Two people discussing finances at a kitchen island reviewing documents and using a laptop.

How Often Does Your Credit Score Update?

7 min read

Published December 4, 2024

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

Credit scores are typically updated on a monthly basis.
A credit card issuer may submit reports to credit reporting bureaus throughout the month, so credit score may fluctuate weekly or daily.
It’s important to check your credit report for any mistakes that could lower your credit score.

When you apply for a credit card, loan, or mortgage, the lender may access your credit file to determine your payment history and credit score. Credit scores are often used by lenders as a measure of how likely you are to pay back any money you’ve borrowed.

Generally, a higher credit score indicates a more responsible borrower who is likely to return borrowed funds on time. A good credit score can help you qualify for better loans or credit cards with lower interest rates. A FICO^® Score ¹ (which stands for Fair Isaac Corporation) in the range of 670 to 739 is considered to be good credit, while a score from 800 to 850 puts you in the exceptional credit category, according to FICO.

A good credit score can open doors to opportunities. You may be able to get higher credit limits, lower mortgage interest rates, and even better rates on car insurance if you have a good credit score. A good credit score may also make it easier for entrepreneurs to get a business loan.

Did you know?

For those who don’t qualify for a traditional unsecured credit card because of bad credit, a secured credit card may help. As with unsecured credit cards, creditors report account activity to credit bureaus every month. By using your secured credit card wisely, you may build positive credit history.

There’s plenty of advice out there on how to have an impact on your credit score, but if you’ve already been making timely payments and chipping away at your credit card balance and paying off credit card debt, you may be curious about when you’ll start to see your credit score change.

When do credit bureaus update reports?

Experian^®, TransUnion, and Equifax all state that credit reports and scores are generally updated monthly or every 30-45 days. Each major credit bureau relies on credit card companies to provide up-to-date information about your payments and finances. Most creditors report to credit bureaus monthly, but each credit card company may report at different times of the month. Moreover, not all creditors report to every major credit bureau; some report to just one or two.

If you have multiple creditors, there may be weekly changes in your credit score depending on each credit provider's report and credit reporting schedule. Still, the exact change in your credit score depends on various factors. This includes whether there was an increase or decrease in your credit balances. For instance, if you’ve managed to pay down an outstanding balance using a balance transfer credit card, you may see a positive impact on your score.

In short, your credit score may change as frequently as your creditor submits new payment information, though not every update will make a significant change in your overall credit score.

How long does it take for your credit score to update?

Your credit report is typically updated at least once a month – or more often if you have multiple credit providers sending credit information. However, your overall score may take a while to change. This can be frustrating if you’ve been working hard to improve your credit history, but it happens because the factors that impact your credit score don’t have the same weight.

A FICO^® Score, for example, is constructed based on the following factors and weights:

Payment History. Payment history accounts for 35% of your score.

Credit Utilization. The amount owed on your credit card makes up 30% of your credit score.

Length of Credit History. The average age of your credit accounts contributes 15% to your score.

Credit Mix. Accounts for 10% of the credit score.

New Credit Inquiries. Contributes 10% to your score.

You can see immediately how some of these factors may impact your credit score more than others. Your account activity may have a positive impact on your credit score if you focus on the right factors, like avoiding a late payment that exceeds 30 days. But if you focus on factors that carry less weight, you may not immediately see a different credit score.

It can also be helpful to review the credit scoring model used by each credit reporting agency, as it differs across agencies, which explains why you may have different credit scores.

Overall, a high credit balance or outstanding credit card debt, short credit history, or previous late payments may be some of the reasons why your credit score isn’t changing more quickly.

How can you maintain or raise your credit score?

There are several things you can do to build your credit. Some factors may impact credit score more than others.

Below are some actionable steps to help build credit history and maintain a good credit score:

Pay your bills on time: Since payment history accounts for most of your credit score, making timely payments is essential. Focus on consistency, as good payment history can take years to establish.
Don’t use too much available credit: Credit utilization ratio, or the amount of available credit you use, can impact your credit score. Ideally, you’ll want to pay off your monthly credit card balance and avoid using too much of your available credit. According to Experian, experts recommend using a small percentage of the total credit available to you. Going over this amount could be damaging to your credit score.
Avoid applying for new credit too frequently: When you apply for a loan or a new credit card, the lender performs a hard credit check that may knock a few points off your credit score. Too many hard inquiries in a short period may damage your score. To maintain a good score, research your loan or credit card options beforehand and try to restrict the number of applications you make to one or two. Look into pre-approval options where you can.
Consider raising your credit limit: You can decrease your credit utilization rate by increasing your total available credit. Not everyone is eligible for a credit limit increase, but if you do qualify, a higher limit is a quick and easy step that could impact your score. Remember that a higher limit only works if you keep your balance low, so avoid spending more just because your credit limit is higher.
Keep an eye out for mistakes on your credit report: Credit reporting mistakes aren't as rare as you may think. Simple errors such as incorrect credit limits can greatly impact your score. If you need to correct inaccuracies, contact the credit reporting agency and the lender to dispute the information. You can find helpful information on how to submit a dispute through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Consider becoming an authorized user: There’s not much you can do to increase the average age of your credit accounts. But one workaround is becoming an authorized user on someone else’s credit account. If your parent or spouse has good credit, consider asking them to add you as an authorized user on one of their credit cards. Your credit score could be positively impacted if the account holder has maintained a good payment history and keeps a low balance.

Remember that although you can expect a credit score change at least once a month, your credit card issuer's reporting schedule and your financial behavior can also play a significant role. Waiting for that number to go up can take time. The best approach is to focus on the big picture by establishing good credit habits that can make a difference to your credit score in the long run.

Important Information >