Guides
Your credit file after an IVA, DRO, DMP or Trust Deed
What your file shows after a debt solution, how to check it, and how to put right anything that's wrong, with a guide for each solution.
Free to use, no obligation. The plan itself won't affect your credit score. It is not advice, and acceptance is never guaranteed.
Written and reviewed by the AfterMy team · Last reviewed October 2026
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What does your credit file show after a debt solution?
Your file shows the solution itself and the accounts that were part of it, which should be marked as settled once it ends. It also shows how you've handled any credit since it ended.
After a DRO, the debts show as part of the DRO and won't show as paid or settled; that is normal. They stay on your file for six years.
An IVA, a DRO and a Trust Deed each leave one marker for the solution. A DMP is different: each debt carries its own.
How do you check your credit file?
Each of the three main credit reference agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, must give you your statutory credit report free of charge. Lenders don't all use the same one, so it's worth checking all three.
- Check your solution shows as finished: once it ends, the record should say so.
- Check every debt in it is marked as settled: an account left showing as open or in arrears counts against you. After a DRO, the debts show as part of the DRO rather than as settled, which is normal.
- Check your personal details: your name, address and electoral roll entry should be accurate.
What can you do if something on your credit file is wrong?
Ask the credit reference agency to correct it. The agency must investigate and correct anything wrong, checking with the lender that reported it.
Keep your solution's paperwork to hand, such as a completion certificate or your trustee's confirmation of your discharge date, because it helps show what should be recorded.
After an IVA
4 guidesWhen does an IVA leave your credit file?
The one date that matters, and how to work it out today.
What happens to your credit score when your IVA completes
What changes on your file, and what helps it improve.
Checking your credit reports after completion
All three agencies, free, and what to look for.
Your IVA and the Individual Insolvency Register
Your IVA is listed on the Individual Insolvency Register while it runs.
After a DRO
2 guidesFinished your debt solution? Your Comeback Plan maps your dates and shows options from our panel you may be able to apply for.
Start your Comeback PlanAfter a DMP
1 guideAfter a Trust Deed
1 guideQuestions
Frequently asked questions
Will my debt solution show on my credit file forever?
No. The marker drops off your file on its own, and your Comeback Plan works out when that is for you. A DMP has no single marker: each debt clears on its own.
Which credit reference agency do lenders use?
It varies by lender, and some use more than one. That's why it's worth checking your file with Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
Can I have the marker removed early?
Not if it's accurate: a correct entry stays until it's due to drop off. What you can change is anything recorded wrongly, such as a debt still showing as open.
Do I have to pay to see my credit file?
No. You're entitled to see your statutory credit report from each agency without charge.
Ready when you are
Your Comeback Plan maps your dates and shows options from our panel you may be able to apply for.
Start your Comeback PlanFree to use, no obligation. The plan itself won't affect your credit score.