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Scoring at SCHUFA Explaining the score procedure

Creditworth & Scoring
People as Icons

Scoring explained - go the Score Simulator here

The seven most important score factors – simulated in seven steps. That’s the Score Simulator.

What is scoring and why is it useful?

Everything at a glance

Was geschieht
mit den Daten?

Was macht die SCHUFA mit den Daten?

  • Die SCHUFA errechnet die Wahrscheinlichkeiten, ob jemand seinen Zahlungsverpflichtungen künftig nachkommt.
  • Die Methoden werden stets optimiert und von Universitäten und unabhängigen Fachinstituten überprüft.
  • Der Hessische Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit (HBDI) kennt die verwendeten Verfahren und Datenkategorien.

Welche Daten
werden
gespeichert?

Die SCHUFA verwendet Daten im Scoring zu:

  • Bank- und Girokonten
  • Kreditkarten
  • Leasingverträge
  • Versandhandelskonten
  • Ratenzahlungsgeschäfte
  • Kredite und Bürgschaften
  • Zahlungsausfälle

Die SCHUFA hat keine Informationen zu:

  • Familienstand
  • Religion
  • Nationalität
  • Informationen aus sozialen Netzwerken
  • Gehalt und Vermögen

Diese Informationen finden daher auch keine Berücksichtigung im Scoring.

Was sagt der
Score aus?

Scorewert Risiko eines Ausfalls
> 97,5% Sehr geringes Risiko
95% -97,5% Geringes bis überschaubares Risiko
90% - 95% Zufriedenstellendes bis erhöhtes Risiko
80% - 90% Deutlich erhöhtes bis hohes Risiko
50% - 80% Sehr hohes Risiko
< 50% Sehr kritisches Risiko
SCHUFA-Basisscore-Tabelle

Was beeinflusst
den Score?

Vertragsgemäßes Verhalten zum Beispiel bei

  • Girokonten
  • Kreditkarten
  • Leasingverträge
  • Kredite
  • Versandhandelskonten

Hinweise für nicht vertragsgemäßes Verhalten sind beispielsweise

  • Wegen Zahlungsrückständen gekündigte Kredite
  • Zahlungsausfälle
  • Eintrag in öffentlichen Schuldnerverzeichnissen
  • Kontomissbrauch

Was kann ich
für einen
guten Score tun?

  • Bestehende Verpflichtungen fristgemäß bedienen.
  • Übersehene Rechnungen oder Ratenzahlungen schnellstmöglich begleichen.
  • Kreditlinien einhalten.
  • Finanzielle Verpflichtungen in einem angemessenen Verhältnis zu Einkünften und Vermögen halten.
  • Regelmäßige Bestandsaufnahme: Was brauche ich wirklich? Eine Anhäufung von Girokonten und Kreditkarten kann den Score mitunter negativ beeinflussen.
  • SCHUFA-Daten im Blick behalten und auf Richtigkeit überprüfen

Scoring means drawing up forecasts for the future on the basis of experience from the past.

Credit scoring is all about the question of how probable it is that a person will meet their payments. This is very important information for companies or banks. It provides a data basis to help decide whether to provide credit or purchases on account. Thus reducing the risk of a default.

Without a credit assessment a financial default risk would have to be allocated across all consumers. Many products, services and credit would probably be more expensive – for all of us. Numerous transactions would take much longer. You might have to take out expensive extra credit default insurance for a loan – as is obligatory in some other countries. Convenient payment options such as “purchase on account” online would probably barely exist in the current form. Many online orders would take days to settle – this happens in seconds today.

Why do I need a SCHUFA-Score?

It’s best to show this using an example. You’re looking for a new TV, you find a good offer in the internet, enter your data in the order form and order on account. However, you won’t just get the TV automatically. Because in the vast majority of cases the provider will check your creditworthiness in advance – for example, with SCHUFA.

We then transmit your SCHUFA-Branchenscore to the company. For example, for banks or retail. This percentage will enable the company to assess how probable it is that you will also pay your invoice. The company will usually combine this figure with its own data as well. For example, are you already a customer there? If yes – have you always paid your invoices correctly so far? This principle works at many companies and also at banks or leasing providers.

Is scoring actually allowed?

Yes. With scoring, credit bureaux have to comply with a lot of legal requirements, including as regulated in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the German Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz, or BDSG).

Important: A person’s scores are only transmitted if the enquiring company has a legitimate interest. For example, this is the case if the intention is to conclude a contract.

In order to become a SCHUFA contractual partner, companies must meet numerous requirements – including those of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We will check these intensively before admission and connection to SCHUFA.

Scoring Procedure: How do score calculations work?

Generally, SCHUFA stores information about previous consumer payment behaviour and compiles a score figure from this.

