South African rand banknotes

Credit Score

Quick Answer

What is Credit Score?

A credit score is a bureau’s rating of how reliably a person or business repays debt.

Credit Score explained

For small businesses, funders check both the business and the owners. Recent defaults and many simultaneous applications damage it; clean repayment history rebuilds it.

Who it applies to: Anyone applying for funding.

Cost: Free to check your own reports annually.

Related terms and guides

Official source: Gov.za

Always verify this information with official South African government sources. Rules, fees and thresholds change. Check SARS, CIPC, the Department of Employment and Labour or gov.za before you act.

About BizAnswers: BizAnswers is a privately owned South African company – not a government department. Our guides are free to read and show you how to do things yourself through official channels. If you would rather have the paperwork handled for you, we assist individuals and businesses with filing their South African tax returns and staying compliant, which is a paid service, not a free government service. Contact us for help.


Last reviewed: September 2026 by the BizAnswers editorial team. How we write and check our guides.