Does AKPK Counselling Appear on Your CCRIS? Here's the Truth

Going to AKPK for counselling does not automatically flag your CCRIS report. However, enrolling in AKPK’s Debt Management Programme (DMP) does, and the distinction between the two matters enormously when you next apply for a loan or credit card.

This guide breaks down exactly what appears on your CCRIS at each stage of the AKPK process, how lenders interpret that information, and the practical steps to clean up your credit profile after you exit.

What Is AKPK and What Does It Offer?

AKPK (Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit) is a Malaysian agency established by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) in 2006. It provides two distinct services:

Free financial counselling — a one-on-one session to review your debts, income, and cash flow, with no commitment to any programme.
Debt Management Programme (DMP) — a structured repayment plan negotiated with your participating creditors (banks, finance companies, credit card issuers) where AKPK acts as the single repayment channel.

These two services have completely different effects on your credit report. Knowing which one you are on determines how much of this guide applies to you.

Does AKPK Counselling Appear on Your CCRIS?

No. Attending a counselling session at AKPK, whether in person or via their online portal, does not trigger any entry in the Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS). CCRIS, which is maintained by BNM’s Credit Bureau, records only financing facility data reported by participating financial institutions. AKPK is not a financial institution in that sense, and a counselling appointment is not a credit event.

You can walk into any AKPK branch for a session, obtain a full picture of your financial options, and leave with zero impact on your credit report.

What Happens to Your CCRIS When You Enrol in the DMP?

This is where the flag appears. Once you formally enrol in the DMP, each of your participating loan or credit card accounts is restructured or rescheduled by your lender. Your CCRIS report will then display an “RP” code (Rescheduled/Restructured) against those specific facilities.

The RP code tells any lender who pulls your CCRIS that:

The account has been formally rescheduled, rather than repaid under original terms.
You are likely under a formal debt management programme.
A higher level of credit risk was assessed by the original creditor at the time of enrolment.

This is visible to every participating financial institution that queries your CCRIS before a credit decision. Most banks treat it as a significant flag.

RP Code vs. Special Attention Account: Key Differences

It is worth understanding how AKPK’s RP code compares to other negative markers lenders may see.

Marker	What It Means	Who Creates It	Ease of Recovery
RP (Rescheduled/Restructured)	Account repaid under revised terms via DMP	Your lender, reported to CCRIS	Clears 12 months after settlement
Special Attention Account (SAA)	Loan in arrears under bank monitoring, typically 3+ months overdue	Your lender, reported to CCRIS	Clears 12 months after settlement
Arrears Code “3” or higher	Repayment 3 or more months late	Your lender, auto-reported	Clears 12 months after settlement
AKPK Counselling only	No credit event	Not reported to CCRIS	No impact, no cleanup needed

Source: Bank Negara Malaysia CCRIS FAQ; AKPK DMP guidance.

Can You Still Apply for Credit While on the DMP?

Technically, yes. AKPK does not prohibit DMP participants from applying for new credit. However, the DMP terms and conditions typically require you to notify AKPK before taking on new financial obligations, and your DMP repayment schedule is designed to use available cash flow for existing debts.

More practically, most banks will decline a new application when they see an RP code on CCRIS. Each lender sets its own risk appetite, so approval outcomes vary, but RP enrolment is a meaningful deterrent in standard credit scoring models used by Malaysian banks.

The exceptions tend to be cooperative societies (koperasi), which may use salary deduction (potong gaji) systems and apply their own risk criteria rather than relying solely on CCRIS. Even then, an additional loan while on DMP typically worsens cash flow and can jeopardise your programme standing.

How Long Does the DMP Flag Stay on Your CCRIS?

CCRIS retains repayment data for 12 months from the date of the last transaction or settlement for most account types (Source: BNM CCRIS FAQ). This means:

Once your final DMP payment is made and the account is marked settled, a 12-month clock begins.
After that 12 months, the RP code and historical arrears data rolls off your CCRIS.
During those 12 months, lenders can still see the history, even though you are no longer actively on the programme.

The DMP itself typically runs for several years depending on the total debt restructured, with participants completing it in anywhere from 2 to 10 years depending on their case. The 12-month post-settlement window is on top of that active programme period.

