Understand your credit

Know what shapes your credit score.

Your guide to understanding credit. Explore how your payment history, balances, and credit habits may influence your score—all in one simple calculator.

Explore my estimate How it works  →

No signup. No credit check. Information stays on your device.

Interactive calculator

Let's explore your credit profile.

Enter approximate details from your credit reports. We'll illustrate how the five published scoring categories could affect a score—not reproduce a lender's FICO® Score.

Your credit information

No name, Social Security number, account number, or email needed.

Payment history

Delinquencies and major derogatory events reported on your credit
35%

Include events still on your reports. Actual scoring also depends on severity, recency, and other details not captured here.

Credit utilization

How much revolving credit you're using
30%

Use reported credit card / revolving balances and limits across your cards, not mortgage or installment-loan balances. Enter 0 for both if you don't have revolving credit.

Length of credit history

How long your accounts have existed
15%

A typical FICO score requires an account at least 6 months old and one reported in the past 6 months. If average age is blank, we use a rough assumption.

New credit

Recent applications and opened accounts
10%

Rate-shopping inquiries for some loan types may be grouped in real FICO models; this calculator cannot account for that.

Credit mix

Types of accounts on your credit reports
10%
Select all account types you have

Having different types can help, but you don't need all three—and shouldn't borrow just to improve your mix.

🔒 Everything is calculated locally in this browser.

The science behind the score

Five factors. One clearer picture.

FICO publicly describes these broad categories and typical relative weights. The actual impact of each detail varies by individual and by scoring version.

01
Payment history
35% of typical scoring factors

Your track record of on-time payments, plus any reported late payments or serious delinquencies.

02
Amounts owed
30% of typical scoring factors

Balances and debt relative to limits. Card utilization is especially useful to understand.

03
Length of history
15% of typical scoring factors

Age of your oldest and newest accounts, average history, and the time since you used credit.

04
New credit
10% of typical scoring factors

How often you have applied for or opened credit recently.

05
Credit mix
10% of typical scoring factors

The variety of credit types you manage. You do not need every possible type.

Frequently asked questions

A little more clarity.

Helpful things to know before using any credit calculator.

Is this my real FICO® Score?

No. FICO's complete algorithms are proprietary. This site uses publicly published factor weights and independently designed heuristics to create an educational illustration. Only an authorized score provider can report your actual FICO Score for a specific bureau and version.

How is credit utilization calculated?

Total revolving balances divided by total revolving credit limits, expressed as a percentage. For example, $1,000 owed against $10,000 in card limits is 10% utilization. Real scoring also reviews individual accounts and other amounts owed, which this simplified estimator omits.

Does checking the calculator hurt my credit?

No. This website never contacts a credit bureau or requests a credit report. Your answers are processed locally in your browser.

Do salary, age, or job title affect my FICO Score?

These are not included in the standard FICO credit scoring factors. Lenders may evaluate some financial information separately when making a lending decision.

Where can I see my real credit report?

You can access credit reports from the three nationwide credit reporting companies at AnnualCreditReport.com. Credit reports themselves are different from credit scores.