TransUnion UK boosts affordability report with ‘Modelled Income’ solution

Source: Sodali / TransUnion UK

TransUnion UK, a global information and insights company and an industry leader in affordability and income assessment solutions, has announced the launch of Modelled Income Assessment. The new capability sits within TransUnion’s Affordability Report, which is designed to help lenders make affordability decisions more confidently.

TransUnion’s most recent Consumer Pulse Q1 2026 survey found that 38% of UK adults stated their income had changed over the last three months. As household finances continue to face sustained pressure and consumer income patterns grow increasingly volatile, lenders need fast, reliable income insights when traditional salary data is limited.

TransUnion’s new Modelled Income solution addresses this by estimating net monthly income at configurable confidence thresholds to enable proportional affordability checks, rather than attempting to generate a precise pound-value prediction. Modelled Income returns an income estimate at client-agreed custom thresholds, allowing lenders to tailor the output to their own risk appetite.

Kelli Fielding, chief product officer at TransUnion UK, said: “The way people earn and manage money has fundamentally shifted. Incomes are more volatile, data gaps are more common, and lenders are under growing pressure to evidence affordability decisions.

“Modelled Income provides lenders with a dependable, data-driven proxy that fills critical gaps in affordability strategies, without adding friction for consumers or compliance risk for lenders. At TransUnion, information for good is at the heart of what we do, our new Modelled Income solution supports this mission by helping to reduce over indebtedness and improve access to affordable credit, whilst protecting consumers from taking on products they may not be able to afford.”

The solution addresses client demand for friction right alternatives to manual verification or alternatives such as Open Banking. As such, it delivers an estimate of an individual’s net monthly income using advanced machine learning to support proportional affordability assessments in real time.

Clare Hollis, director of credit at TransUnion UK, added: “Expectations around affordability assessments continue to rise as regulation, such as Consumer Duty, demands richer affordability data, clear evidence of fair outcomes, earlier identification of vulnerability, and support for customers showing signs of financial stress.

“Modelled Income is designed to sit within strong model risk management frameworks and address regulatory pressure for fairness and appropriate consumer outcomes, while helping lenders streamline onboarding and reduce unnecessary friction in the customer journey.”

Modelled Income will be made available within TransUnion’s current Affordability Report. It is available to clients across lending, buy now pay later, retail finance, captive motor finance and payments verticals.