Every negative listing on your credit report has a fixed expiry date set by law. Once that date passes, the Credit Reporting Body (CRB) must remove it. But the clock does not always start when you think it does. It starts on a specific date that depends on the type of listing, not when you first fell behind on payments.
Key Takeaways
- Defaults: 5 years from the date listed with the CRB, not the date you missed the payment
- Court judgements: 5 years from the date of the judgement
- Credit enquiries: 5 years from the date of the application
- Repayment History Information (RHI): 2 years, rolling and continuously updated
- Financial Hardship Information: 1 year
- Serious credit infringements (clearouts): 7 years
- Bankruptcy: 5 years from the bankruptcy date or 2 years from discharge, whichever is later
- Paying a debt does not shorten the retention period. It only updates the listing status.
- Listings are removed automatically at expiry in most cases, but system errors do occur
How Long Does Each Type of Listing Stay on Your Credit Report?
Here is the full picture. Every CRB in Australia (Equifax, Experian, and Illion) operates under the same rules, set by the Privacy Act 1988 (Part IIIA) and enforced by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
| Listing Type | How Long | Clock Starts From |
|---|---|---|
| Default | 5 years | Date the default was listed with the CRB |
| Court Judgement | 5 years | Date the judgement was entered by the court |
| Credit Enquiry | 5 years | Date of the credit application |
| Repayment History Information (RHI) | 2 years (rolling) | Continuously updated. Always shows the most recent 24 months. |
| Financial Hardship Information (FHI) | 1 year | Date the hardship arrangement was recorded |
| Serious Credit Infringement (Clearout) | 7 years | Date the listing was included on the credit file |
| Bankruptcy | 5 years from date of bankruptcy or 2 years from discharge, whichever is later | Date AFSA accepted your bankruptcy petition |
| Part IX Debt Agreement | 5 years | Date agreement was accepted or ended, whichever is earlier |
| Part X Personal Insolvency Agreement | 5 years | Date the agreement started |
Source: Privacy Act 1988 (Part IIIA, ss. 20W, 20X) — OAIC: Credit Reporting Information Retention Periods
When Does the 5-Year Default Clock Actually Start?
This is the question most people get wrong. The 5-year period starts from the date the default was listed with the CRB. Not when you missed the payment. Not when the debt went to collections.
Before a credit provider can list a default, they must follow a specific process. They send you two written notices. The second must arrive at least 30 days after the first. Then they must wait at least 14 days before listing. This process alone can take two to four months after the original missed payment. So your report often shows two different dates: the date of default and the date listed. The listing date is what controls when it expires.
Example
You missed a payment in January 2023. The credit provider sent notices and listed the default in April 2023. The 5-year clock starts in April 2023, not January. The listing drops off in April 2028, not January 2028.
In our practice: We regularly see clients who think their default is about to expire, only to find the listing date is two or three months later than the missed payment. That shifts the expiry forward. Always check the listing date on your actual credit report, not the date the payment was missed.
For a full explanation of how defaults are listed and what rights you have, see our guide on what is a default listing in Australia.
Does Paying Off a Default Remove It from Your Credit Report?
No. Paying a default does not remove it or shorten the 5-year period. The listing stays until the retention period ends regardless of when or whether you pay.
What payment does change is the status. Once you pay, the credit provider must update the listing to show the debt has been settled. It moves from “outstanding” to “paid.” That matters to lenders. A paid default is viewed more favourably during a credit assessment than an unpaid one. But it stays on your file either way.
For a detailed breakdown of how lenders treat paid versus unpaid defaults differently, see our guide on paid vs unpaid defaults on your credit report.
How Long Does Bankruptcy Stay on Your Credit Report in Australia?
Bankruptcy uses a different rule to every other listing type. The CRB keeps it for whichever of these two periods is longer: 5 years from the date you became bankrupt, or 2 years from the date you were discharged (Privacy Act 1988, s. 20X).
