Edited by Michelle TipswordWhat Is FICO Score 9?
Quick Answer
FICO® Score 9 is a more forgiving version of earlier FICO® Scores. It disregards paid collection accounts, gives less weight to unpaid medical collections and considers rent payments reported to credit bureaus, which could benefit your credit scores.
A FICO® ScoreΘ is a three-digit number that FICO credit scoring models calculate using information from your credit report. FICO® Score 9 is a more forgiving version of earlier FICO credit scoring models, particularly when it comes to medical collection accounts and paid collection accounts. Here's what to know about FICO® Score 9 and other FICO® Scores that can impact your access to credit.
What Is FICO® Score 9?
The FICO® Score 9 credit scoring model debuted in 2014 and has been widely adopted by lenders, according to FICO. FICO® Score 9 is based on previous FICO credit scoring models, but has some new features:
- Third-party collection accounts that have been paid will not negatively impact your FICO® Score 9.
- Unpaid medical collection accounts will have less of a negative impact on your FICO® Score 9 than in previous FICO credit scoring models.
- Rent payments will factor into your FICO® Score 9 if the landlord reports them to credit bureaus.
Learn more: What is a FICO® Score?
Who Uses FICO® Score 9?
FICO® Score 9 is a base FICO® Score, intended for general use by all types of lenders. There are also industry-specific versions of FICO® Score 9 developed for certain lenders, such as auto lenders or credit card issuers.
- Auto lenders typically use FICO Auto Score 9, an industry-specific variation of FICO® Score 9, or other FICO Auto Scores. FICO Auto Scores are designed for auto lenders and help predict how likely a borrower is to pay a car loan on time.
- Credit card issuers often use FICO® Score 9, FICO Bankcard Score 9 or other FICO Bankcard scores. FICO Bankcard Scores are variations on the base FICO® Scores designed for use in credit card decisions.
- Mortgage lenders generally use classic FICO scoring models—FICO® Score 2, FICO® Score 4 or FICO® Score 5—if they plan to sell the loans to government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Recent changes now allow lenders to use VantageScore® 4.0 credit scores for loans they plan to sell to the GSEs. FICO® Score 10 T is also expected to be adopted by the GSEs at a later date. For loans not sold to GSEs, mortgage lenders can choose which credit scoring model to use.
Learn more: Why Is My Credit Score Different When Lenders Check My Credit?
FICO® Score 8 vs. 9
There are some important differences between FICO® Score 9 and FICO® Score 8 when it comes to how third-party collection accounts, medical debt and rent payments are considered. (Third-party collections are unpaid debts that a collection agency separate from the original creditor is attempting to collect.) Here's what's different about FICO® Score 9 compared to FICO® Score 8:
- Third-party collection accounts that are paid off: Not considered in your FICO® Score 9.
- Unpaid third-party medical collection accounts: Affect your FICO® Score 9, but the impact is less than it would be for your FICO® Score 8. Unpaid medical debt is a less accurate predictor of credit risk than other types of unpaid debt, according to FICO research.
- Rent payments: Considered in FICO® Score 9 if they are reported to credit bureaus. Many landlords don't report rent payments, but you can ask yours to do so or sign up for a service that handles the reporting for you.
| FICO® Score 8 | FICO® Score 9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Release year | 2009 | 2014 |
| Paid third-party collections | Under $100: No impact Over $100: Negative impact | No impact |
| Unpaid third-party medical collections | Under $500: No impact Over $500: Negative impact | Under $500: No impact Over $500: Lesser negative impact than in FICO® Score 8 |
| Rent payments | No impact | Payments reported to credit bureaus may impact credit score |
Which FICO® Score Is Most Important?
No one FICO® Score is most important for consumers. The score that matters to you depends on which score or scores your lender or credit card company uses, but you generally can't know what that will be. Although FICO® Scores are used by 90% of top lenders, companies may also use VantageScore credit scores, develop their own credit scoring models or use multiple credit scoring models.
