Australia has three Credit Reporting Bodies: Equifax, Experian, and Illion. All three collect credit data on Australians, but they operate independently, use different scoring models, and are used by different lenders. Your credit file and your score can look different depending on which one you check. This guide compares all three so you know exactly what each bureau holds, who uses it, and why checking all three is the only complete picture.
Key Takeaways
- Equifax, Experian, and Illion are three separate private companies. None is a government body.
- Each bureau collects data independently. Not every lender reports to all three.
- Your score will differ across all three because each uses its own algorithm on its own dataset.
- Equifax is the largest and most widely used by major banks. Illion is most common for telcos and utilities.
- A default or error on one bureau’s file does not automatically appear on the others.
- From June 2025, all three bureaus receive BNPL data under the same regulatory framework.
- Checking all three reports is the only way to see your complete credit picture.
Most Australians assume there is one central database tracking their credit. There isn’t. There are three, run by three separate private companies. Each holds its own version of your credit history, built from data reported by lenders who choose to report there.
That last part matters. Lenders choose which bureaus they report to. Some report to all three. Some report to only one. The Equifax file and the Illion file on the same person can look genuinely different, and both can be completely accurate. If you only ever check one report, you’re only ever seeing part of the picture.
Equifax
Equifax Australia
Equifax is the largest Credit Reporting Body in Australia, previously known as Veda Advantage before being acquired in 2016. It has the broadest coverage of the formal banking sector. If you have applied for a home loan, personal loan, or credit card with any major lender in the last several years, Equifax almost certainly holds the most complete record of that activity.
Equifax uses a score range of 0 to 1,200, the only bureau in Australia using this extended scale. The broader range is designed to give more granular differentiation between borrowers, particularly at the higher end where lenders want to distinguish between good and excellent credit profiles.
What Equifax Collects and From Whom
Major banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders, personal loan providers, car finance lenders, and most credit card issuers report to Equifax. It holds the deepest dataset on formal bank lending in Australia. It also holds commercial credit data for businesses, which can cross over to personal files for sole traders.
Score Scale and Rating Labels
Equifax scores run from 0 to 1,200. Below 510 is below average. 510 to 621 is average. 622 to 660 is fair. 661 to 734 is good. 735 to 852 is very good. 853 and above is excellent. For a full explanation of how credit scores are calculated and what each band means, we cover that in a dedicated guide.
Experian
Experian Australia
Experian is a global credit data company operating in over 30 countries. In Australia it is the second largest bureau by market presence. Its strength lies in breadth: Experian tends to have strong coverage across both traditional and non-traditional lenders, including fintech lenders and specialty credit providers that may not report to Equifax.
If you have checked your credit score inside a banking app or through a comparison platform, you are likely already seeing Experian data. Experian also feeds into many open banking assessment tools used by fintech lenders.
What Experian Collects and From Whom
A broad mix of banks, non-bank lenders, fintech lenders, telcos, and utility companies. Some lenders report exclusively to Experian and not to the other two bureaus. Experian has strong coverage across both mainstream and alternative lending sectors.
Score Scale and Rating Labels
Experian scores run from 0 to 1,000. Below 549 is below average. 550 to 624 is fair. 625 to 699 is good. 700 to 799 is very good. 800 and above is excellent.
Illion
Illion Australia
Illion was previously Dun and Bradstreet and rebranded in 2018. It is the third largest bureau by consumer market presence, but it is far from minor. Illion has particularly strong coverage in the telco, utility, and non-bank lending sectors. If you have had a mobile phone contract, a home internet plan, or an electricity account go to collections, there is a reasonable chance that default sits on your Illion file even if it does not appear on Equifax or Experian.
Illion’s scoring model places strong emphasis on payment behaviour across utility and telco accounts, which can work in your favour if you have a clean record with those providers, but against you if you have had issues there that haven’t appeared on your other files.
What Illion Collects and From Whom
Telcos, utility providers, non-bank lenders, some banks, and debt collection agencies. Illion tends to capture credit events that don’t always appear on Equifax or Experian, particularly in the utilities and telecommunications space. Clients are often surprised to find defaults on their Illion report that are completely absent from their Equifax or Experian files.
