Many business owners may know exactly where to check their personal credit scores, but have no idea where to find their business credit reports. Find out today exactly where to check your business credit scores and reports.
How to check your business credit scores step-by-step
A federal law, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, gives you the right to see your consumer credit reports for free at least once a year from any nationwide consumer reporting agency. This includes free credit reports you can get from the major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion at AnnualCreditReport.com, as well as dozens of specialty credit reports like C.L.U.E. or Chexsystems which you can request directly from those bureaus.
That law does not apply to business credit, though, and there is no similar requirement that credit reporting agencies provide you with free copies of your business credit reports or scores.
Nav offers one of the most accessible ways to view business credit summaries, helping fill the gap left by the lack of federally mandated free business credit reports like the personal credit reports provided at AnnualCreditReport.com.
To be clear, Nav is not a credit bureau and it is not mandated by law to provide free consumer credit reports like AnnualCreditReport.com.
Instead, Nav has stepped up to try to fill this gap and help business owners better understand information commercial credit bureaus may have about their business and its credit history by making it easy to check, manage and monitor business and personal credit in one place.
Here are steps you can use to get your business credit reports:
1. Gather your business information
To request your reports, you will need your business name and address. It is also helpful to have your Employer Identification Number or tax ID handy, along with your D-U-N-S® Number from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), if you have one.
2. Choose your source
You can go directly to each commercial credit bureau — D&B, Equifax, or Experian — or use a source like Nav to get your reports from multiple bureaus in a single dashboard. We’ll talk about pricing in a moment.
Regardless of the source, it’s a good idea to get your reports from all the major business credit bureaus. Each bureau can have different information about your business. And lenders may purchase reports from Experian, Equifax, or D&B depending on their preferences.
You want to understand what other companies may learn when they check your business credit. The reports lenders access may differ depending on the version purchased and the bureau’s product.
3. Determine your budget
Decide whether you just want to get free credit summaries or pay for detailed credit reports.
Free services like Nav provide credit grades and summaries so you can get a good idea of your business credit standing. Or you can purchase reports directly from business credit bureaus or through Nav Prime to get detailed credit information, scores, and other business tools. Learn how to use the business credit reports with Nav Prime here.
4. Review your reports carefully
Read your reports carefully to understand what lenders and other companies that purchase your reports may see. (The reports lenders receive may be somewhat different, since they can typically purchase different versions and/or credit scores.)
Then check for accuracy. Look for incorrect business details, unfamiliar accounts, or outdated information. Errors are not uncommon in business credit reports, and it’s up to you to spot them and request a correction.
5. Set up regular monitoring
Plan to check in on your credit monthly. Consider a routine when you review your credit once a month along with your business financial information. You can also use credit alerts to help you understand when information has changed.
How to access each bureau's report
If you want to go directly to each major commercial credit bureau to get your business credit reports and scores, here’s how:
Information about the credit bureau products in this article was gathered independently by Nav. See provider websites for current product details and pricing.
Experian
You can check Experian’s Small Business website to learn whether your business has a credit report with Experian. Then, if you want to purchase reports, you can either purchase a single Experian ProfilePlusSM Report ($59.95/report) or an annual subscription to Business Credit AdvantageSM ($199 annually). The subscription includes unlimited access to a scored report, Intelliscore and two risk ratings, alerts and other tools.
Equifax
Equifax does not currently sell business owners copies of their own credit reports, but on its website, it links to partner Credable to purchase a Business Credit Industry Report Plus™ 2.0 and 2 scores: Equifax OneScore for Commercial and Equifax Business Failure Score.
Dun & Bradstreet
You can check if your business has a credit report with Dun & Bradstreet for free on its website, and get a free D-U-N-S Number if it does not.
Dun & Bradstreet offers several credit report D&B Credit Insights products at different price points, including:
- Free: Includes risk range indicators for four scores & ratings, including D&B PAYDEX score and other details;
- Basic: Includes six actual scores & ratings; detailed payment history and legal events and dark web monitoring for $49/mo or $499/year;
- Plus: Everything in the other tiers plus insights on other businesses and extended data that may be included in your credit history for $149/mo or $1,499/yr.
Bureau | Free access | Paid report cost | Details & sign up |
Dun & Bradstreet | D&B Credit Insights offers free business data | D&B Credit Insights Basic ($49/mo) or D&B Credit Insights Plus ($149/mo) | |
Experian | Check Experian’s site to find out whether business has a report for free | Experian ProfilePlusSM Report ($59.95/report) or Business Credit AdvantageSM ($199 annually) Experian business credit data + Experian Intelliscore v2 included in Nav Prime Build ($49.99/mo) or Nav Prime Expand ($74.99/mo) | |
Equifax | No free business report available from Equifax Nav offers a free Equifax credit summary and credit grade based on Equifax Delinquency Score | Business Credit Industry Report Plus™ 2.0 + 2 scores through partner eCredable ($49.95/report) Equifax business credit data + Equifax Delinquency Score in Nav Prime Build ($49.99/mo) or Nav Prime Expand ($74.99/mo) |
FICO
To be clear, FICO is not a credit bureau. It creates and sells a lot of FICO scores based on data from individual credit bureaus. It is primarily focused on consumer credit scores, but it does sell a business credit score.
