How quickly will I get my report?

The report will take a few seconds to load as it is generated from a live feed that comes from a variety of sources, it will then appear on your screen. This is the same for UK, Southern Ireland and International reports.

Can I save and print a report?

Yes you can, there is a button on the report to convert it to a pdf file as long as you have adobe installed. Please remember that all of our reports are live and generated at the time you run it. Therefore if you refer back to a saved report from a few days or even weeks previously, it may not be an accurate score due to the constant change in a company's position

How often are the reports updated?

The reports are updated over 500,000 times a day. All of the information is on a live feed, so it never becomes stale and is constantly refreshed.

Can I speak to anyone if I have any questions about a report?

Yes indeed. We have a dedicated helpdesk on a non-premium local number, based at our offices in Buckinghamshire. Our team of highly experienced and friendly consultants will help you with any queries you have about a report.

How do I search for non-limited companies?

In the same way you would normally search a Limited company. If no details are found on the search we can launch a manual investigation free of charge and, if successful, provide a report based on the information collected.

What happens if I can't find a company?

If a company is registered at Companies House it will show up on our database. In some cases businesses are not yet registered; in these instances please contact our helpdesk. We will complete an investigation and generate a fresh company report within 3 working days.

How do I get a company investigated?

You can ring our helpdesk on 01494 790 601 and provide them with any information you have on the company you require investigating. The more information you can provide us with, the higher chance of a quick and positive result. The details you provide will be passed to the Investigations Team who will then manually research the company.

How do I search for an Irish Company?

In the same way as you search for a UK company. You just need to click the drop down box at the foot of the company search page, and change the country from UK to Ireland.

How do I search for International companies?

By clicking on the International Company Search box. It is important when filling in the information, to select the country and region you wish to search.

What does the credit limit represent?

The credit limit represents the suggested amount of credit that should be extended to a company per supplier, per month (so if for example you were looking at a long term contract, you would multiply the figure by 12 to give you the recommended limit for a year). Be aware that it is not advised to extend more than the recommended amount of credit at any one time.

What is the delinquency score?

The delinquency score predicts the likelihood that a company will pay its bills in a severely delinquent manner, based on the payment data held on file and the strength of the balance sheet. The score is on a 1-100 scale, 100 represents companies that have the lowest probability of business delinquency, and 1 represents the highest probability of delinquent payments. So the higher the score, the better they are at paying on time.

How is the risk index calculated?

The risk index is calculated using a wide range of information. For example, it takes into account a company's financial strength and performance, the demographics of the business, the number and experience of its directors, the business' payment behaviour and whether it has any mortgages, charges or county court judgements registered against it. These and other details are run through a series of complex algorithms to give the risk index you see on the report.

Why does my rating fluctuate?

Because our reports are generated live, the information pulled is updated over 500,000 times a day. Therefore new data will enter the report, and old data will leave it on a regular basis.

Why are there figures missing from the accounts?

Filing requirements at Companies House differ for Limited Companies based on the company's size. So smaller companies are only required to file abbreviated accounts. The amount of information filed obviously has a direct impact on the level of detail supplied in the report. Please find a breakdown below;

UK Company Accounts Filing Requirements

Every limited company is legally required to file annual accounts with Companies House whether they are trading or non-trading. The filing requirements differ depending on the size of the company.

Small Companies

A small company is defined by satisfying at least two of the following three criteria:
(For Companies with financial years starting before 6th April 2008)

• Annual Turnover must be £5.6m or less
• Balance sheet total must be £2.8m or less
• Average number of employees must be 50 or less

(For Companies with financial years starting on or after 6th April 2008)

• Annual Turnover must be £6.5m or less
• Balance sheet total must be £3.26m or less
• Average number of employees must be 50 or less

Filing requirements for a small company:

Abbreviated balance sheet with notes
Special auditor's report (unless they are claiming audit exemption)

Medium Companies

A medium company is defined by satisfying at least two of the following three criteria:
(For Companies with financial years starting before 6th April 2008)

• Annual Turnover must be £22.8m or less
• Balance sheet total must be £11.4m or less
• Average number of employees must be 250 or less

(For Companies with financial years starting on or after 6th April 2008)

• Annual Turnover must be £25.9m or less
• Balance sheet total must be £12.9m or less
• Average number of employees must be 250 or less