Score Scale and Rating Labels
Illion scores also run from 0 to 1,000. 0 is low (adverse event recorded). 1 to 299 is low. 300 to 499 needs improvement. 500 to 699 is good. 700 to 799 is great. 800 and above is excellent.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Equifax | Experian | Illion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Former name | Veda Advantage | Experian (global) | Dun and Bradstreet |
| Score range | 0 to 1,200 | 0 to 1,000 | 0 to 1,000 |
| Market position | Largest | Second | Third |
| Primary strength | Major banks and formal lending | Broad lender mix, fintech coverage | Telcos, utilities, non-bank lenders |
| Free report URL | mycreditfile.com.au | experian.com.au | checkyourcredit.com.au |
| BNPL reporting (from June 2025) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Regulated by | Privacy Act 1988, PCR Code 2025 | Privacy Act 1988, PCR Code 2025 | Privacy Act 1988, PCR Code 2025 |
Which Bureau Is Used for Which Type of Application
Lenders don’t advertise which bureau they use. Based on general industry patterns, here is what tends to apply. These are common patterns, not guarantees, and some lenders pull from multiple bureaus for significant applications.
| Application Type | Bureau Most Commonly Used |
|---|---|
| Mortgage or home loan | Equifax (primary), sometimes all three |
| Personal loan | Equifax or Experian, sometimes both |
| Car finance | Equifax or Experian |
| Credit card | Equifax (most common for major banks) |
| Telco (mobile, broadband) | Illion (primary), sometimes Equifax |
| Utility accounts | Illion (most common) |
| Fintech and online lenders | Experian, sometimes all three |
| Buy Now Pay Later (from June 2025) | Varies by provider, reporting to one or more bureaus |
| Debt collection listings | Illion (most common for listing) |
Worth knowing: Some lenders pull reports from all three bureaus before making a decision, particularly for home loans. Because lenders don’t disclose which bureau they use, checking all three before a major application is the only way to know what they’ll see.
Why Your Score Differs Across All Three
This confuses a lot of people. You pull all three reports and the scores are all different, sometimes significantly. It doesn’t mean something is wrong. Three things cause the variation.
Different data sets. If your bank reports to Equifax but not Illion, Illion simply doesn’t have that account. It can’t score what it doesn’t have. Illion’s score is built from a different, and sometimes smaller, slice of your credit history.
Different algorithms. Each bureau weights factors differently. Equifax might place more emphasis on hard enquiry frequency. Illion might weight payment behaviour on utility accounts more heavily. Three algorithms applied to three different data sets produce three different numbers. All of them are valid.
Different update timing. Lenders report data to bureaus on different schedules. A payment you made two weeks ago might have already updated your Equifax file but not yet appeared on Experian. Timing alone can account for meaningful score differences at any given moment.
If you believe a score looks off rather than just different, the answer is usually somewhere in the underlying report data. Our guide on why your credit score might be wrong and what to do about it covers how to identify and address that.
How to Get Your Report From Each Bureau
You are legally entitled to one free report from each bureau every three months under the Privacy Act 1988. The three portals are mycreditfile.com.au for Equifax, experian.com.au/consumer/free-credit-report for Experian, and checkyourcredit.com.au for Illion. Each requires identity verification before releasing your report. For the full step-by-step process including turnaround times and what the free report includes versus paid options, see our guide on how to get your free credit report from each bureau.
Why You Should Check All Three, Not Just One
The question comes up regularly. People assume that because one report looks clean, they’re fine. That’s not always the case.
A default from a telco can sit on Illion without appearing on Equifax at all. A lender you’ve never heard of might have listed an enquiry on Experian that you’d only find by checking there. An error on one file doesn’t automatically appear on the others, and a correction on one file doesn’t automatically flow through to the others either.
Checking your own reports is a soft enquiry. It has no impact on your score at any of the three bureaus. There is no downside to checking all three. There is a real downside to checking only one and missing something that a lender will see. Once you have all three reports in hand, our guide on how to read and understand what’s in your credit report walks you through each section in plain English.
BNPL Reporting Across All Three Bureaus (From June 2025)
From 10 June 2025, Buy Now Pay Later providers operate under the same reporting framework as traditional lenders. Afterpay, Zip, Klarna, humm, and others are now required to report credit data to bureaus in the same way banks and telcos do.
Which bureau a BNPL provider reports to varies by provider. Some report to one bureau only. Some report to multiple. A missed Afterpay payment might appear on your Equifax file but not your Illion file, or the other way around, depending on which bureaus that provider has chosen to report to. This is another reason why checking all three matters.
Not Sure What’s on Your Three Reports?
If you want someone to review all three bureau files, identify what’s accurate, flag what warrants a dispute, and give you a plain-English summary, that’s exactly what we do. Honest advice, no false promises, no pressure.
Kuldeep Singh founded Easy Credit Repair with over 17 years of experience in the Australian financial services landscape. His approach is grounded in Australian Credit Law, compliance, and genuine consumer advocacy. Easy Credit Repair operates as a transparent, expert-led service focused on long-term financial health and education, not shortcuts or unrealistic guarantees. Kuldeep supports clients across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Tasmania.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Illion rebranded from Dun and Bradstreet in 2018. Older credit listings may still reference Dun and Bradstreet. They refer to the same organisation now operating as Illion. You access your Illion report at checkyourcredit.com.au.