Buying guides
What a business credit check costs in New Zealand
Nobody publishes a straight comparison of NZ business credit check prices, so we checked every provider's own site. Here is what each one publishes, what the check covers, and what the public record already tells you for nothing.
Updated 2026-07-13 · 7 min read
The short version
A one off business credit check on a New Zealand company costs about $45 to $49 plus GST from the providers that publish a price. The larger bureaus sell subscriptions with pricing on application, so you cannot compare them without a sales conversation. And a surprising amount of what people want from a credit check, company status, insolvency, directors, is already free in the public registers.
Published prices, provider by provider
These are the prices each provider publishes on its own website, checked on 13 July 2026. Where a provider does not publish pricing we say so rather than guessing.
| Provider | Published price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Centrix | $49 excl GST, one off | Single business credit check, no account needed |
| Checkmate | $45 per check (+$2.50 PPSR search, +$12 for 12 months monitoring) | One off checks with optional add-ons; GST treatment not stated on the site |
| CreditorWatch | From AUD $99 to $449 per month | Subscription plans; its data is Australian, so NZ coverage is the thing to confirm first |
| CreditWorks | Not published | NZ trade bureau; subscription pricing on application |
| Equifax NZ | Not published | Commercial bureau products; pricing on application |
| Experian (formerly illion) | Not published | Commercial bureau products; pricing on application |
| Companies Register | Free | Status, directors, shareholders, filings for every NZ company |
| Insolvency Register | Free | Liquidations, receiverships and bankruptcies |
Prices change and providers run promotions. Treat the table as a dated snapshot and confirm on the provider's own site before you buy.
What a paid credit check adds
The paid product is mainly two things you cannot get from the registers: a credit score built from payment behaviour data, and defaults or collections activity reported to the bureau by other businesses. If you are extending significant trade credit, that payment behaviour signal is the reason to pay.
What a credit score does not tell you is the public record context: whether the entity is actually registered and in good standing, who controls it, whether its directors have been involved in failed companies, and whether there is regulator or court activity on record. That side is public information.
What you can check without paying a bureau
- Company status, directors, shareholders and filing history on the Companies Register.
- Liquidations, receiverships and personal bankruptcies on the Insolvency Register.
- Liquidator appointments and winding up applications in the NZ Gazette.
- Security interests over assets on the PPSR (small statutory search fee).
- A Checkbase report brings the public record together in one place, and monitoring tells you when any of it changes. Current pricing is always on our pricing page.
Which option fits which situation
For a one off decision about a single company, a one off check makes sense, and the public record may already answer the question. For ongoing exposure, a customer on 30 day terms, a supplier you depend on, the shape that matters is monitoring, because the risk is that the position changes after you looked.
For high volume trade credit across many accounts, a bureau subscription with payment behaviour data earns its keep. That is the use case the pricing on application products are built for.
Questions and answers
How much does it cost to credit check a company in NZ?
As at July 2026, the providers that publish prices charge about $45 to $49 plus GST for a one off business credit check. Bureau subscriptions are priced on application. Company status, directors and insolvency information are free in the public registers.
Is a credit check the same as a company check?
No. A credit check adds bureau data such as a score and reported defaults. A company check reads the public record: registration, status, directors, insolvency and regulator activity. Many decisions only need the second one.
Can I check a company for free?
Yes. The Companies Register and the Insolvency Register are free public records, and the NZ Gazette publishes insolvency notices. Paid products add payment behaviour data and packaging on top.
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