Help & FAQ's
What is My Business Profile?
My Business Profile is a subscription service for Directors of UK companies and Owners of non limited businesses which helps them to understand and monitor their business credit report and score.
What do I get with My Business Profile?
Through subscribing to My Business profile, you get full visibility of your business credit report, which includes credit score and credit limit, previous search details, credit account and business information.
Can't find my business?
We may be unable to find your business for one of the following reasons:
- For limited companies, the business name that you use is different to that registered with Companies House. Check your information held at Companies House http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/
- Your limited company has recently been incorporated. It takes up to 2 weeks from when you incorporate your business with Companies House before we display it.
- Unlike limited companies, non limited businesses do not have a central organisation where they must register their business and file regular updates. This means, it is not always possible to have information on all non limited businesses.
I can't find my directorship?
My Business Profile receives a regular update of Directors and their Usual Residential Addresses from Companies House. However, one of the reasons below may have prevented us from finding you:
- If you are not a registered Director of the business, we cannot release information to you. Check your information held at Companies House http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/
- If you are the Company Secretary of the business, we cannot release information to you as the service is only available to current directors of limited businesses.
Explanation of Credit Account Information (CAIS)
CAIS stands for Credit Account Information Sharing and is a scheme managed on behalf of organisations such as banks & utility companies by Experian.
CAIS is a secure data sharing scheme that increases security and reduces the risk of fraud or unsustainable lending. CAIS members each submit information on their customers to a central database and 'share alike' to help them make decisions on lending that focus on what is best for the applicant.
My Business Profile allows you, as the data subject, to view the same CAIS information that major lenders will use to help them decide whether to lend and to what level.
Why have I been sent a Personal Identification Number (PIN) letter?
If we are unable to confirm your identity, we will send you a "PIN" (by post) so that we can verify your identity. You should receive it within 5 working days. Your 'PIN' is a reference code specific to you which has been generated following your My Business Profile application. This 'PIN' will only need to be entered once with your first login, after which you will be able to continue the My Business Profile registration journey. Your 'PIN' can take up to five working days to reach you in the post. If you have still not received your 'PIN' after this time, please call our Customer Support Team on 0345 045 8081* (Mon - Thurs 8:30am to 5:30pm, Fri 8:30am to 5:00pm).
*The cost of calling an 0345 number is made up of two parts: an ACCESS CHARGE going to your phone company, and a SERVICE CHARGE set by the organisation you are calling. The SERVICE CHARGE for 0345 numbers from Experian is charged at the standard rate. You can find out the ACCESS CHARGE for this number, which is the rest of the call cost ? from your phone company.
I have not received my Personal Identification Number (PIN) letter
It can take around 7 working days from the time you apply for My Business Profile for your PIN to arrive with you. If you have waited longer than 7 days, please call our customer support team on 0345 045 8081* (Mon - Thurs 8:30am to 5:30pm, Fri 8:30am to 5:00pm) for a new PIN.
* The cost of calling an 0345 number is made up of two parts: an ACCESS CHARGE going to your phone company, and a SERVICE CHARGE set by the organisation you are calling. The SERVICE CHARGE for 0345 numbers from Experian is charged at the standard rate. You can find out the ACCESS CHARGE for this number, which is the rest of the call cost ? from your phone company.
How do I cancel my subscription?
We?re sorry that you want to leave. You can cancel your subscription by logging into your account and following the simple three step process below:
- 1. Log into your account at My Business Profile
- 2. Click on 'My Account' at the top of the screen
- 3. Click 'Cancel this subscription' and follow the instructions
Please note: After cancelling your subscription, it will remain active until it reaches its expiry date. For example, if you purchased a one month subscription, and then choose to cancel it, the subscription will remain active until the end of the month.
If you?d like to speak to us, or have any queries about cancelling your subscription, please call our Customer Support team on 0345 045 8081* (Mon - Thurs 8:30am to 5:30pm, Fri 8:30am to 5:00pm).
* The cost of calling an 0345 number is made up of two parts: an ACCESS CHARGE going to your phone company, and a SERVICE CHARGE set by the organisation you are calling. The SERVICE CHARGE for 0345 numbers from Experian is charged at the standard rate. You can find out the ACCESS CHARGE for this number, which is the rest of the call cost ? from your phone company.
How do I manage my card details?
If you would like to change the Credit or Debit card details used for your monthly subscription, you can log into My Business Profile at any time and visit 'My Account' to update your payment card details. If you're having problems, please call our team on 0345 045 8081* (Mon - Thurs 8:30am to 5:30pm, Fri 8:30am to 5:00pm).
*The cost of calling an 0345 number is made up of two parts: an ACCESS CHARGE going to your phone company, and a SERVICE CHARGE set by the organisation you are calling. The SERVICE CHARGE for 0345 numbers from Experian is charged at the standard rate. You can find out the ACCESS CHARGE for this number, which is the rest of the call cost ? from your phone company.
How is my business credit score calculated?
Experian take a number of factors into account to calculate a credit score. For both limited and non limited businesses we use a number of factors such as information from current account providers, credit card companies and other trade credit providers to understand the financial position of your business. Your payment performance to other companies and any CCJ information is also taken into account. For limited companies, we also use publicly accessible data such as Companies House records. Collectively, these positive and negative factors are combined to create your score.
What does Days Beyond Term (DBT) mean?
Days Beyond Term (DBT) is an indication of how long it takes a company to pay its bills, after the due date.
