New SCHUFA Score 2026: Classes & Criteria
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use one of these links. Sources: schufa. de, Verbraucherzentrale (26 June 2026), BaFin.
What the SCHUFA reform changed
If you live in Germany, your SCHUFA score affects almost everything: renting an apartment, opening a bank account, getting a phone contract, and especially applying for a loan. Until 2026, nobody outside SCHUFA knew how that score was calculated. The system used around 250 criteria, and companies saw a different value than you did.
Since 17 March 2026, the score runs on a scale of 100 to 999 points and is built from 12 published criteria. You and the company checking you see the same number.
Key takeaways
- The new score has been live since 17 March 2026 and ranges from 100 to 999 points.
- The changeover is not finished. At launch only about 25 percent of SCHUFA's contract partners were using the new value, and the old industry scores are still in circulation.
- Old and new cannot be converted into each other. A former 98 percent does not become 980 points.
- SCHUFA publishes a point range for each of the 12 criteria, and the twelve maximums add up to exactly 999.
- The shorter deletion periods came in January 2025, not with this reform.
Why SCHUFA changed the system
In December 2023 the European Court of Justice ruled (Case C-634/21) that fully automated credit scoring falls under GDPR Article 22, which gives consumers a right to an explanation rather than a bare number. Consumer groups in Germany had been asking for that for years. The 12-factor model is SCHUFA's answer.
What the SCHUFA score points mean: the five classes
SCHUFA sorts the scale into five classes. The ranges and the population shares below come from SCHUFA's own explanation page (source: schufa. de):
| Class | Points | What SCHUFA says |
|---|---|---|
| Hervorragend (excellent) | 776 to 999 | Low risk of payment default; around 62 percent of people are in this class |
| Gut (good) | 709 to 775 | Average risk; about 20 percent of people |
| Akzeptabel (acceptable) | 642 to 708 | Slightly elevated risk |
| Ausreichend (sufficient) | below the acceptable class | Elevated risk |
| Ungenügend (insufficient) | bottom of the scale | Clearly elevated risk |
Two things that often get confused. The class names are the same ones the old percentage score used, only the number behind them is new. And you cannot convert between the two systems: as the Verbraucherzentrale puts it, someone who scored 98 percent on the old Basis-Score does not automatically hold 980 points. The score alone does not decide your contract either; banks add their own data, such as your disposable household income.
The 12 criteria and their points
Instead of around 250 undisclosed features, SCHUFA now names 12 criteria and publishes the point range for each one (source: schufa. de):
| Criterion | Points | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Payment defaults | 100 to 264 | Open dunning notices or debt collection. Full points if there is no default on record |
| Inquiries and contracts (banking) | 0 to 117 | Current accounts and credit cards in the last 12 months. From three inquiries or contracts you drop to the minimum |
| Inquiries outside banking | 0 to 99 | Telecoms and online retail |
| Age of your current address | 0 to 94 | How long you have been registered where you live |
| Oldest credit card | 0 to 81 | How long you have held a credit card |
| Oldest bank contract | 0 to 69 | Typically your first current account |
| New installment loans | 0 to 66 | Taken out in the last 12 months |
| Remaining term of installment loans | 0 to 61 | How long your running loans still have to go |
| Property loan | 0 to 55 | Whether a loan or mortgage of this type exists |
| Identity verification | 0 to 38 | Whether you are verified with SCHUFA |
| Most recent framework credit | 0 to 36 | Overdraft or credit line |
| Loan status | 0 to 19 | Whether running loans are being serviced properly |
Add the twelve maximums together and you land on exactly 999. The floor of 100 comes from the first criterion alone, which never drops below 100 points. So the scale is not an arbitrary range, it is the sum of its parts.
That also tells you which levers matter. Payment defaults carry more weight than the next three criteria combined. Loan status, at 19 points, barely moves anything. One practical detail for anyone comparing offers: several inquiries within 28 days count only once under the banking-inquiries criterion.
Worth noting for what is not on the list: none of the 12 criteria rates the neighbourhood you live in. Only how long you have been registered at your current address counts.
Where to see your SCHUFA score for free
SCHUFA points to two free routes on its own page: the SCHUFA account and the bonify app. Both let you view your stored data "free of charge and digitally at any time", and the account also shows the points per criterion. Registration runs through meineSCHUFA. de. bonify is operated by Forteil GmbH, part of the SCHUFA group.
