Equifax Introduces Income Confirm to Boost Credit Card Decisioning with Verified Income Data

Equifax® (NYSE: EFX) has launched Income Confirm, a new decision-support product that combines verified employment and income data from its The Work Number® database with a standard Equifax Consumer Credit Report. The offering is designed to help lenders strengthen risk assessment and streamline credit card application decisioning by providing fact-based insights into applicant employment status and earnings, rather than relying on estimates or self-reported figures.

The announcement, made on January 26, 2026, marks Equifax’s latest effort to bring richer data into the lender decisioning workflow and help issuers better assess borrowers’ financial capacity and tailor credit lines accordingly.

What Income Confirm Does

Income Confirm integrates The Work Number® verified data directly with a borrower’s credit profile. When available, the service delivers:

• Employee name and Social Security Number to confirm identity
• Current or most recent employer name to verify stated employment
• Employment status (whether the applicant is currently employed)
• Calculated annualized income to help assess ability to repay credit obligations

By bringing these data points alongside the consumer’s credit report, lenders can make faster, fact-based decisions rather than relying on manual verification, estimated income, and external documentation.

Why It Matters for Lenders

Equifax says that Income Confirm is particularly targeted at supporting the credit card origination process, where speed, accuracy, and confidence in loan decisions are critical. According to the company, verified income and employment data can:

• Improve risk assessment by providing real income figures rather than estimates
• Accelerate approval workflows by reducing manual income verification steps
• Support optimized credit line assignment based on true financial capacity
• Enhance the candidate experience with faster, smoother application outcomes

Scott Collins, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Financial Institutions at Equifax, said the product equips lenders to “make decisions based on facts, not estimates” and “optimize initial credit lines based on the consumer’s true ability to pay,” helping support a more efficient and engaging experience for card applicants.

Industry Context: Verified Data in Lending Workflows

Income and employment verification has long been a pain point in lending — requiring manual checks, documents such as pay stubs or tax records, and time-intensive processes that slow down decisioning and create friction for consumers. Automated, authorized access to employer payroll data through sources like The Work Number® reduces these barriers.

Equifax’s launch of Income Confirm follows other innovations aimed at integrating richer data into credit decisioning — including products like Income Qualify for earlier stage insights in mortgage lending. The broader trend reflects rising demand from lenders to use trusted, verified data to improve credit models, reduce operational overhead, and speed up customer onboarding.

Potential Benefits for Consumers and Lenders

For lenders, the real-time availability of verified income and employment information can help:

• Reduce underwriting costs by cutting back on manual document collection and review
• Improve portfolio performance by making better-informed credit decisions
• Support tailored product offerings, such as personalized credit limits or terms based on verified financial capacity

For consumers, the integration of verified data can translate into:

• Faster applications and approvals
• Fewer document requests and follow-ups
• More accurate credit line offers, aligned with verified income

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