Standard bankruptcy in Australia lasts 3 years and 1 day. For most people, the 5-year period from commencement is the longer one. So the listing typically drops off around 5 years from when you first became bankrupt.
Standard Example
You went bankrupt in June 2023 and were discharged in June 2026. Five years from June 2023 is June 2028. Two years from June 2026 is also June 2028. The listing comes off around June 2028.
Things change if your bankruptcy was extended. A trustee can object to your discharge, pushing the period out to 5 or 8 years. In those cases, the 2-years-from-discharge calculation becomes the longer one.
Extended Bankruptcy Example
You went bankrupt in June 2023 but your discharge was extended to June 2031 (8 years total). Five years from June 2023 is June 2028. Two years from June 2031 is June 2033. The listing stays until June 2033, because that is the later date.
Your bankruptcy is also permanently recorded on the National Personal Insolvency Index (NPII), maintained by the Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA). That record never expires. It is a public register, not a credit scoring tool, and it is separate from your credit report held by Equifax, Experian, and Illion.
How Long Do Missed Payments Stay on Your Credit Report?
There is a difference between a missed payment recorded in your Repayment History Information (RHI) and a default. They are not the same thing and they do not stay on your report for the same amount of time.
RHI is a month-by-month record of whether you paid on time. It always covers the most recent 24 months and updates every month. As a new month is added, the oldest one drops off automatically. A missed payment from 23 months ago is almost gone. One from 25 months ago is already off your report entirely.
A payment is counted as missed if it arrives more than 14 days after the due date. Unlike defaults, no written notice is required before a missed payment is recorded in RHI. Financial hardship arrangements recorded within RHI have a shorter retention period of 1 year from when they were recorded.
In our practice: Many clients come worried about late payments from 18 months ago. By the time we look at their file together, those markers are already fading. Every on-time payment you make now adds a positive month and pushes the negatives closer to rolling off. RHI is the fastest-moving section of your report.
What Is a Clearout and Why Does It Last 7 Years?
A serious credit infringement, also called a clearout, is the longest-lasting listing at 7 years. It is listed when a credit provider cannot locate you after reasonable attempts and believes you have deliberately avoided repayment. Fraudulently obtaining credit can also result in this listing.
The 7-year period starts from the date the listing was included on your credit file. One protection worth knowing: a credit provider cannot list a fresh serious credit infringement if they have already listed one against you within the past 6 months. That restriction is built into the Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code 2025.
Does a Negative Listing Affect Your Credit Score Less Over Time?
Yes. A listing being on your report and a listing actively damaging your score are two different things. The impact fades as the listing ages.
Scoring models at Equifax, Experian, and Illion weight recent information more heavily. A default listed today causes far more damage than the same default in year four. At the same time, every on-time payment you make now builds positive RHI data that counterbalances older negatives. Credit enquiries are a good example of this: noticeable right after an application, but their score impact drops significantly within 12 months, even though they stay on your file for 5 years.
How Impact Typically Fades: Default Example
Highest impact. Most mainstream lenders will decline or apply significantly higher rates.
Impact begins reducing. Positive RHI builds up. Specialist lenders may consider your application with conditions.
Significantly reduced weight. A strong recent repayment history may be enough for some mainstream lenders to look past it.
The CRB is legally required to destroy the listing under section 20V of the Privacy Act. It is gone from your report.
Does a Credit Listing Remove Itself Automatically When It Expires?
In most cases, yes. CRBs are legally required to destroy or de-identify your credit information once the retention period ends (Privacy Act 1988, s. 20V). This process is largely automated. You do not usually need to do anything.
But system errors do happen. If you check your report after a listing’s expiry date and it is still showing, you have the right to contact the CRB and request removal in writing. Reference the Privacy Act and the expiry date. The CRB must act.
