CIBIL, Experian, CRIF and Equifax: Why Your Scores Differ

If you have ever checked your credit score on two apps and got two different numbers, nothing is broken. India has four RBI-licensed credit information companies, and each builds its own score from the data lenders send it. Understanding who they are helps you read your score, fix errors, and apply for cards with fewer surprises.

The four bureaus

Bureau	Also known as	Score range
TransUnion CIBIL	CIBIL	300 to 900
Experian	Experian India	300 to 900
CRIF High Mark	CRIF	300 to 900
Equifax	Equifax India	300 to 900

All four use a broadly similar range, though the exact scoring models differ and are not public. For a refresher on what pushes a score up or down, start with CIBIL score basics and credit score factors beyond credit cards.

Why your scores are different

• Different models. Each bureau weighs payment history, utilisation, credit mix and enquiries in its own way.
• Different data. Lenders are required to report to the bureaus, but updates may reach one company before the others. Under RBI rules, lenders and bureaus now update information much more frequently than they used to, so gaps are shorter than they were.
• Different timing. A score is a snapshot. If you pulled one today and another last week, a card payment in between could change it.
• Different products. Some apps show a "score" that is a simulated or educational version rather than the number a bank will pull.

A few points of difference are normal. A gap of 50 points or more, or a loan or card that appears on one report and not another, is worth investigating.

Which one will your bank look at?

You cannot choose. Banks decide, and many use one primary bureau and sometimes a second. The practical advice is to keep all four healthy by doing the basics: pay on time, keep utilisation low (utilisation ratio explained), and avoid many applications in a short period. Soft pull vs hard pull explains why repeated applications hurt.

Get your free report

Under RBI rules, every individual is entitled to one free full credit report each calendar year from each of the four bureaus. You do not need to pay a subscription for that. Request it from each bureau's official website, and note:

• Use only the official sites or apps, and be cautious of "free score" pages that harvest data.
• Free reports are usually the full report. Paid products often add alerts and monitoring, which you may not need.
• Space the four requests across the year if you want a check every quarter.

Our step-by-step free CIBIL check guide covers the process.

What to look for in the report

1. Accounts you do not recognise. These could signal identity theft or a data mix-up.
2. Wrong payment status. A card shown as overdue when you paid on time.
3. Closed accounts still shown as open, or the reverse.
4. Incorrect personal details, such as PAN, address or date of birth.
5. Enquiry list. Make sure each hard enquiry matches an application you made.

How to fix an error

Raise a dispute with the bureau through its website. The bureau contacts the lender, which must verify and correct the record, and RBI sets time limits for this process and for compensation when the delay is the lender's fault. Keep screenshots and your payment proofs. If the lender does not respond, the RBI ombudsman complaint process is the next step.

The bottom line

Four bureaus mean four slightly different pictures of the same person. Do not obsess over a few points of gap. Check your free report from each bureau every year, fix errors early, and keep the basics clean. If your last application was refused, what to do after a rejection is a useful next read.