Understanding your TaleFin Score
TaleFin helps credit providers follow regulations and assess risk, and helps you understand your creditworthiness so you can access credit. We analyse bank statement and credit reporting information to streamline credit decisions, including by producing a credit score.
Your score
The TaleFin Score is a real-time score built from bank data, spending patterns and predictive models. It ranges from 0 to 1000 and reflects your ability to take on new credit. Most people have a higher TaleFin Score than a legacy bureau score, because TaleFin uses more relevant, up-to-date data.
How it works
The score draws on many factors. To make it easier to understand and improve, we group them into nine categories:
- Income. A steady income stream boosts creditworthiness.
- Disposable income. How well your regular income covers your regular expenses.
- Productive spend. Whether spending is constructive and value-generating, such as education or home improvement.
- Adverse spend. Whether spending shows riskier behaviour, such as heavy drinking or gambling.
- Reliable payment history. How reliably past payments were made, with recent behaviour counting for more.
- Missed payments. How often past payments were missed, with recent behaviour counting for more.
- Loan amount and type. The type and number of open and recent credit products.
- Cash spend. High cash spending can affect creditworthiness.
- Government reliance. Heavy reliance on government support can affect creditworthiness.
What we leave out matters just as much. We do not use:
- Credit applications or credit bureau enquiries.
- Your postcode.
- Gender, ethnicity or religion.
- Financial hardship information.
We exclude these because they are weak indicators compared with the variables we do consider.
Score bands
| Grade | Score range | Band | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 900+ | Rock solid | You are in great shape. Your habits show strength and consistency. |
| B | 700 - 899 | On track | You are doing really well. Your financial behaviour reflects responsibility and care. |
| C | 600 - 699 | Building momentum | You are making good progress. Your habits are improving and trending positively. |
| D | 400 - 599 | Turning the corner | Some positive signs, and some areas to keep working on. You are heading in the right direction. |
| E | 200 - 399 | Rebuilding starts here | Things may feel tough right now, but every step forward counts. |
| F | 0 - 199 | Finding a way | Everyone faces challenges. This is a moment to regroup, and help is available (see below). |
Why it matters
- Better products. A higher score can help you climb the ladder to better credit products.
- Better rates. A higher score can unlock lower interest.
- Faster approvals. Lenders see you as lower risk.
Why TaleFin is different
- Fairness and transparency. Shopping around for the best deal, or your postcode, will not hurt your score.
- First-timers welcome. No credit bureau history? We can still give you useful insights by evaluating your financial data.
- Always up to date. Your score changes with you. We combine real-time and historical data for a more reliable picture.
- Behaviour based. You can see exactly what helps, and what hurts, your score.
- Holistic view. We bring together bank data, bills and more.
Access your score
Ask your credit provider or third-party access service for a free copy of your TaleFin Score today. Our updated consumer platform is coming soon, so you will be able to check your score any time, free of charge.
Financial assistance
If you are feeling overwhelmed, or simply want to understand your options, there are trusted, free resources available to support you:
- MoneySmart. Free tools and guidance from the Australian Government to help you manage your money, reduce debt and plan ahead.
- Department of Social Services. Information on financial assistance, emergency relief and community support services across Australia.
- National Debt Helpline. Free, confidential financial counselling to help you manage debt and get back on track.
Your credit score: common questions
What is the TaleFin Score?
The TaleFin Score is a real-time view of your creditworthiness that combines your bank data and credit information into a single, fair score.
Is the TaleFin Score a credit score?
Yes. It reflects your creditworthiness using real financial behaviour, not just a thin credit file.
How do I check my TaleFin Score?
Through the TaleFin Consumer Portal, where you can access your information any time, for free.
What affects my TaleFin Score?
Genuine financial behaviour such as income, spending patterns and how you manage commitments, rather than blunt proxies like postcode.