The myriad of credit scoring models your lender might choose from isn't the only factor impacting your credit scores. The information on your credit reports may also differ among the consumer credit bureaus—Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. That's because lenders are not required to report to all three, and may only provide information to one or two. As a result, your credit score can vary depending on which credit bureau provides the credit report data used to calculate it.
That said, knowing at least one of your base FICO® Scores can give you an idea of whether you may want to work on improving your credit score before applying for credit. FICO® Score 8 is still the most widely used credit score, and is often the score you'll see when accessing your credit score for free. Since variations among your credit scores are typically minor, FICO® Score 8 can provide a good indicator of the score lenders may see.
Tip: Mortgage lenders often use a merged credit report that includes data from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. If you're applying for a mortgage, it's a good idea to check your credit report with all three, which you can do for free at AnnualCreditReport.com.
Learn more: Credit Score Basics: Everything You Need to Know
How to Check Your FICO® Scores
You can check your FICO® Scores for free with Experian, free credit score websites, your bank or credit union, credit card issuers and nonprofit credit counseling organizations. There are also paid options that give you more features or access to more scores.
- Experian offers a free account that provides your FICO® Score 8, ongoing FICO® Score tracking, access to your Experian credit report and information on what may be helping or hurting your credit score.
- Banks, credit unions, credit card issuers and other financial institutions may offer free FICO® Scores to customers; check with your financial institution to see.
- Credit counseling organizations may give you free access to your FICO® Score as part of their credit counseling services.
If you'd like to check more than one version of your FICO® Score, you'll typically need to sign up for a paid service. For example, in addition to your FICO® Score 8, Experian's paid premium membership gives you access to your FICO® Score 2, FICO® Score 3, FICO Auto Score 2, FICO Auto Score 8, FICO Bankcard Score 2 and FICO Bankcard Score 3. This may provide more insight into the industry-specific scores that different types of lenders may use when you apply for a mortgage, auto loan or credit card.
Tip: Paid services typically include other features in addition to multiple credit scores, such as identity theft monitoring and protection services and identity theft insurance.
Learn more: How Do I Check My Credit Score?
How to Improve Your Credit Scores
Although each FICO® Score credit scoring model is a little different, focusing on the following five behaviors can help improve all types of FICO® Scores—as well as scores from other credit scoring models.
- Pay bills on time. Payment history accounts for 35% of your FICO® Score, so it's important to avoid late payments or having accounts sent to collections.
- Keep your credit utilization ratio low. This measure indicates how much credit you're currently using relative to your total available credit. The lower your credit utilization rate, the better, and paying down credit card balances could increase your credit scores. People with top credit scores typically have a credit utilization under 10%.
- Keep unused credit cards open. Closing a credit card reduces your available credit, which could raise your credit utilization and hurt your scores. Additionally, the length of your credit history accounts for 15% of your FICO® Score; generally, a longer credit history is better. Closing an old credit card, even if you don't plan to use it, could eventually shorten your credit history.
- Maintain a diverse credit mix. Lenders want to see that you can successfully manage both revolving and installment credit. Credit mix accounts for 10% of your FICO® Score; responsibly managing a variety of credit accounts can have a positive impact.
- Limit applications for new credit. Credit applications add hard inquiries in your credit report, which can temporarily ding your credit score a small amount. Prequalifying for loans or credit cards before you apply can help you gauge your eligibility with a soft inquiry, which doesn't affect your credit scores.
Learn more: How to Improve Your Credit Score Fast
Frequently Asked Questions
FICO® Score 9: The Bottom Line
FICO® Score 9 is just one of many credit scores that lenders and credit card companies may consider throughout your lifetime. Fortunately, the same good financial habits that can help improve your FICO® Score 9 generally benefit all of your credit scores.
For a little extra help, consider Experian Boost. This free feature adds your eligible rent, utility, phone, streaming service and insurance payments to your Experian credit report, which could help improve your credit scores quickly.
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About the author
Karen Axelton
Karen Axelton specializes in writing about business and entrepreneurship. She has created content for companies including American Express, Bank of America, MetLife, Amazon, Cox Media, Intel, Intuit, Microsoft and Xerox.
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