One legal exception: if you have a pending correction request or dispute on a listing, the CRB is permitted to keep that information beyond the expiry date until the dispute is resolved. The OAIC must be notified in writing when this happens. Once resolved, the information must be destroyed as soon as practicable.
It is worth checking your report from all three CRBs separately. Each may hold different information and update at different times. You can request your report for free once every 3 months from each one. The OAIC’s guide to accessing your credit report is a useful starting point: oaic.gov.au/privacy/your-privacy-rights/credit-reporting.
What Changed in 2025 That Affects Credit Reporting in Australia?
Two significant changes came into effect in 2025.
The Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code 2025 commenced on 25 March 2025, replacing the 2024 version. The core retention periods were not changed. The main update gave the Information Commissioner the option to defer mandatory independent reviews of the Code by up to 2 years after stakeholder consultation.
The bigger practical change: the National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Low Cost Credit) Regulations 2025 brought Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) providers under the same credit reporting obligations as traditional lenders. BNPL providers must now follow the same rules as banks when listing defaults, including the Section 21D notice requirements.
In our practice, we have seen that many BNPL providers are still catching up with those notice requirements. These gaps can result in default listings that are open to a formal dispute. If you have a BNPL default on your file, it is worth having it assessed. Full details from the OAIC: Credit Reporting Code Variation (March 2025)
Not Sure What Is on Your Credit Report or When It Expires?
We can help you understand what is on your file, when each listing is due to drop off, and whether anything can be challenged. The first step is always knowing what you are dealing with.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is based on our research and reflects our views only. It is general in nature and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Retention periods and regulatory requirements are based on the Privacy Act 1988, the Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code 2025, and guidance from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as at the date of publication. Laws and regulations may change. If you have specific questions about your credit report or situation, please reach out to us or seek independent professional advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
If the listing date shown on your report is in 2020, it expires 5 years from that exact date in 2025. Check the specific day and month on your report. That is when the CRB must remove it. If it is still showing after that date, contact the CRB directly and request removal under the Privacy Act 1988.
No. Paying updates the status from outstanding to paid, which the credit provider must update on your report. But the listing itself stays for the full 5 years from the original listing date. Payment does not trigger early removal.
The listing date. That is the date the credit provider reported the default to the CRB. The 5-year retention period runs from that date. Your report will show both dates, but the listing date is the one that matters for working out when the default expires.
The CRB keeps it for whichever is longer: 5 years from the date you became bankrupt, or 2 years from discharge. For a standard 3-year-and-1-day bankruptcy, this works out to about 5 years from when you became bankrupt. If your discharge was extended, the expiry date shifts out further. Check your specific dates.
Five years from the date of the credit application. The score impact drops off quickly though, usually within 12 months. Closing the account does not remove the enquiry that was generated when you applied.
No. Paying updates the listing to "satisfied", which lenders view better than an unsatisfied judgement. But the listing itself stays for 5 years from the date the court entered the judgement. It does not come off early because you paid.
A clearout (formally a serious credit infringement) is listed when a credit provider cannot locate you after reasonable attempts and believes you have deliberately avoided paying. Credit obtained fraudulently can also lead to this listing. It stays for 7 years from the listing date. That is the longest retention period of any listing type.
Contact the CRB directly and request removal in writing. Cite the listing date, the expiry date, and the Privacy Act 1988. The CRB is legally required to destroy information once the retention period has passed. If they do not act, you can lodge a complaint with the OAIC or contact AFCA for external dispute resolution.
Late payment markers in your Repayment History Information (RHI) stay for 2 years on a rolling basis. Your report always shows the most recent 24 months. As a new month is added, the oldest drops off. A payment is counted as late if it arrives more than 14 days after the due date.
It depends on whether there are grounds. If the listing was recorded in breach of the Privacy Act 1988 or the Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code 2025 (for example, failure to send the required notices, or incorrect information), a formal dispute can result in early removal. The outcome depends on the merits of each case. For how the dispute process works, see our guide on disputing listings on your credit report.