Step-by-Step: Cleaning Up Your CCRIS After AKPK

Here is the practical sequence to follow after you exit the DMP.

Step 1 — Get your completion letter from AKPK

AKPK issues a formal completion certificate when your DMP obligations are fully discharged. Keep this document. Lenders may request it during a credit application even after your CCRIS has cleared.

Step 2 — Verify your CCRIS report within 30 days

Pull your own CCRIS report from eCCRIS (the online self-service portal at creditbureau.bnm.gov.my) within 30 days of programme completion. You are looking for:

Each DMP account showing a “settled” or zero-balance status.
No residual arrears codes that should have been cleared.
Correct account closure dates aligned with your DMP exit date.

If anything looks wrong, you have grounds to raise a dispute.

Step 3 — Dispute errors in writing

CCRIS data is submitted by financial institutions, not by AKPK. If an account still shows an RP code or outstanding balance after settlement, the dispute goes directly to the lender concerned, not to BNM. The lender is obligated to correct and resubmit accurate data to CCRIS. Follow up in writing and request a written acknowledgement.

Step 4 — Wait out the 12-month retention window

Once the settled status is confirmed, the historical negative codes will drop off approximately 12 months later. There is no mechanism to accelerate this under current BNM rules.

Step 5 — Rebuild with low-utilisation credit

After the 12-month window, consider applying for a secured credit card or a small personal facility to begin building a clean repayment history. Keep utilisation below 30% and ensure every payment is on time.

What Lenders Actually See: A Summary

Stage	CCRIS Status	Lender’s View
Seeking AKPK counselling	No change	No impact
Enrolled in DMP (active)	RP code on each facility	High risk flag, most banks decline
Completed DMP, within 12 months	RP + settled status visible	Still cautious, some banks may approve with explanation
12+ months after DMP settlement	Historical data removed	Clean slate, assessed on current profile only

Key Takeaways

Free AKPK counselling has zero impact on your CCRIS. There is nothing to fear from booking a session.
DMP enrolment results in an RP (Rescheduled/Restructured) code on every participating account in your CCRIS report.
Most Malaysian banks treat the RP code as a significant risk flag and will decline new applications while it is active.
CCRIS retains data for 12 months after settlement. The flag does not disappear the moment you complete the DMP.
Errors in CCRIS data after DMP exit must be disputed with the individual lender, not with BNM or AKPK directly.
Obtaining your DMP completion letter and checking your eCCRIS report within 30 days of exit are the two most important actions you can take immediately after finishing the programme.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does going to AKPK for a one-time counselling session affect my loan application?

No. A counselling session is not reported to CCRIS and has no credit record. Banks cannot see whether you have attended counselling unless you disclose it yourself.

Will banks know I am on AKPK DMP even if I don’t tell them?

Yes. The RP code on your CCRIS report is visible to any financial institution that queries your file, which is standard practice before any credit approval. You do not need to declare it separately because it is already in the report.

What happens to my CCRIS if I exit the DMP early before completing it?

If you exit the DMP voluntarily or involuntarily (for example, missing two consecutive payments), your accounts revert to their original restructured status with the lender. The RP code remains, and the lender may resume standard collection action. Any arrears that accumulate from that point will also be reported. Early exit generally does not improve your CCRIS position and can worsen it.

How do I check my own CCRIS report?

You can access your CCRIS report for free via the eCCRIS portal at creditbureau.bnm.gov.my using your internet banking credentials from a participating bank, or in person at any BNM branch or AKPK office. The report is available once every 12 months at no charge; subsequent requests within the same year may incur a small fee.

Is CCRIS the only credit report lenders use in Malaysia?

No. Many Malaysian lenders also query CTOS, a private credit reporting agency that aggregates additional data including legal actions, bankruptcy records, and publicly available debt information. Having a clean CCRIS after DMP exit does not guarantee a clean CTOS record. Check both reports when preparing to apply for new credit. Learn more in our guide to understanding your credit report in Malaysia.

For more on managing your credit profile, see our guides on how to check your CCRIS report online and understanding your CTOS score.

Educational content only, not financial advice. Verify current figures with official sources.