When Does My Credit Score Change?

When Does My Credit Score Change? article image.

Experian, TransUnion and Equifax now offer all U.S. consumers free weekly credit reports through AnnualCreditReport.com.

Dear Experian,

How often is my credit score updated?

- KEW

Dear KEW,

Each time someone requests your credit score, the number is calculated using the information in your credit report at that moment. Credit scores are not part of your credit history—they are only calculated the instant they are requested by a lender, by you or by another entity to reflect up-to-date credit report information.

How Often Is My Credit Report Updated?

The information in your credit report is being updated constantly. New information is received from your lenders, old information is removed and account details are updated continuously.

Most lenders send updated information to the credit bureaus about once a month. Each lender has its own reporting schedule, however, so different accounts will be updated at different times. Each time your credit report information changes, your credit score can also change based on updated information and depending on when the score is requested.

How Do Lenders Get My Credit Score?

When you apply for credit, the lender will request your credit report and might ask that a credit score be calculated for them. There are many ways to calculate a credit score, and the lender can choose the model that best suits their needs. The lender might also calculate a score using its own proprietary scoring system.

If another lender accesses your report and requests a credit score later, a new credit report will be compiled, and a new score will be calculated using the scoring system that lender chooses. There's no guarantee the score this lender sees will match what the first lender saw.

In addition, each credit scoring model may weigh the elements in your credit history a little differently. Therefore, your credit score with each lender may be different based on the type of score they choose.

Since a credit score reflects the information in the credit report at the instant the report was requested, it's possible that a new credit score requested even a few minutes later may be different.

While the details of credit score calculations can be confusing, the main thing to keep in mind is if you are paying all your bills on time, keeping credit card balances low and otherwise managing your debt responsibly, your scores should be relatively consistent, showing responsible credit behavior.

Check Your Credit Report Frequently

Checking your credit scores and credit reports frequently can help you stay on top of your accounts and ensure that the information reported is up to date.

Ordinarily, you are entitled to a free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting companies. Through April 2022, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax will offer all U.S. consumers free weekly credit reports through AnnualCreditReport.com to help you protect your financial health during the sudden and unprecedented hardship caused by COVID-19.

You can also request a free credit score and free credit report directly from Experian at any time. When you receive your credit score from Experian, you will also receive a list of the top risk factors currently impacting your score. These factors can help give insight into changes you can make to help improve your credit score going forward.

Thanks for asking.

Jennifer White, Consumer Education Specialist

Join our live video chat every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET on Periscope. Rod Griffin, Director of Public Education at Experian, is available to answer your questions live.

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