With many consumers expected to apply for a mortgage, personal loan or credit card this year, the research from MoneySupermarket.com found that three million people had missed a credit card bill in the last year (7%).
It seems that council tax is one of the most common costs where people have delayed payments, as 1.9 million people missed a council tax payment (4%) last year, an increase since 2010 (3%). Mobile phones, personal loans, broadband, Sky and gas and electricity bills were also high up on the list as payments most missed (3% each).
Those living in Scotland and Wales were the biggest culprits for missing a bill payment with 22% neglecting their finances, while people in the East Midlands were the least likely to miss a payment, with almost 9 out of 10 (88%) not missing a payment on any major bill within the last 12 months.
Commenting, Kevin Mountford, head of banking atMoneySupermarket.com, said: "Our research shows there's still a worrying amount of Brits potentially damaging their credit rating by failing to pay their bills on time, with credit card bills being the most missed.
"Missing a payment could have a knock-on effect for future applications such as credit cards and mortgages.”
The MoneySupermarket research also asked what people thought could damage their credit profile, with Brits identifying bankruptcy (81%), missing a payment (73%), and having no credit history (71%) as the top three reasons they believed could affect a credit rating.
Surprisingly, 18% thought a being on the Child Support Agency database would affect their credit profile, and 13% said changing jobs would damage their file. A further 8% said they thought parking or driving convictions would affect their credit rating as would details on your medical records (7%).
Mountford continued: "It is important that people are clear on what could damage their credit profile to make sure they don't get caught out simply by not knowing.
“Repayments on financial transactions such as mortgages and use of overdraft facilities are all recorded on your credit file. The majority of household bills and government-related fines and payments aren't recorded but contract mobile phone payments are, so it can be very easy to get caught out by not paying bills on certain products, especially if you are not aware of the consequences of your actions."
