How to Report Debtors to Credit Bureaus

Credit bureaus function as clearinghouses of information on individuals and companies via reports created from the suppliers' experiences with their customers. If purchasers of credit reports want those reports to be meaningful, they should be supplying their experiences with customers to the credit bureaus.

Instructions

Begin

1

Choose the credit bureau that has the closest match to your customers to do you and the credit bureau the most good. There are three main credit bureaus that report on individuals: Trans Union, Equifax and Experian. If you sell to individuals, they would be your best bet. If you sell mostly to companies, research which is the best credit bureau to join, as they have different industry specializations. Dun & Bradstreet is recognized as the largest commercial credit reporting company. It would be a good choice, if the others do not maintain reports on your customers.

2

Contact the credit bureau's reporting division for technical specifications on sending reports about your customers. The credit bureau will want to be sure your data can be merged easily with its data. Make sure you follow the credit bureau's format, or it will reject your reporting.

3

Run a test report at the beginning of one month to ensure that the credit reporting company can read and find your customers. The credit bureau will let you know of any problems, and you can fix them before the actual reporting at the end of the month.

4

Ask if you can have the accounts you report on monitored at a reduced rate or even for free. Since you are supplying the credit bureau with information, it should be willing to help you out with information on your accounts.