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The Credit Library
Read your report like an analyst.
Six sections, one document that decides your approvals. What each block means, how to read the DPD grid, and the red flags to catch before a lender does.
Written by Harish Krishnamurthy, Co-founderReviewed & updated August 20263 min readReviewed by Vaidhehi P, Sr. Credit AnalystKey takeaways
- A CIBIL report always runs in the same six sections — the account information grid is where lenders spend their time and approvals are decided.
- DPD is the month-by-month truth: 0/STD means on time, numbers count days late — one wrong digit in a month you paid is a disputable error.
- Every bureau owes you one free full credit report per year under the RBI framework — four free reports annually across the four bureaus.
- Eight red flags to scan for: not-your-accounts, closed-shown-active, phantom balances, wrong DPDs, unknown statuses, strange addresses, unauthorised enquiries, wrong ownership.
Just need the DPD grid (days late, month by month) decoded — full form, codes, the 36-month window? DPD in five minutes →
The map
Six sections, fixed order.
A CIBIL report always reads in the same order: your score up top; personal information (name, dates, IDs); contact information (addresses and numbers lenders reported); employment information as last reported; the account information grid, the heart of the document, every loan and card with lender, type, dates, amounts, status and month-by-month payment history; and enquiry information, who pulled your report and when. Lenders spend most of their time in the account grid; so should you.
The grid
Reading account information like an underwriter.
Each account row carries the fields that decide approvals: ownership (single, joint, guarantor — a guaranteed loan is your liability too), status (the codes decoded in our status guide), current balance and overdue, and the DPD row: up to 36 months of digits where 0 or STD means paid on time, and numbers count days late. One stray 90 in a clean is either a real slip or a reporting error, and either way it is the first thing an underwriter sees. Dates matter too: an account you closed showing a recent "date reported" with a balance is the classic closed-shown-active error.
The red flags
Eight things to scan for in five minutes.
Accounts that are not yours. Closed loans shown active. Balances that should be zero. digits in months you paid. A settled or written-off status (bank booked it as a loss) you do not recognise. Addresses you never lived at (a fraud tell). Enquiries you never authorised. And ownership marked wrong, borrower where you were only a guarantor. Anything on this list is a candidate for the dispute ladder; each bureau owes you one free full report a year, so scanning all four annually costs nothing but the evening it takes.
Sources & regulation
Where these claims come from.
| Claim in this guide | Source |
|---|---|
| One free full credit report per bureau per year; fortnightly reporting by lenders | RBI Master Direction — Credit Information Reporting, 2025 |
| Your right to accurate information and correction | Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005 |
Quick answers
Answered first.
How do I read the DPD in my CIBIL report?
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What are the sections of a CIBIL report?
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How can I get my CIBIL report for free?
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How do I check all the loans on my name?
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What does 'date reported' mean in a CIBIL report?
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Why is an address I never lived at on my report?
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Something in your report you cannot read?
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