What Is a Good Credit Score in Australia? Score Ranges Explained

Your credit score is a number that summarises the information sitting on your credit report at a point in time. Lenders use it as a shortcut, but it is not the whole story — and there is no single "official" Australian credit score.

The credit reporting bodies in Australia

Australia now has two consumer credit reporting bodies:

• Equifax
• Experian — which acquired illion in September 2024, bringing illion's Australian and New Zealand credit bureau operations into Experian

If you have read older articles referring to "the three bureaus", that is why you now see two. Some documents and comparison sites still mention illion, so its former range is included below for reference.

Credit score ranges

Reporting body	Score range	Excellent	Very good	Good	Average / fair	Below average
Equifax	0–1,200	853–1,200	735–852	661–734	460–660	0–459
Experian	0–1,000	800–1,000	700–799	625–699	550–624	0–549
illion (former range, now part of Experian)	0–1,000	800–1,000	700–799	500–699	300–499	0–299

Band labels and cut-offs are set by each provider and can be adjusted over time, so always read the bands shown on the report you are looking at.

Why your scores are different

Two scores for the same person can look nothing alike, and that is normal:

• Different data. Not every credit provider reports to every reporting body, so one file may show an account or an enquiry the other does not.
• Different scales. A 700 out of 1,200 is not the same as 700 out of 1,000.
• Different models. Each body weighs the same information differently.
• Different timing. Files update at different times, so one may already reflect a payment the other has not picked up.

A lender will also often run its own internal scorecard using your application details, not just the bureau score.

What actually moves your score

• Repayment history. Whether monthly payments on credit accounts were made on time. This is usually the biggest ongoing influence, and it stays on the file for two years.
• Defaults. A default can be listed where an overdue payment of $150 or more is at least 60 days late and the required notices have been given. Defaults generally stay for five years.
• Serious credit infringements. These can stay for seven years.
• Credit enquiries. Each application recorded on your file stays for five years. A cluster of applications in a short period tends to read poorly.
• Credit limits and account types. How much credit you hold, how long accounts have been open, and the mix of accounts.
• Court judgements and insolvency information.

What a score does not include

Your score does not include your income, savings, employment, or how much you spend day to day. It is built from credit reporting information only. That is also why a strong score is not a loan approval, and a weaker score is not an automatic decline — lenders look at the underlying report and your capacity to repay.

How to check yours for free

You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report from each reporting body. Our guide walks through it: how to get your free credit report in Australia.

Reading the report matters more than reading the number. The report shows which listing is holding the score down.

When a listing on the file is wrong

Credit reporting information has to be accurate, up to date, complete and not misleading. If a listing is incorrect — the wrong amount, the wrong dates, notices that were never properly given, or an account that was never yours — you can dispute it directly with the credit provider or the reporting body, free of charge, and they must investigate.

There are also free services that can help: a financial counsellor through the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007, and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) if you are not satisfied with the response.

If you would rather have someone experienced review the file with you, that is what we do. We can only pursue listings where there are proper grounds — accurate listings stay on the file. Any potential fees are set out in writing before any fee-bearing work begins and are payable only upon an agreed successful outcome.

For more detail on the whole process, read our guide to credit repair in Australia, or see how to fix your credit file and how long each listing stays.

---

This article is general information only and does not take your personal circumstances into account. A OK Credit Repair | ABN 32 672 842 318. Authorised Credit Representative CRN 580699 of Edward Griffith t/a Debt Management Services, Australian Credit Licence 533933.