Schufa score: what information you are entitled to and how to get it

On 21 October 2026, Germany's Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) ruled in four cases on when Schufa must explain how a score was calculated. The result: you are entitled to that explanation if a company based its decision on a contract largely on your Schufa score, and you do not have to prove this in every detail. Separately, you can request a free copy of your data at any time. From 20 November 2026, the new § 37a BDSG also obliges Schufa to explain the most important score criteria in plain language.

Key points

• The data copy under Art. 15 GDPR is free and shows all stored data, your scores and who received them.
• According to the BGH (judgments of 21 Oct 2026, I ZR 227/25 to 230/25), it is enough that a rejection coincides in time with a score being transmitted. The score is then presumed to have been decisive.
• From 20 Nov 2026, Schufa must, on request, name the data, criteria and weighting that influence your score most (§ 37a(4) BDSG).
• Name, age, gender, address, bank account transactions and social media data may no longer be used in the score from that date.
• You can challenge a score-based decision with the bank and ask for it to be reviewed by a human (§ 37a(5) BDSG).

What does the free Schufa data copy contain?

The data copy (Datenkopie) under Art. 15 GDPR lists everything Schufa has stored about you: personal details, previous addresses, current accounts, credit cards, current and repaid loans, mobile phone and leasing contracts, enquiries from companies and any payment defaults. It also includes your current scores and the scores passed on to companies in the last twelve months. Under Art. 15(3) GDPR, the first copy is free.

Since 17 March 2026, Schufa has used a new score. According to the Verbraucherzentrale (consumer advice centre), it runs from 100 to 999 points, is based on 12 published criteria and is the same for consumers and companies. Previously, banks, mail-order retailers and mobile providers each saw their own industry scores. At launch, however, only about 25 per cent of Schufa's contract partners used the new value. According to Schufa, around 8 per cent of consumers moved into a worse class with the change, while around 9 per cent moved up.

You order the data copy using the form on meineschufa.de. It arrives by post, usually within a few days. Make sure you choose the free form and not one of Schufa's paid subscription products. Check the copy for outdated entries, wrong addresses and contracts you do not recognise. How banks use the score when you apply for a loan is explained in the guide Improving your credit rating.

What did the BGH decide on 21 October 2026?

The BGH set out when Schufa must disclose the logic behind a score: whenever a company's decision on a contract with you "maßgeblich von dem an ihn übermittelten Scorewert abhängt", meaning it depends largely on the score it received. That is the wording of press release no. 198/2026. The legal basis is Art. 15(1)(h) and Art. 22(1) GDPR as interpreted by the Court of Justice of the European Union in judgment C-634/21 of 7 December 2023.

The key point for consumers is the burden of proof. Several higher regional courts had required consumers to prove exactly that a rejection was caused by the score. The BGH lowers this hurdle: it is enough for you to state that Schufa transmitted a score to a company and that a decision against you followed shortly afterwards. According to the BGH, there is then a factual presumption that the score was decisive.

The four claimants have not won yet. The BGH set aside the judgments of the Dresden Higher Regional Court and sent the cases back, because findings on whether the claimants were adversely affected were missing. It did make clear, however, that Schufa's reply letters from 2023 would not have met its duty to inform if a claim exists. For you this means: if you were refused a loan, a rental flat or a mobile contract shortly after a Schufa enquiry, you have good arguments for an explanation of your score.

What changes from 20 November 2026?

From 20 November 2026, § 37a BDSG replaces the previous scoring rule in § 31 BDSG. It was introduced by Article 3 of the act implementing the EU Consumer Credit Directive (BGBl. 2026 I No. 139). The wording of § 37a BDSG brings two major changes: certain data are off limits for the score, and credit bureaus must explain the score on request without you first having to prove a rejection.

Point	Until 19 Nov 2026	From 20 Nov 2026
Data copy	free (Art. 15 GDPR)	still free
Score explanation	only after a decisive decision (BGH)	on request: criteria and weighting
Address in score	allowed, but not alone	banned
Name, age, gender	not expressly regulated	banned
Account transactions	not expressly regulated	banned
Human review	under Art. 22 GDPR	challenge with the bank (para. 5)

Under § 37a(4) BDSG, Schufa must tell you in "clear and plain" language which data and criteria it used, how the criteria that influence the value most are weighted against each other, how meaningful your specific score is and which scores it has passed on to whom. The deadline follows Art. 12(3) GDPR, which is usually one month. The bureau must keep the necessary information for one year.

It is still open how the new rule applies to scores calculated before 20 November 2026 and how the courts will see its relationship to the BGH case law. As of October 2026, there is no decision on this.

How do you request the information step by step?

In most cases two letters are enough: the data copy and, from 20 November 2026, a request under § 37a BDSG. Both can be sent informally by post or email.

1. Request the data copy: fill in the form on meineschufa.de, enter your ID details and wait for the reply by post.
2. Check the copy: are your address, accounts and loans correct? Which companies received a score in the last twelve months?
3. Note the date after a rejection: if the company's enquiry came shortly before the refusal, the BGH presumes the score was the reason.
4. From 20 Nov 2026, ask for an explanation. In German, for example: „Ich beantrage nach § 37a Abs. 4 BDSG Auskunft über die für meinen Scorewert genutzten Daten und Kriterien, deren Gewichtung, die Aussagekraft des Wertes sowie die erstellten Scorewerte und ihre Empfänger.“ (I request information under § 37a(4) BDSG on the data and criteria used for my score, their weighting, the significance of the value and the scores created and their recipients.)
5. Set a deadline: if you have no adequate answer after one month, you can complain to the competent data protection authority. As Schufa is based in Wiesbaden, that is the Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HBDI).

Keep the replies and proof of posting. They are your evidence if you later need to convince a bank, a landlord or a court.

What if an entry is wrong or your loan was rejected?

Schufa must correct a wrong entry under Art. 16 GDPR. Write to Schufa stating which entry is wrong and enclose evidence, such as the creditor's confirmation that a claim was paid or never due. At the same time, you can ask the reporting company to correct its report.

From 20 November 2026, § 37a(3) BDSG also limits which unpaid claims may be used in the score at all. These include claims confirmed by a court or expressly acknowledged by you, and claims where, after the due date, you received at least two written reminders, the first reminder was at least four weeks ago, you were told beforehand that Schufa might be notified and you did not dispute the claim. If you dispute a claim, it cannot enter your score via this reminder route. The only exceptions are a court judgment, an enforceable title or a finding in insolvency proceedings.

If a bank refused you a loan because of your score, you can challenge the decision under § 37a(5) BDSG, present your point of view and demand a decision by a human. What else you can do after a rejection is described in the guide Loan rejected. The duties banks have when checking creditworthiness from the cut-off date are summarised in New consumer credit rules from 20 November 2026. Before applying again, a loan comparison with rate enquiries helps, because other banks cannot see rate enquiries and they do not lower your score.