believe that something is wrong with your personal data stored by SCHUFA, simply notify our private customer service. We will then clarify the matter in direct consultation with the contractual partner who provided us with the information. If the information stored is demonstrably incorrect, it will be corrected or deleted as quickly as possible.

First of all: almost every German is "in the SCHUFA" - this is not critical at all. It just means that data is available. Over 90% of all people "in SCHUFA" only have positive entries.

If you do not pay bills, this may affect your score at some point, but this will not happen in the short term. We only receive notification of a payment default if two reminders have been sent and the first reminder was sent at least four weeks ago at the time of the notification to SCHUFA. Having paid an invoice late once or having received a reminder does not play a role in the score. However, if a justified claim has not been settled, the entry remains for three years after settlement.

SCHUFA knows my assets and my income

We do not know your marital status, religious denomination or income. However, the following information is stored:

  • Names
  • Date and place of birth
  • Address
  • Any other addresses, including previous addresses
  • Your personal SCHUFA basic score

We receive information from our contractual partner companies about

  • Bank accounts
  • Credit cards
  • Leasing contracts
  • Mail order accounts
  • Installment payment transactions
  • Loans and guarantees

In addition, there is any information on non-contractual behavior (e.g. a loan terminated by a bank, payment defaults and information from public directories).

We have no information on:

  • Assets and income
  • Marketing data (purchasing behavior or similar)
  • Attitudes and memberships (e.g. religious, political, etc.)
  • Marital status
  • Nationality