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Every status code on your credit report, decoded.
Written off, settled, restructured, suit filed, NPA — what every code means, and the honest verdict on which can be fixed.
Written by Harish Krishnamurthy, Co-founderReviewed & updated August 20265 min readReviewed by Aradhana Prasad, Sr. Credit AnalystKey takeaways
- Every account status on a CIBIL report is a code with a precise meaning — and lenders read the code, not your explanation.
- Three codes are permanent even after resolution: auctioned and settled (15), repossessed and settled (16), guarantee invoked (17).
- Post Write-Off Closed is the best honest outcome after a genuine write-off — full payment, correctly re-reported.
- A wrong code is correctable with documents through the lender-first dispute route; an accurate one changes only through resolution.
Start here
Three layers of codes, one report.
A credit report speaks in three code languages at once. The payment grid shows days past due, DPD (days late, month by month), month by month: 000 means paid on time, 030 means 30 days late, 090 means 90, and XXX means the lender reported nothing that month. The asset classification shows how the lender grades the account: STD (five codes, healthy down to loss) is standard, SMA is a special mention account sliding toward trouble, and once dues cross 90 days the account becomes an NPA, a non-performing asset, graded sub-standard, then doubtful, then loss. And the credit facility status carries the numbered codes below, 0 to 17 and 99, which tell every future lender what happened to the account. Lenders read all three together; so should you. If you only need what one word means, the glossary gives each status in four plain lines.
The table
Every status code, 0 to 17 and 99.
Plain language, with the honest repair verdict for each. "Fix: full payment" means the code can be upgraded, usually to Post Write-Off Closed (13) or Closed, only by clearing the dues in full and having the lender re-report; another settlement does not upgrade a settlement. "Permanent" means the event stays on the record even after everything is paid.
| Code | What it is | The honest path |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Restructured loanEMI, tenure or terms changed because of borrower stress, outside any government scheme. Fix: full payment | Repay fully, then ask for Restructured & Closed (14) |
| 1 | Restructured, govt schemeRestructured under a government or RBI-announced package, such as the COVID moratorium. Fix: full payment | Repay fully; the tag may be removed per lender policy |
| 2 | Written offThe lender booked the loan as a loss and stopped treating it as performing. The dues can still be legally recovered. Fix: full payment | Pay the full outstanding, then request 13 |
| 3 | Settled / sold / WO settledA combined bucket: settled for less, or sold to an ARC, or written off then settled. Fix: full payment | Only full repayment upgrades this, not another settlement |
| 4 | Post write-off settledAfter a write-off, a partial settlement was paid. Fix: full payment | Clear the remainder, then request 13 |
| 5 | Account soldThe loan was sold, usually to an asset reconstruction company. A new owner now reports it. Fix: full payment | Pay the new owner in full and have them report Closed |
| 6 | Written off and soldWritten off and transferred to another entity, the hardest combination. Fix: full payment | Full payment to the buyer, then request 13 |
| 7 | Account purchasedThe reporting lender bought your loan from another lender. Not negative by itself. OK / repaired | Just keep paying on time |
| 8 | Purchased & restructuredA purchased account that was also restructured. Fix: full payment | Repay fully, then request Closed |
| 9 | Purchased & written offA purchased account the previous lender had written off. Fix: full payment | Full repayment, then request 13 |
| 10 | Purchased & settled / soldA purchased account with a settlement or sale in its history. Fix: full payment | Clear dues fully, then request Closed |
| 11 | Restructured, natural calamityTerms changed under disaster relief, flood, cyclone, drought. Fix: full payment | Repay fully; the code may be removed |
| 12 | Restructured, other causeRestructured for a specified hardship not covered by other codes. Fix: full payment | Repay fully, then request 14 |
| 13 | Post write-off closedA written-off account later repaid in full and closed. The repair destination for codes 2, 4, 6 and 9. OK / repaired | Nothing more to do; the score rebuilds from here |
| 14 | Restructured & closedRestructured earlier, fully repaid since, account closed. OK / repaired | Partially repairable further via lender request and dispute |
| 15 | Auctioned & settledThe secured asset was auctioned and the loan settled from the proceeds. Permanent | The auction event itself stays on record |
| 16 | Repossessed & settledThe asset was repossessed and dues recovered from it. Permanent | Repossession cannot be erased, only closed |
| 17 | Guarantee invokedThe guarantor was made to pay after the borrower defaulted. Permanent | A lifetime credit event; it can be marked closed, not erased |
| 99 | Status clearedThe lender reset an earlier code after a correction or regulatory update. OK / repaired | This is what a successful dispute often produces |
NPA, plainly
What NPA actually means.
NPA stands for non-performing asset: a loan where interest or principal has been overdue for more than 90 days. It is the lender's accounting term, not a separate mark the bureau invents. Once an account turns NPA it is graded sub-standard for its first year, doubtful after that, and loss when the lender considers it uncollectible. For your score, what matters is resolution: an NPA that gets paid and correctly re-reported stops hurting and starts ageing; an unresolved one keeps reporting and keeps hurting, year after year. There is no waiting it out.
The honest line
No code on this table can be deleted while it is accurate. Codes get corrected when they are wrong, and upgraded when the dues are genuinely cleared. Anyone promising to erase a genuine written-off (bank booked it as a loss), settled or NPA record is describing something the system does not allow.
When the code is wrong
Wrong codes are common, and correctable.
A large share of the cases we publish began with a code that was simply wrong: fully repaid gold loans still showing written off with NOCs in hand, a closed HDB loan reported written off years later, an education loan branded wilful default after it was repaid. Wrong codes are corrected through the lender, with documents, using the exact sequence in our dispute guide. If yours is a genuine or settled account instead, the honest routes are on the written-off and settled pages.
Sources & regulation
Where these claims come from.
| Claim in this guide | Source |
|---|---|
| Reporting framework governing how lenders report account statuses to bureaus | RBI Master Direction — Credit Information Reporting, 2025 |
| Your right to dispute and correct inaccurate entries | Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005 |
Quick answers
Answered first.
What are status codes in a credit report?
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What does post write-off closed mean in CIBIL?
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What does restructured mean in a CIBIL report?
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What does suit filed mean in CIBIL?
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Which status codes cannot be fixed?
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What is the difference between NPA and written off?
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Not sure which code is on your report?
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