How to Read Your CIBIL Report: Every Field, Code, and Red Flag Explained (2026)

Your CIBIL score is a 3-digit number. Your CIBIL report is a 6-section document that tells lenders everything about your credit behaviour over the past 7 years. Most Indians check the score and ignore the report. That is a mistake — 79% of loan rejections are driven by specific entries inside the report, not the score alone.

A CIBIL report contains Personal Information, Account Information (trade lines), Enquiry Information, Account Summary, the CIBIL Score section, and Control Number metadata. Lenders spend roughly 80% of their review time on just two sections: Account Information and Enquiry Information. This guide breaks down every field, every code, and every red flag in the report so you know exactly what banks see when they pull your file.

If you have not pulled your report yet, start with our guide on how to check CIBIL score free. Once you have it in front of you, read on.

Section 1: Personal Information

This is the first section of the report and contains your identity details as reported by lenders over the years.

Fields in this section:

Field	What It Contains	Why It Matters
Name	Full name as submitted by lenders	Multiple name variations (typos, abbreviations) appear if different lenders reported different spellings
Date of Birth	DOB as per lender records	Incorrect DOB can cause your report to merge with another person’s data
Gender	Male / Female / Other	Rarely an issue, but cross-check for accuracy
PAN	Permanent Account Number	The single most important identifier — every credit account is linked to PAN
Voter ID	Electoral ID number	Secondary identifier, not always present
Passport Number	Passport ID if submitted to a lender	Optional, only shows if a lender reported it
Addresses	All addresses reported by all lenders	You may see 5 to 10 addresses if you have moved frequently or given different addresses to different banks
Phone Numbers	All phone numbers reported	Same number from multiple lenders confirms consistency
Email Addresses	All emails reported	Lenders may report work or personal email
Employer Name	Current and past employers as reported	Only present if the lender submitted employment data

What to check for:

• Misspelled names that could cause data from another person to appear on your report
• An address you have never lived at, which could indicate identity theft
• Phone numbers you do not recognize
• Incorrect PAN (extremely rare but catastrophic — means another person’s accounts are on your report)

Personal Information errors do not directly lower your score, but they can cause account mix-ups that do.

Section 2: Account Information (Trade Lines)

This is the most critical section. Every loan, credit card, overdraft, and guarantee you have ever been associated with appears here as a separate “trade line.” Each trade line has 15 to 20 fields.

Key Fields in Each Trade Line

Field	Description
Account Type	2-digit code identifying the loan type (home, personal, credit card, etc.)
Ownership	Whether you are the primary borrower, joint holder, guarantor, or authorized user
Date Opened	When the account was first disbursed or activated
Date Closed	When the account was closed (blank if still active)
Date of Last Payment	Most recent payment recorded
Date Reported	When the lender last updated this account with CIBIL
Sanctioned Amount	Original loan amount or credit limit
Current Balance	Outstanding balance as of the date reported
Amount Overdue	Amount currently past due (should be 0 for accounts in good standing)
Payment Status	Code showing current delinquency level
Payment History / DPD Grid	Month-by-month grid showing Days Past Due for up to 36 months
Suit Filed / Wilful Default	Whether legal action has been taken
Written Off Amount	Amount written off by the lender, if applicable
Settlement Amount	Amount settled for, if account was settled

This section is where lenders find deal-breakers. A single “Written Off” or “Settled” status can override a 750+ score. Understanding what lenders look at on credit report gives you the full picture of how banks prioritize these fields.

Account Type Codes — Complete Reference

Every credit account on your CIBIL report has a 2-digit account type code. Here is the full list of codes you are likely to encounter:

