What Is a Default on Your Credit File? UK Guide (2026)

One red word on your credit report can follow you for six years: default.

You went looking because a phone contract or a card application was refused, and there it sits. No memory of a warning, no idea what date it carries. Here is what a default on your credit file actually is, and what does and doesn’t change it.

The free AI Credit Score Roadmap turns your file into a month-by-month plan, and our complete guide to paying off debt covers what to tackle first.

How a default gets onto your file

Experian describes a default as what happens when a lender closes your account because you’ve missed payments. It can apply to bank, mobile phone or utility accounts, whatever the amount owed (Experian). There is no fixed number of missed payments. Checkmyfile says a default usually follows several consecutive missed monthly repayments, and Experian says it is usually registered after missed payments over roughly three to six months, depending on the lender.

1. Missed payments. Reminder letters come first, and each missed payment can already show on your file.
2. Default notice. A formal letter. For regulated credit it must give at least 14 days to pay, state the amount owed and warn that a default may be registered.
3. Default registered. If the arrears aren’t cleared in time, the lender can record it with the credit reference agencies.
4. Six-year clock. The entry stays for six years from the date of default, paid or not.

You can spot a default notice because, Checkmyfile says, it states it was served under section 87(1) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and usually comes with an FCA information sheet (Checkmyfile). Pay the full amount inside the 14 days and the lender shouldn’t register the default. If you can’t, ask for a repayment plan, though they don’t have to agree.

Behind on payments and weighing up what happens if you stop altogether? Read what happens if you stop paying a debt in the UK before you decide.

Six years, counted properly

Both Experian and ClearScore are clear that the six years run from the default date, not from the day you pay (Experian, ClearScore). Paying late doesn’t restart the clock, and it doesn’t shorten it either. A quick illustration: a default registered on September 1 2026 would drop off your file around September 1 2032.

Illustrative dates only. Your own default date is on your report. Check it with all agencies.

That date is also later than your first missed payment, because the default is only recorded after the notice period has run. If you are counting down, count from the date on the entry.

What it does to your chances

Neither Experian nor ClearScore gives a single points figure, because it varies by agency and your wider history. ClearScore says the impact is heaviest in the first year, eases around years three to four, and ends when the default drops off (ClearScore). Experian says the negative effect lessens as it ages.

In practice, expect higher interest rates, smaller limits and tougher checks for a while. ClearScore says some mainstream lenders reject recent defaults outright, and some will look again once a default is two or three years old. Bad-credit products exist, but Experian warns they tend to carry high rates and low limits.

Meanwhile, the sooner you clear the debt the better the entry looks. If interest is making that harder, run your numbers through the minimum payment trap calculator to see what the balance is costing you.

Paying it, correcting it, or waiting

• Pay it. The entry turns to satisfied. Experian also suggests asking for a note of explanation on your report (Experian).
• Challenge it. Only worth doing if there is an error, an improper notice or a lender failure. ClearScore says to dispute through Experian, Equifax or TransUnion with evidence such as proof of payment or that the debt isn’t yours, and that an investigation typically takes 28 to 30 days.
• Wait it out. Build a clean record on everything else: on-time payments, fewer applications, and an up-to-date electoral roll entry.

For the details of removal, we have a separate guide: how to remove a default from your credit file. To see all your files, use how to check your credit score for free.

What a default notice looks like, and the 14 days that matter

A proper default notice is headed “Default notice served under section 87(1) Consumer Credit Act 1974” and usually carries a bold line telling you to read it carefully. It should say how much you owe and the deadline, and the lender must give you at least 14 days to put things right. It will normally include an FCA information sheet listing free debt-help charities. If you pay the full amount, or agree a payment plan, inside those 14 days, the default may not be added to your credit file at all. If you cannot pay in full, ring the lender straight away and ask for a plan; they do not have to agree, but it costs nothing to ask. There is no set number of missed payments before a notice is sent, so lenders differ.

The questions behind the question

I never got a default notice. Does that mean the default is wrong?

It might. Checkmyfile says that if your agreement is covered by the Consumer Credit Act, the lender has to give you at least 14 days to catch up before registering a default, and a lender that skipped the notice may have a procedural failure to challenge (Checkmyfile, ClearScore). Check the address your lender held, then raise it with the lender and the credit reference agency.

I paid it off. Why is it still there?

Because paying changes the label, not the length. Experian says a default stays for six years from the date of default whether or not you repay, and once you clear it the entry is marked satisfied (Experian). ClearScore adds that many lenders view a satisfied default more favourably.

Will a default stop me getting a mortgage?

Not forever, but it makes things harder. Experian says it is a particular problem for mortgages. ClearScore says some mainstream lenders refuse recent defaults, while others may consider an application once the default is two or three years old, and you can expect a bigger deposit or tougher affordability checks (ClearScore). For the score side, see the credit score needed for a mortgage in the UK.

My debt was sold to a debt collector. Do I now have two defaults?

You shouldn’t. Experian says the report has to show clearly that the debt was sold so it doesn’t appear as a second default, and the amount and date stay the same (Experian). If you see a duplicate, dispute it. Collectors must also follow rules on how they contact you, so read what debt collectors can and cannot do.

Can my employer see my default?

Experian says most employers can’t see defaults. A lender or agency may run a full check, but only with your permission (Experian).

The debt is really old. Is it still collectable?

A default falling off your file is about what lenders can see, not whether the debt still exists. How long a debt can be chased is a separate question, and the statute-barred debt checker helps you work out where you stand.

What should I do the day a default notice arrives?

Read it, note the amount and the deadline, and contact the lender before the 14 days are up. If you can pay in full or agree a plan, the default may be avoided. If you cannot, call a free charity such as StepChange.

More on this

• How to Check Your Credit Score for Free in the UK (2026 Guide)
• How to Remove a Default From Your Credit File UK (2026)
• What Is a Good Credit Score in the UK? 2026 Guide
• What Credit Score Do You Need for a Mortgage in the UK?

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