The FICO Small Business Scoring Service (SBSS) score ranges from 0–300 and typically reviews both personal and business credit data. It is used for the most popular SBA loans.
You can’t purchase a FICO SBSS score from FICO, but it is included in Nav Prime Expand.
Small Business Financial Exchange
The Small Business Financial Exchange (SBFE) is a member-owned trade association that collects business credit payment history from financial institutions and shares that data with major business credit bureaus.
When you have business loans, credit cards, or equipment leases with SBFE member institutions, your payment history may be reported to the SBFE database. This information then can be included when members purchase business credit reports from Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, Experian, and LexisNexis Risk Solutions. You aren’t able to check your credit directly with SBFE.
Learn more about the SBFE here.
Why you should check your business credit
Your business credit reports and scores may directly impact your ability to secure loans, negotiate better vendor terms, and grow your company. Regular business credit monitoring provides several key benefits:
Loan approval odds
Lenders may use these reports or scores to evaluate risk. Higher scores typically mean lower risk, and that can lead to a better chance the application will be approved, higher credit limits, and/or lower interest rates..
Vendor payment terms
Suppliers often check business credit before offering payment terms like net-10, net-30, or net-60. Strong credit can help you preserve cash flow.
Fraud detection
Monitoring and alerts can help you identify unauthorized accounts or suspicious activity. Business identity theft is a growing problem and monitoring your credit is one of the first lines of defense.
Set up credit monitoring alerts so you know about changes immediately. Many business owners only discover credit problems when they're denied for financing. By then, it may be too late to fix issues quickly.
Free vs. paid options to check business credit
You have several options for monitoring your business credit, depending on how much detail you need.
Free monitoring services
Nav's free business credit summary provides summary reports and letter grades to represent credit risk from the major business credit bureaus. You can see key factors affecting your scores and get alerts about significant changes.
The free version of D&B Credit Insights includes risk range indicators for four scores and ratings, including D&B PAYDEX score, summary information of legal events and business operations, payment history summary, along with scores, ratings, inquiries, alerts and notifications, both in app and/or via email.
Paid full reports
Reports you purchase from the credit bureaus typically include detailed tradeline information, payment histories, and comprehensive company data. Costs range from $49.95 to $149 monthly depending on the credit bureau and features.
Nav Prime gives you detailed reports from multiple bureaus plus ongoing monitoring for less than purchasing reports individually. It also includes tradelines to help build your credit history.
How to read your business credit scores
Every lender decides for itself what credit score ranges are acceptable. Some lenders require very high credit scores, while others may have products that target customers with lower credit scores.
Understanding score ranges generally can help you gauge where you may stand with lenders:
D&B PAYDEX score (1–100 scale)
- 80-100: Low risk (pays on time or early)
- 50-79: Medium risk (up to 30 days beyond terms)
- 1-49: High risk (30+ days beyond terms)
Experian Intelliscore Plus (1–100 scale)
- 76-100: Low risk
- 51-75: Low-medium risk
26-50: Medium risk - 11-25: High-medium risk
- 1-10: High risk
Equifax Business Delinquency Score (101-662 range)
- Higher scores indicate lower risk of delinquency
- Specific thresholds vary by lender preference
Most lenders prefer scores in the "good" to "excellent" ranges, though requirements vary by loan type and lender risk appetite.
Common errors to watch for (and how to dispute them)
Your business credit reports may contain errors. Data comes from a variety of sources, and it is not always accurate. Watch for these issues:
- Incorrect business information: Wrong address, phone number, or industry classification
- Unfamiliar tradelines: Accounts that don't belong to your business.
- Duplicate accounts: The same account reported multiple times
- Outdated payment information: Old late payments that appear more recent
- Mixed credit files: Another business's information appearing on your report
These mistakes could mean your credit information has been mixed up with that of another business, or it could be a sign of fraud.
If you find errors, contact the company reporting the account for clarification or dispute it directly with the credit bureau that is reporting the mistake. If you have documentation to support your claim, such as payment records or account statements.
Read Nav’s guide on how to dispute mistakes on your credit reports.
Can you run a credit check on a business?
Yes. Anyone can purchase a business credit report on any company, as long as they're willing to pay for it.
This transparency can work in your favor when evaluating potential customers, partners, or suppliers. Many businesses check the credit of other companies before extending payment terms or entering into contracts.
In addition to purchasing reports directly from credit bureaus, Nav Prime allows you to monitor up to four other businesses' credit reports, helping you make informed decisions about business relationships.
Frequently asked questions
This article was originally written on April 21, 2025 and updated on September 18, 2025.
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Gerri Detweiler
Education Consultant, Nav
Gerri Detweiler, a financing and credit expert, has been featured in 4,500+ news stories and answered 10,000+ credit and lending questions online. In addition to Nav, her articles have appeared on Forbes, MarketWatch, and Startup Nation. She is the author or co-author of six books, including Finance Your Own Business, and she has also testified before Congress on consumer credit legislation.