Errors are not rare: namesakes, old addresses, debts sold twice to collectors. The annual Datenkopie check takes 15 minutes — and protects your lease and loans.
Fixing Wrong Entries
Wrong and outdated entries must go — SCHUFA is obliged to investigate on your objection. Paid debts do not vanish instantly, but the retention periods are limited.
✓ Verified: 15/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
› Details and tips
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Max recommends:
I disputed a contract that was not mine with a letter, data copy and ID copy. While SCHUFA queried the creditor the entry stayed blocked; he could not substantiate it, and it was deleted after a good month.
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Lea recommends:
After paying off a debt, get the settlement certificate from the creditor immediately and send it to SCHUFA yourself — do not wait for their someday report.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
SCHUFA ignores my objection — now what? ▾
After a month of silence: complain to the free SCHUFA ombudsman and the state data-protection officer. Disputed entries are blocked during review.
How long do paid debts stay? ▾
Standard: 3 years from the end of the payment year; small quickly settled claims (under €2,000, within 6 weeks) are deleted immediately. ⚠️ Since late 2025 this is no longer a rigid rule: in its judgment of 18 December 2025 (I ZR 97/25) the Federal Court of Justice held that retention periods **may not be applied schematically** — instead a concrete balancing of interests under the GDPR is required, and in special circumstances earlier deletion is possible. This does not mean entries vanish on payment: it was precisely automatic deletion after settlement that the court refused. But asking for early deletion citing this ruling is a regular route, not a hopeless one.
The creditor ignores my objection — dead end? ▾
No: the entry is blocked during the investigation, and the SCHUFA ombudsman plus the data-protection authority help, both free of charge. If the creditor cannot substantiate the entry, SCHUFA must delete it.
I paid the debt — why is it still there? ▾
Payment sets the status to settled, but the entry stays visible for 3 years. Exception: small claims up to €2,000 paid within 6 weeks are deleted immediately.