Code	Account Type
01	Home Loan / Housing Loan
02	Gold Loan
03	Property Loan / Loan Against Property (LAP)
04	Loan Against Securities / Shares
05	Credit Card
06	Business Loan — Secured (against property)
07	Business Loan — Secured (against other collateral)
08	Loan Against Bank Deposits / FD
10	Auto Loan / Vehicle Loan
11	Tractor Loan
12	Two-Wheeler Loan
13	Personal Loan
14	Loan to Professional
15	Credit Card (Secured / Against FD)
16	Leasing / Hire Purchase
17	Overdraft
18	Agricultural Loan
19	Kisan Credit Card
31	Education Loan
32	Loan Against Insurance Policy
33	Microfinance — Business Loan
34	Microfinance — Personal Loan
35	Microfinance — Housing Loan
36	Consumer Loan / Durable Loan
37	Microfinance — Others
40	Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana — CLSS
41	Mudra Loan — Shishu
42	Mudra Loan — Kishor
43	Mudra Loan — Tarun
51	Business Loan — Unsecured
52	Business Loan — Non-Fund Based
53	Staff Loan
61	Overdraft / Cash Credit Facility

Why this matters: If your personal loan shows as code 51 (business loan unsecured) instead of code 13, it changes how lenders evaluate your credit mix. Misclassified account types are a common error — verify every code matches the actual loan you took.

Ownership Codes

Code	Meaning	Impact on Your Report
Individual	You are the sole borrower	Full responsibility — all payment history reflects on you
Joint	You are a co-borrower	Full responsibility — same as individual, default by co-borrower hurts you equally
Authorized User	You are an add-on card holder (credit cards)	Account appears on your report but payment responsibility is on the primary holder
Guarantor	You guaranteed someone else’s loan	Account appears on your report; if primary borrower defaults, it shows as your default too

Guarantor accounts are the silent killers. You may have guaranteed a friend’s or relative’s loan years ago and forgotten about it. If that person defaults, the DPD entries show up on your report. Always check for accounts with “Guarantor” ownership that you may not be tracking.

Payment Status Codes — What Each One Means

The Payment Status field tells the lender your current standing on each account:

Code	Meaning	Impact
000 / STD	On Time / Standard	Clean — no negative impact
001-029	1 to 29 days past due	Minor — may not affect score if rare, but visible to lenders
030 / SMA	30 days past due / Special Mention Account	Negative — score drop of 50 to 80 points typical
060	60 days past due	Serious — auto-rejection at many banks
090	90+ days past due	Severe — classified as NPA (Non-Performing Asset)
SUB	Sub-Standard	NPA for less than 12 months
DBT	Doubtful	NPA for more than 12 months
LSS	Loss	NPA classified as a loss by the lender
WOF	Written Off	Lender has absorbed the loss — worst possible status
SET	Settled	Paid less than full amount owed — treated almost as badly as Written Off

If your report shows SET or WOF, read the detailed guide on settled vs closed vs written off to understand your options.

The DPD Grid — Month-by-Month Payment History

The DPD (Days Past Due) grid is the most granular view of your payment behaviour. It shows up to 36 months of history for each account, with one entry per month.

How to read it:

Each cell in the grid contains a 3-digit number:

• 000 — Paid on time that month
• XXX — No data available or account not yet active
• 030 — Payment was 30 days late
• 060 — Payment was 60 days late
• 090 — Payment was 90 or more days late
• STD — Standard (same as 000, sometimes used interchangeably)

Example DPD grid (read right to left, most recent month on the left):

Month	Apr 26	Mar 26	Feb 26	Jan 26	Dec 25	Nov 25	Oct 25	Sep 25	Aug 25	Jul 25	Jun 25	May 25
DPD	000	000	000	000	030	000	000	000	000	000	000	000

This grid shows one late payment of 30 days in December 2025. Even this single blip — which the borrower may have forgotten about — can reduce the score by 50 to 80 points and stay visible for 36 months.

Lender behaviour by DPD entry:

DPD Value	Lender Reaction
All 000s for 36 months	Ideal borrower — best rates offered
One 030 in 24 months	Minor concern — loan still approved but possibly at 0.25% higher rate
Two or more 030s in 12 months	Rejection at most major banks, NBFCs may still approve
Any 060 in 24 months	Auto-rejection at SBI, HDFC, ICICI for personal and home loans
Any 090 in 24 months	Auto-rejection at almost every lender

Section 3: Enquiry Information

Every time you apply for a loan or credit card and the lender checks your CIBIL report, it is recorded as a hard enquiry. This section lists all such enquiries.

