A Simple Guide on How to Check Your Debt Review Status
You settled your last debt review payment months ago. So why does your loan application keep getting declined? The answer could be as simple as you never actually confirming your debt review status was updated and cleared.
What your debt review status is
When you go through debt counselling, your progress is recorded on the National Credit Regulator’s Debt Help System (DHS). This information gets shared with the credit bureaus and becomes part of your credit profile as a status code, and that code is what tells any bank or lender whether you’re still under debt review or not.
Many people assume their status updates itself once they stop paying, or once they’re done. It doesn’t work that way.
How to check your debt review status
There are three simple ways to find out:
- Pull a free credit report. You are entitled to one free report per year from each of the major bureaus: TransUnion, Experian, XDS and Compuscan. Request your report on the bureau’s website, then look in the public records section for a debt review flag and its status code.
- Phone the NCR. Call the National Credit Regulator directly on 0860 627 627 with your ID number ready. They can confirm whether a debt review application has been filed in your name, which is handy if you suspect you were listed without your consent.
- Using a registered debt counsellor. They can check your exact status on the DHS directly, confirm which code is attached to your name, and tell you precisely what still needs to happen to get you cleared, rather than leaving you to interpret a code on a report by yourself.
Understanding your status codes
The code next to your debt review flag tells the whole story. Here is what the main ones mean in simple terms:
- B: Your debt review application has been submitted, and your credit providers have been notified.
- C: A debt counsellor has confirmed you are over-indebted. You are actively under review.
- D4: The Magistrate’s Court has granted your restructuring order. This is the most firmly established stage.
- F1: Your clearance certificate has been issued, and all your debt is settled.
- F2: Your clearance certificate has been issued with your home loan excluded.
- G / G1: A court has confirmed you are no longer over-indebted, so the flag must be removed.
If your code is F1, F2, G or G1, you are cleared and free to rebuild. If it is B, C or D4, you are still under review.
Why this matters
Being unclear about your status doesn’t just cost you a declined application. It costs you time, and often money, chasing the wrong solution. Some people spend months trying to fix a problem that turns out to be a simple clearance certificate that was never issued. Others don’t realise they’re still under legal protection and could be paying less than they think.
Sorting this out properly usually takes correctly documented proof going to every creditor involved, and then on to the credit bureaus, so nothing gets missed along the way.
Get a straight answer instead of guessing
If you’re not sure exactly where you stand, our debt counselling team can check your real status, explain exactly what it means, and map out what still needs to happen to get you cleared.
If it turns out you’re not under debt review at all, but you are struggling to keep up with several accounts, it’s worth understanding how the debt review process works and whether it’s the right move for you now.
One quick conversation could put you back in control.