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📊 Schufa and credit reporting agencies

How long payment defaults and discharge of residual debt are stored by credit reporting agencies.

Schufa credit reporting agency retention period deletion discharge of residual debt 100-day rule

In brief

Credit reporting agencies such as Schufa store data on payment defaults. Settled payment defaults are usually stored for three years after payment.

Under the new codes of conduct since 1 January 2025, the period can fall to 18 months if the claim was settled within 100 days and there is no other negative data. Schufa deletes a discharge-of-residual-debt entry six months after it is granted, since 28 March 2023.

Step by step

  1. Request your self-disclosureThis shows you which entries are stored.
  2. Settle claims quicklySettlement within 100 days can shorten the period to 18 months.
  3. Have incorrect entries correctedDemand correction of incorrect data.
  4. Use adviceIn disputes over deletion or the effect on credit and rental.

Deadlines

3 years
Standard retention period after a payment default is settled, under the codes of conduct, since 1 January 2025.BGH, Pressemitteilung zu I ZR 97/25 vom 18.12.2025
18 months
Shortened period if there is no other negative data, no public register data and settlement within 100 days.BGH, I ZR 97/25
6 months
Deletion of discharge-of-residual-debt entries at Schufa, six months after it is granted (since 28 March 2023); tied to the publication period under § 3 InsoBekV. Other credit reporting agencies mostly do the same; there is no legal obligation.SCHUFA-Newsroom; § 3 InsoBekV
Watch out – common mistakes
  • On 18 December 2025 the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled that reported data need not be deleted immediately after a claim is settled.
  • Other credit reporting agencies mostly handle the 6-month deletion the same way, but there is no legal obligation; periods may differ.
  • Entries can make credit and tenancy agreements harder to get.
  • BGH 18.12.2025 (I ZR 97/25, Pressemitteilung 233/2025): the appeal judgment was set aside and referred back to the OLG Köln; the BGH considers the standardised retention periods of the codes of conduct permissible.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Federal Court of Justice decision

According to the press release of the Bundesgerichtshof on I ZR 97/25 of 18 December 2025, payment defaults reported by contracting partners need not be deleted immediately after the claim is settled. Under the codes of conduct approved by the Hessian Data Protection Commissioner, the standard retention period is three years after settlement; 18 months apply if no further negative data has been reported, no information from public registers exists and settlement took place within 100 days. The BGH considered these standardised retention periods permissible; it set aside the appeal judgment and referred the case back to the OLG Köln.

Discharge of residual debt

Since 28 March 2023, SCHUFA deletes entries on discharge of residual debt six months after it is granted (SCHUFA newsroom); this is tied to the publication period under § 3 InsoBekV. Other credit reporting agencies mostly do the same; there is no legal obligation to do so.

Who is responsible
  • Credit reporting agencies (self-disclosure, correction)
  • Data protection supervisory authority
  • Verbraucherzentrale (consumer advice centre) and debt counselling
Further reading
Consumer insolvency and discharge of residual debt

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Schufa and credit reporting agencies“?
How long payment defaults and discharge of residual debt are stored by credit reporting agencies.
Which deadlines and figures matter?
  • 3 years: Standard retention period after a payment default is settled, under the codes of conduct, since 1 January 2025. (BGH, Pressemitteilung zu I ZR 97/25 vom 18.12.2025)
  • 18 months: Shortened period if there is no other negative data, no public register data and settlement within 100 days. (BGH, I ZR 97/25)
  • 6 months: Deletion of discharge-of-residual-debt entries at Schufa, six months after it is granted (since 28 March 2023); tied to the publication period under § 3 InsoBekV. Other credit reporting agencies mostly do the same; there is no legal obligation. (SCHUFA-Newsroom; § 3 InsoBekV)
What should I do first?
  • Request your self-disclosure: This shows you which entries are stored.
  • Settle claims quickly: Settlement within 100 days can shorten the period to 18 months.
  • Have incorrect entries corrected: Demand correction of incorrect data.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • On 18 December 2025 the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled that reported data need not be deleted immediately after a claim is settled.
  • Other credit reporting agencies mostly handle the 6-month deletion the same way, but there is no legal obligation; periods may differ.
  • Entries can make credit and tenancy agreements harder to get.
Evidence
  • Bundesgerichtshof, Pressemitteilung zu I ZR 97/25 vom 18.12.2025, retrieved 20 September 2026
  • SCHUFA Newsroom, SCHUFA löscht Restschuldbefreiung nach 6 Monaten, retrieved 20 September 2026
  • Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Schuldnerberatung, bag-sb.de, retrieved 20 September 2026
As of

September 2026 · Sources and method

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