Fields in Each Enquiry

Field	Description
Date of Enquiry	When the lender pulled your report
Enquiry Purpose	Loan type applied for (home loan, credit card, personal loan, etc.)
Member Name	Name of the lending institution
Enquiry Amount	Loan amount you applied for

Hard Enquiries vs Soft Enquiries

Type	Who Initiates	Visible to Lenders	Impacts Score
Hard Enquiry	A lender, after you apply for credit	Yes	Yes — 5 to 15 points per enquiry
Soft Enquiry	You, checking your own score	No	No — zero impact

How many hard enquiries is too many?

Enquiries in 6 Months	Lender Perception
0-1	Normal — no concern
2-3	Acceptable — standard loan shopping
4-5	Borderline — may trigger manual review
6+	Red flag — “credit hungry” behaviour, likely auto-rejection

Each hard enquiry drops your score by approximately 5 to 15 points. If you applied to 8 banks for a personal loan in 3 months, that is 8 hard enquiries, potentially costing you 40 to 120 points. The enquiry stays on the report for 2 years but has the strongest score impact in the first 12 months. For strategies to minimize hard inquiry damage, see hard inquiry vs soft inquiry: what actually drops your CIBIL score.

Rate-shopping exception: Some scoring models treat multiple enquiries for the same loan type (home loan or auto loan) within a 14-day window as a single enquiry. However, this is not guaranteed in India — the CIBIL scoring model does not officially confirm this behaviour. It is safer to limit your applications.

Section 4: Account Summary

This section provides a quick overview of your entire credit profile in aggregated numbers.

Field	What It Shows
Total Accounts	Number of all credit accounts ever reported
Active Accounts	Accounts currently open
Closed Accounts	Accounts fully repaid and closed
Overdue Accounts	Accounts with outstanding past-due amounts
Zero-Balance Accounts	Accounts with no outstanding balance (closed or paid off)
Written-Off Accounts	Number of accounts written off by lenders
Total Balance	Combined current balance across all active accounts
Total Sanctioned Amount	Combined sanctioned amount across all accounts
Total Overdue Amount	Combined past-due amount

What lenders look for in the summary:

• Overdue Accounts > 0 — Immediate concern. Lender will dig into account details.
• Written-Off Accounts > 0 — Major red flag. Likely auto-rejection.
• Total Balance / Total Sanctioned Amount ratio — This is your overall utilization. If you have Rs 10 lakh in credit limits and Rs 8 lakh in balances, your 80% utilization is a problem. Understanding the credit utilization ratio guide is essential here.
• Too many active unsecured loans (3+) — Banks worry about over-leverage.

Section 5: CIBIL Score

The score appears prominently at the top of the report, but it is actually derived from the data in all the other sections. Here is what the bands mean:

CIBIL Score Bands and What They Mean

Score Range	Classification	Loan Approval Probability	Typical Interest Rate Impact
800-900	Excellent	90%+ approval rate	Lowest rates — bank offers best pricing
750-799	Very Good	75-85% approval rate	Competitive rates, minor premium over 800+
700-749	Good	50-65% approval rate	Standard rates, some restrictions on amounts
650-699	Fair	25-40% approval rate	Higher rates, NBFC route often needed
600-649	Poor	10-20% approval rate	Very limited options, high-interest NBFCs only
300-599	Very Poor	Below 5% approval rate	Rejection at most institutions
-1	No History	Varies	No credit history — need to build from scratch
0	No Activity	Varies	Accounts exist but no activity in 24+ months

A score of -1 means CIBIL does not have enough data to generate a score. This is common for people under 25 who have never taken a loan or credit card. A score of 0 means you had credit accounts but none have been active in over 2 years.

If your score is between 600 and 750, follow the CIBIL score 600 to 750 action plan for a structured approach to improvement.

