You pay the debt – and the SCHUFA entry acts as if it never saw the transfer. The BGH decided exactly this on 12/18/2025: “Delete immediately” is not automatic. But: The door is not closed.
Question – Immediate Answer:
Does SCHUFA have to delete immediately after payment? – Usually no; it depends on the GDPR assessment and the storage rules in individual cases.
1 | What the BGH decided – Summary
The BGH considers it fundamentally permissible for a credit agency to continue storing data on completed payment defaults – at least not necessarily “gone immediately” after payment. The decisive factor is a GDPR balancing of interests in individual cases. The approved industry rules (“Code of Conduct”) can be used as a guide.
2 | What this means in practice
- “I paid, so it has to be deleted”: it doesn’t work that simply.
- “They are allowed to save everything for three years”: just as little. Even three years is not a free pass – it remains a question of weighing things up.
The Code of Conduct typically provides for deletion after three years for completed payment defaults; in certain cases also earlier (e.g. 18 months).
3 | When early deletion is realistic
Early deletion is most likely in these constellations:
- Error in the entry (status “open” despite completion, incorrect date/amount/creditor).
- Unauthorized notification (e.g. disputed claim / missing requirements for transmission).
- Disproportionate consequences in individual cases (apartment, follow-up financing, existential issue) with a low risk profile at the same time – this is exactly where the weighing “lives”.
4 | Your 5-point plan (save time and nerves)
1) Get documents
Request your “data copy” from SCHUFA and check:
Which claim is in there? From whom? And what deletion date is mentioned?
2) Report errors immediately
Is the entry simply incorrect (e.g. “open” although paid / incorrect date / incorrect amount)?
Then request a correction – with proof (proof of payment, letter from the creditor).
3) If the entry is correct: briefly explain why it is specifically harming you now
Don’t write “that’s unfair”, but specifically:
“Because of the entry, I can’t get an apartment / a loan / a mobile phone contract.”
And: “The claim was a one-off, immediately settled, nothing will be open in the future.”
4) Also write to the “sender”
Don’t just write to SCHUFA, but also to the company that reported the entry
(e.g. telecommunications, mail order, energy provider, bank). Often the faster lever is there.
5) If nothing happens: check complaint or legal steps
If no one responds or only a standard answer comes, a complaint to the
Data protection authority makes sense – or (depending on the situation) legal enforcement.
Important: sort all documents beforehand so that it goes quickly.
5 | Conclusion
The BGH has dampened the expectation “paid = immediately deleted”. At the same time, deletion – even before long storage periods have expired – remains achievable in individual cases if the facts and the weighing are set up cleanly.
Remember: Paid is good – documented and strategically justified is better.
If you wish, I will check your specific entry (entry type, reporting path, data situation) and tell you clearly whether a deletion strategy has substance – or only produces effort.