Separately, you can request a data copy under GDPR Article 15. It shows which entries are stored, where they came from and who received them. The regulation sets no annual cap here; only for manifestly excessive repeat requests may a fee be charged (Article 12(5) GDPR). Checking your own score does not lower it.
Deletion periods: what has applied since 2023 and 2025
This gets mixed up a lot. The shorter deletion periods did not come from the March 2026 reform.
Since December 2023 (ECJ ruling): In Case C-634/21 the European Court of Justice decided that SCHUFA may not keep data from insolvency proceedings (Restschuldbefreiung) longer than the public insolvency register does. There, those entries are deleted after six months.
Since January 2025 (Code of Conduct): Under the credit bureaus' code of conduct, a settled payment default can be deleted after 18 months instead of three years, provided there are no other negative entries, no insolvency entries, and the debt was paid within 100 days of being reported (source: BaFin).
The March 2026 reform is about how the score is calculated and shown, not about deletion.
What the reform means for expats
If you moved to Germany recently, your score is probably lower than you expect. That is normal. Three of the 12 criteria measure age: of your address registration, your oldest bank contract and your oldest credit card. Together they are worth up to 244 points, and a newcomer starts them all at zero. None of that says you are a bad borrower; the system simply has little history on you yet.
What the reform does change for you is that you can now see exactly which of the 12 criteria hold you back and how many points each one is worth, so you can stop guessing. Free access also means you catch wrong entries early, and wrong entries happen.
If your file is still thin and you need financing, compare your options through a free loan comparison. The comparison runs as a Konditionsanfrage (rate inquiry), which does not touch your score.
How to improve your SCHUFA score
The order follows the points table above, so the biggest lever comes first.
- Pay every bill on time. Payment defaults carry up to 264 points, more than the next three criteria combined. Set up direct debits (Lastschrift) for recurring bills.
- Bundle your inquiries. Several inquiries within 28 days count once; from three inquiries or new contracts in 12 months you are down to the minimum. Get your offers in one window, not spread over the year. When you compare debt consolidation options through a comparison portal, the check is logged as a Konditionsanfrage and does not affect your score.
- Stay at your address. Length of registration at your current address is worth up to 94 points. Try not to move right before a larger loan application.
- Keep your oldest account and card open. This is where the common advice has turned around. Oldest bank contract and oldest credit card are worth up to 150 points together, and both measure age. Cancelling your first card wipes that history. Cancel cards that cost fees and that you never use, but not the oldest one.
- Check your data for errors. Request your free data copy and go through every entry. For disputes, the Verbraucherzentrale (consumer advice centre) can help.
- Verify your identity with SCHUFA. Identity verification is worth up to 38 points and is a one-off.
What to do now
- Open your free SCHUFA account at meineSCHUFA. de and look at the points per criterion.
- Request your data copy and check every entry.
- Plan loan inquiries in one time window, not across months.
If you are about to apply for a loan, compare offers first. A SCHUFA-neutral loan comparison shows rates from several German banks without touching your score.
Sources: schufa. de (score classes and criterion points), Verbraucherzentrale (26 June 2026), BaFin, ECJ Case C-634/21 (December 2023).
Frequently Asked Questions
Since when does the new SCHUFA score apply?
Since 17 March 2026. Companies are switching gradually: at launch, according to the Verbraucherzentrale, only about 25 percent of contract partners used the new value, and the old industry-specific scores keep running until the end of 2028.
What do the points mean?
SCHUFA uses five classes: Hervorragend from 776 points, Gut from 709, Akzeptabel from 642, then Ausreichend and Ungenügend. Around 62 percent of people are in the top class.
How many points would my old percentage be?
There is no conversion. The Verbraucherzentrale spells it out: someone who had 98 percent on the old Basis-Score does not automatically have 980 points.
Is the SCHUFA account free?
Yes. Score display and the breakdown by criterion are free, as is access through the bonify app. You can also request a free data copy under GDPR Article 15, with no annual cap in the regulation.
Are negative entries deleted faster now?
The shorter deletion periods of 18 months instead of three years for certain settled debts have applied since January 2025 through the credit bureaus Code of Conduct. They are unrelated to the March 2026 reform.
Does checking my own score hurt it?
No. Your own inquiry is not a credit inquiry by a company and does not lower the value.
Which criterion counts the most?
Payment defaults, with up to 264 points. Next come banking inquiries and contracts with up to 117 and non-banking inquiries with up to 99 points.
Can I get wrong SCHUFA entries removed?
Yes. If your data copy contains errors, request a correction from SCHUFA directly. If that stalls, the Verbraucherzentrale can help you escalate.