What Factors Determine the Score

Factor	Weight (Approximate)	What It Means
Payment History	35%	DPD grid entries, late payments, defaults
Credit Utilization	30%	How much of your available credit you are using
Credit Age	15%	Average age of all your credit accounts
Credit Mix	10%	Ratio of secured (home, auto) to unsecured (personal, credit card)
New Credit / Enquiries	10%	Recent hard enquiries and new account openings

Section 6: Control Number and Report Metadata

The last section of the report contains administrative information:

Field	Description
Control Number	Unique identifier for this specific report pull
Date of Report	Date the report was generated
Report Type	Consumer or Commercial
CIR ID	CIBIL Internal Reference ID

The Control Number is important if you need to file a dispute — you will need it to reference the exact version of the report where you found the error.

Red Flags That Cause Auto-Rejection

Lenders use automated systems that scan your CIBIL report for specific triggers. If any of these are present, your application is rejected before a human ever sees it.

Top 8 Auto-Rejection Triggers

Red Flag	Why It Triggers Rejection	How Common
DPD 090+ in last 24 months	NPA-level delinquency — borrower could not pay for 3+ months	Very common
Written Off (WOF) status on any account	Lender gave up collecting — signals extreme default	Common
Settled (SET) status	Borrower could not pay full amount — treated as partial default	Common
6+ hard enquiries in 6 months	Credit-hungry behaviour — likely rejected elsewhere already	Common
Suit Filed flag	Legal action by a lender — indicates serious default	Less common
Wilful Default flag	Borrower had means to pay but refused — RBI blacklist potential	Rare but devastating
Guarantor account showing default	You guaranteed a loan that went bad — you are liable	Surprisingly common
3+ active unsecured loans	Over-leveraged — high risk of default under income stress	Increasingly common

Specific field combinations that spell trouble:

• Current Balance > Sanctioned Amount on a credit card (over-limit usage) signals financial distress
• Date of Last Payment more than 90 days before Date Reported means the borrower has stopped paying
• Multiple accounts opened within 30 days of each other suggest panic borrowing
• Written Off Amount > 0 on any account, even if the status shows “Closed” — the write-off history persists

Common Errors to Spot on Your CIBIL Report

According to CIBIL’s own data, approximately 1 in 5 reports in India contains at least one error. Here are the most frequent ones:

1. Duplicate Accounts

The same loan appears twice — once reported by the original lender and once by the entity that bought the loan portfolio. This inflates your total debt and utilization.

How to spot it: Two accounts with the same sanctioned amount, same account type, and overlapping date ranges, but different member names.

2. Accounts Belonging to Someone Else

Name mix-ups occur when CIBIL’s matching algorithm links another person’s account to your PAN. This happens more often with common names.

How to spot it: An account type you never applied for, a member (bank) you never dealt with, or a sanctioned amount you do not recognize.

3. Wrong DPD Entries on Accounts Paid on Time

A bank’s reporting system glitches and marks a month as DPD 030 when you paid on time. This is surprisingly common — banks batch-report data and errors creep in.

How to spot it: Cross-reference each DPD entry against your bank statements. If your EMI debited on the 5th and the due date was the 10th, a DPD 030 entry for that month is wrong.

4. Closed Accounts Showing as Active

Banks report to CIBIL on monthly cycles, typically between the 15th and 30th. If you closed a loan on the 2nd and the bank reports on the 28th, the closure may not reflect until the next cycle — a 30 to 45 day lag. Some NBFCs take 60 to 90 days.

How to spot it: An account you know you closed still shows a Current Balance > 0 and no Date Closed.

Immediate action: Contact the lender and request a No Objection Certificate (NOC) or loan closure letter. If the account does not update within 45 days, file a dispute with the NOC as evidence.

5. Guarantor Liability You Did Not Know About

You signed as a guarantor for a friend or family member’s loan years ago. The primary borrower defaulted, and now your CIBIL report shows DPD 090+ on that account.

How to spot it: An account with Ownership marked as “Guarantor” for a loan you do not recognize or forgot about.

6. Incorrect Sanctioned or Outstanding Amount

A lender reports Rs 5,00,000 as the sanctioned amount when your actual loan was Rs 3,00,000. This inflates your utilization and debt-to-income calculations.

7. Old Settled Account Still Showing “Settled” After Payment

You paid the full remaining amount to convert a “Settled” account to “Closed,” but the lender never updated CIBIL. This happens frequently — lenders have little incentive to proactively update old accounts.