In detail, for example, SCHUFA considers whether any credit applications have been made in the past and paid back contractually. Or whether an invoice for ordered goods was paid.

What applies here: The more relevant information that can be analysed, the more precise the score. And the more reliably actual creditworthiness will be depicted. This is also the reason why consumers who properly and correctly pay off credit can have higher scores than people who do not have any credit obligations at all – and about whom there is otherwise no data available.

Scoring explained with SCHUFA. What is creditworthiness scoring and how does it work?

Many people don’t know exactly how scoring works and the role scores play in our everyday lives. We’ll answer these and many more questions in our explanatory video.

Identification data

Important for clear identification:

  • First name and surname
  • Date of birth
  • Address / possible previous addresses

Score calculation data

Important for score calculations:

  • Current account
  • Credit card
  • Securities
  • Instalment loan
  • Mobile leasing / Hire purchase
  • Enquiries about current accounts, enquiries about credit cards, enquiries about securities
  • Enquiries about credit, enquiries about mobile leasing / hire purchase
  • Contract and credit terms

Info with negative effects

Attributes that have negative effects on the SCHUFA-Score:

There are different items of information that have negative effects on the SCHUFA-Score. These include:

  • Balance after maturity
  • Balance after court judgement/section title
  • Solemn declaration on a list of assets to be submitted to a court
  • Warrant of arrest to enforce a solemn declaration on a list of assets to be submitted to a court
  • Insolvency proceedings opened
  • Discharge of residual debt issued

Data that is not available

SCHUFA has no information about:

  • Marital status
  • Gender
  • Religion
  • Nationality
  • Salary or assets

Why doesn’t SCHUFA publish the score formula?

The score calculation always has to remain partially a business secret so the result is also meaningful. Because if the calculation model were completely open, the score could be manipulated and wouldn’t be worth anything.

Good to know: The competent data protection authority is aware of the formula to calculate the score and the formula is supervised by this authority and independent scientists.

  • Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft des Saarlandes (Subject area mathematics, engineering)
  • Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences; Frankfurt (Subject area computer science)

In addition, all our score calculations are subject to the regulations of the GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation.

What influences the score?

Payment problems, unmet payment obligations and outstanding, undisputed debts.

Important to know: Simple payment reminders or even a payment that is a few days late are not reported to SCHUFA.

There are concrete guidelines here. Before information about payment problems finds its way to SCHUFA, two reminders must have been sent. There must be at least four weeks between the first and the second reminder. The creditor must have informed the debtor about a possible report to a credit bureau. Information can only be reported to SCHUFA if the debt has not been contested and after the expiry of the last deadline. We will also store information if a debt has been established by a legally effective ruling or if there is a debt instrument for a debt. A debt instrument is mostly a confirmation – for example, by a court – that someone owes debts to a creditor and is obliged to pay these.

If a contractual relationship is terminated without notice due to payment arrears, this can also be reported – provided the creditor had informed the debtor that a credit bureau might be informed in advance.

A concrete credit enquiry will show that is intended to carry out a transaction.

For example, for credit cards, loans, current accounts or for products and services for which a provider makes a financial advance payment. These enquiries are stored for twelve months and are included in the score calculation.

The logic behind this is backed up by statistics. The more enquiries for credit made by one person, the higher their need for finance usually is. Consequently, the risk that they cannot meet their payment obligations in full rises.

However, it is imperative to differentiate between credit enquiries and conditions enquiries. With conditions enquiries you simply compare different financing offers on the market. These are not taken into account in scoring, of course.

What your credit history reveals.

Trust in future solvency is generally higher the more meaningful the credit history is. At least, if there have been payment problems in the past.

Taking out an instalment loan usually means an additional financial burden. This information is taken into account in the score calculation. It is particularly significant if several credit obligations are swiftly entered into one after another – perhaps even with different providers.

Summary: The contractual repayment of a loan is positive in every case. A longer positive credit history leads to a higher score. The score can even be better with ongoing credit than without any loan at all.

The crux of the matter in the calculation is that it always involves information about dealing with payment obligations entered into responsibly.

Use of credit: A large number of credit agreements will affect your score.

After all, viewed statistically the repayments required will mean you will have less money available. The volume of credit, the overall monthly burden and the terms also play a role. Over the course of time, meaning when it becomes clear that the agreements are being properly met, your score will improve again.

Both instalment loans, the number of credit cards and the amounts and terms of instalment loans taken out will be drawn on for the calculation. The higher the number, and thus the burden caused by agreements and enquiries with repayment obligations, the higher the statistical probability that payment problems will occur.

Get in touch With us

your contact persons

SCHUFA Privatkunden ServiceCenter

Postfach 103441
50474 Köln
meineschufa@schufa.de
Tel.: +49 611 9278-0
Mo. - Fr. 08 - 19 Uhr