Filing Requirements for a Medium Sized company

Full Balance Sheet
Abbreviated Profit and Loss account
Special Auditor's report
Directors' report
Notes to the accounts

Large Companies

A large company is defined by satisfying at least two of the following three criteria:
(For Companies with financial years starting before 6th April 2008)

• Annual Turnover must be more than £22.8m
• Balance sheet total must be more than £11.4m
• Average number of employees must be over 250

(For Companies with financial years starting on or after 6th April 2008)

• Annual Turnover must be more than £25.9m
• Balance sheet total must be more than £12.9m
• Average number of employees must be over 250

Filing Requirements for a large company

Full balance sheet signed by a director
Full profit and loss account including turnover
Auditor's report signed by the Auditor
Directors' Report signed by a director or the secretary
Notes to the accounts

Where does your information come from?

Primarily our information is sourced from a number of key providers including Dun and Bradstreet, the worlds leading provider of commercial credit information. We also draw feeds from Companies House, London Gazette and the Registry trust, amongst others.

Why is my score different on your report compared to other credit checking companies?

Different companies use different sources of information and have their own formulae in place to calculate credit, and predict business failure. All of the information we provide has been run through a series of complex scoring algorithms in order to calculate the credit score.

How can we improve our company credit score?

Every case is different, for the best advice call our helpdesk on 01494 790 601 and speak to one of our experienced consultants. They will look at your report for you, and highlight the areas that need improving.

How long does it take to get a credit rating?

A newly incorporated company could get a credit rating straight away if it files all of the relevant details with Companies House.

What does OOB mean?

Out Of Business, the company is no longer trading.

What does "this company is under investigation" mean?

It can mean several things, the company in question may be in the process of having data removed or added to the report. They may be partaking in a manual investigation, to determine details, or they may have some suspicious activity that is being looked at. Again, each case will differ. A call to our helpdesk on 01494 790 601 will help you to determine the reason.

Can I select the areas of the report I can monitor?

Yes. If you log in, go to Your Account then Company Monitoring. Click on Monitoring Options and select the areas you wish to specifically monitor from the drop down boxes.

Can you monitor companies outside of the UK?

Yes, we offer a monitoring service on international companies, for further details call your account manager on 01494 790 600.

How do I reset my password?

By going to Your Account and clicking on Change Password.

How do I add points to my account?

You can pay by credit card, or select to pay by invoice. For any assistance or to speak to your Account Manager call 01494 790 600.

What do the points represent?

Your points are used to "buy" reports. These start at 8 points for a Level 1 report, 10 points for a Level 2 report, 14 points for a Level 3 report and 21 points for a Level 4 report. Standard list price is £1.00 per point, although we offer discounts for package purchases. For further information call 01494 790 600 and ask to speak to an Account Manager.

Are there any measures in place to reduce fraud?

Yes. Every set of accounts is manually keyed in to the system and then cross referenced with every other set of accounts filed to make sure there are no duplications. There is also a team in place that monitors any irregularities in company behaviour, and investigates when necessary. We also welcome any concerns our customers may have about businesses, and will investigate where needed. For further advice, or to discuss any concerns you may have, call our Helpdesk on 01494 790 601.

Have you adjusted your ratings to accommodate the current economic climate?

Yes. Every industry is now judged on its own rather than as Industry as a whole as it became apparent that different lines of business were affected in different degrees by the economic climate. Subsequently the Economic index was developed to help distinguish between sectors with greater precision than previously. It has used statistical modelling and takes into account changes in the macroeconomic environment alongside industry failure rates and payment behaviour.

Can I remove my address from the report?

Yes. The Companies Act 2006 which was fully implemented on 1 October 2009 has brought in the option for directors to provide service addresses instead of their home addresses for public register. The purpose of the directors' service addresses is to keep directors' residential addresses private and confidential. Directors are required to provide both the service addresses and their current residential address to Companies House. (The home address details would not be published but for Companies House records only). Directors service address can be the company registered office address or any other address as long as the directors can access mail sent to the service addresses. Please note that P O Box is not allowed to be used as director service address.

Can you supply information on individuals?

Yes. We provide consumer information in partnership with CallCredit. For more information or to trial this service please call our Helpdesk on 01494 790 601.