What to Do After Reading Your Report

Step 1: Dispute Errors Online

1. Log in to mycibil.com
2. Navigate to the Dispute Centre
3. Select the specific account or field containing the error
4. Describe the error with specifics — mention the account number, the wrong field, and what the correct value should be
5. Upload supporting documents: bank statements, NOC letters, closure certificates, payment receipts
6. Note the dispute reference number

Timeline: Under the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005, CIBIL must forward your dispute to the lender, and the lender must investigate and respond within 30 days. If the dispute is accepted, CIBIL updates the report within 7 to 10 additional days.

For a detailed walkthrough and ready-to-use templates, see our guide on how to dispute errors on credit report.

Step 2: Escalate to the RBI Ombudsman if Needed

If the lender rejects your dispute without proper justification, or if CIBIL does not resolve the issue within 30 days:

1. Visit the RBI Integrated Ombudsman portal at cms.rbi.org.in
2. File a complaint under the “Credit Information Company” category
3. Attach your CIBIL dispute reference number, the lender’s response (or proof of non-response), and supporting documents
4. The Ombudsman typically resolves complaints within 30 to 45 additional days

Step 3: Request a Bank NOC for Settled or Closed Discrepancies

If an account shows as “Settled” but you have since paid the remaining amount:

1. Contact the original lender’s branch or customer care
2. Request a No Dues Certificate (NDC) or NOC confirming full payment
3. Ask the lender to update CIBIL with the corrected status — specifically, changing “Settled” to “Closed”
4. Follow up within 30 days if the update does not reflect on your report
5. If the lender refuses, file a dispute on CIBIL and escalate to RBI Ombudsman

Step 4: Build a Recovery Plan

After fixing errors, focus on improving the genuine negative entries through consistent behaviour:

• Bring all DPD entries to 000 by paying every EMI and credit card bill before the due date for the next 12 to 24 months
• Reduce credit card utilization below 30% across all cards (check the credit utilization ratio guide for the exact math)
• Avoid applying for new credit for 6 months to let hard enquiries age
• If your score is between 600 and 750, follow the structured CIBIL score 600 to 750 action plan for month-by-month targets

How Often Should You Check Your Report?

CIBIL provides one free report per year. Third-party apps like Paytm, CRED, PhonePe, and Bajaj Finserv offer free monthly score updates (soft pull, no impact on score).

Recommended schedule:

Situation	How Often to Check Full Report
No active loans, stable credit	Once a year (free annual report)
Active home or personal loan	Every 6 months
Recently closed or settled an account	Monthly for 3 months until update reflects
Planning to apply for a major loan	3 months before applying, then again 1 month before
Suspect identity theft or fraud	Immediately, then monthly for 6 months

If you have not checked your report yet, start with how to check CIBIL score free — there are 5 methods available in 2026, all at zero cost.

Final Checklist: Reading Your CIBIL Report

Use this checklist every time you pull your report:

1. Personal Information — Is the name, PAN, and DOB correct? Any unknown addresses or phone numbers?
2. Account Count — Does the number of accounts match what you expect? Any unknown accounts?
3. Account Types — Are all account type codes correct? Is a personal loan coded as a business loan?
4. Ownership — Are you listed as Guarantor on any account you did not agree to?
5. DPD Grid — Any months showing 030, 060, or 090 that do not match your payment records?
6. Payment Status — Any account showing SET, WOF, SUB, DBT, or LSS?
7. Closed Accounts — Do all paid-off loans show a Date Closed and zero Current Balance?
8. Enquiries — How many hard enquiries in the last 6 months? Any from lenders you did not apply to?
9. Overdue Amount — Is the total overdue amount Rs 0? If not, which accounts are contributing?
10. Written-Off Amount — Is there any amount written off? Even Rs 1 written off is a red flag.

Your CIBIL report is the single document that determines your borrowing power in India. A score of 750 with a clean report gets you the best rates. A score of 750 with a hidden “Settled” entry from 3 years ago still gets you rejected. Read the report, not just the score.