What is Industry DBT on Limited Company Report?
Industry Days Beyond Term (DBT) shows on average, how long limited companies in the same sector as this company take to pay their bills, after the due date.
What is DBT By Size Of Account?
This shows the average DBT based on the size (£) of the outstanding accounts. Where this shows N/A, there are no known accounts with this value range.
What is Number of Experiences?
The number of DBT experiences reported in the last month.
What does Monthly Trend mean?
A calculation based on recent information showing monthly DBT trend, up to and including the latest completed month.
Why do you need my home address?
We take security very seriously and your home address will be your Usual Residence Address you submitted to Companies House on Form AP01 Appointment of Director, which will allow us to verify your directorship.
How do I make a complaint?
If you have any queries please contact our Customer Support Team through the following channels;
Telephone: 0345 045 8081*
Email: mbp.info@experian.com
*The cost of calling an 0345 number is made up of two parts: an ACCESS CHARGE going to your phone company, and a SERVICE CHARGE set by the organisation you are calling. The SERVICE CHARGE for 0345 numbers from Experian is charged at the standard rate. You can find out the ACCESS CHARGE for this number, which is the rest of the call cost ? from your phone company.
Our Opening Hours are Mon - Thurs 8:30am to 5:30pm, Fri 8:30am to 5:00pm.
If you feel your query has not been resolved to your satisfaction and you want to make a complaint, we are sorry. We want to hear from you because telling us gives us the chance to put matters right for you, and see how we can improve what we do for others. Whatever way you complain to us, we will take notice.
Click on the following link to find out about our complaints handling procedure www.experian.co.uk/assets/consumer/contact-us/complaint-handling-procedure.pdf and how to make a complaint. If we cannot resolve things under that procedure, then you may have the right to refer your complaint, free of charge, to the Financial Ombudsman Service. If you are in any doubt about whether you can refer your complaint to the Ombudsman, please contact the Ombudsman. The contact details for the Financial Ombudsman Service are:
Telephone: 0300 123 9 123, or from outside the UK +44 20 7964 1000Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.ukWebsite: www.financial-ombudsman.org.ukFinancial Ombudsman ServiceSouth Quay Plaza183 Marsh WallLondonE14 9SRWhy do I need to create a memorable word?
When you create your My Business Profile account we ask you choose a memorable word to maximise security. When you log in to My Business Profile we’ll ask you for 3 characters from your memorable word.
What do I do if I have forgotten my memorable word?
If you are logging into My Business Profile and forget your memorable word, click on the 'hint' option which will display the hint you provided when you created your My Business Profile account. If this doesn't help you can click on the link which will send you an email enabling you to create a new memorable word and hint.
How do I change my memorable word?
Whilst you are logged into your My Business Profile account you can go to 'My Account' then 'Manage Memorable Word'. Complete the details requested on screen and click 'Change Memorable Word'.
Why have I been taken to the statutory report when I want to sign up to MBP?
Due to our strict ID checks, we are sometimes unable to automatically verify your personal details as part of the My Business Profile registration journey. If we have been unable to provide you the My Business Profile service you can submit a request for a statutory report. Please visit https://www.mybusinessprofile.com/non-limited/statutory.html to understand the difference in the two reports to see if the statutory report is suitable for your needs. This process may involve manually checking your identity documents in order to ensure we are providing the information to the right person.We’re sorry that this can cause inconvenience but we must ensure that no one else can access your information.
Why have I been sent a Business Identification Number (BIN) letter?
To help keep your information secure, we may send you a 'BIN' letter (by post). Your 'BIN' is a reference code specific to you which has been generated following your My Business Profile application. You should receive it within 5 working days. When you enter the code from your 'BIN' letter, we?re able to confirm that you are the authorised business owner and you?ll be able to continue your My Business Profile registration. Your 'BIN' can take up to five working days to reach you in the post. If you have still not received your 'BIN' after this time, please call our Customer Support Team on 0345 045 8081* (Mon - Thurs 8:30am to 5:30pm, Fri 8:30am to 5:00pm).
*The cost of calling an 0345 number is made up of two parts: an ACCESS CHARGE going to your phone company, and a SERVICE CHARGE set by the organisation you are calling. The SERVICE CHARGE for 0345 numbers from Experian is charged at the standard rate. You can find out the ACCESS CHARGE for this number, which is the rest of the call cost ? from your phone company.
Why do Experian have more than one report on my business?
Experian may hold more than one report on a non limited business. Unlike limited companies who have to register with Companies House and are provided with a unique registration number, non limited businesses aren’t required to do this and therefore don’t have a unique identifier in which to match data from different sources. Due to this, each data provider may have different ways of recording their information so it isn’t always possible to automatically combine the information into one report.
How do I know if I am a Limited Company or Non Limited Business?
A Limited Company is registered at Companies House and has an 8 digit Registration Number. The company has legal requirements to file certain documents to Companies House to maintain their limited status. A Non Limited business may also be referred to as a Sole Trader. A Non Limited business is not registered with Companies House and therefore, has no requirement to file any details about their business with them.
How much do calls cost?
The cost of calling an 0345 number is made up of two parts: an ACCESS CHARGE going to your phone company, and a SERVICE CHARGE set by the organisation you are calling. The SERVICE CHARGE for 0345 numbers from Experian is charged at the standard rate. You can find out the ACCESS CHARGE for this number, which is the rest of the call cost – from your phone company.