Skip to content
ScoreSense
  • Available Features
    • Credit Scores & Reports
    • Credit Insights
    • Credit Monitoring
    • Identity Theft Monitoring
    • Credit Tools
    • Mobile App
  • Blog
  • In The News
  • Credit Journeys
    • College
    • Military
    • Home Buying
  • Contact
  • FAQs
  • Reviews
  •   Sign In
  • Get My Scores
Main Menu
  • Credit Education
    • Credit Basics
      • Credit Bureaus
      • Types of Credit
    • Credit Scores
      • Credit Score Factors
      • Credit Score Tips
    • Credit Reports
      • Negative Credit Items
      • Credit Report Errors
      • Credit Report Disputes
    • Credit Monitoring
      • Signs of Credit Fraud
      • Credit Fraud Recovery
      • Credit Security Tactics
    • Credit Repair
      • Credit Repair Scams
    • Build Credit
      • Establish Credit for Teens & Students
    • News & Trends
  • Fraud
    • Identity Protection
    • ID Theft
      • Child ID Theft
      • Tax ID Theft
      • Medical ID Theft
    • ID Theft Recovery
    • Data Breaches
    • News & Trends
  • Personal Finance
    • Loans
      • Home Loans
      • Auto Loans
      • Student Loans
      • Personal Loans
      • Business Loans
    • Budgeting
    • Saving
    • Debt
    • Banking
    • Investing
      • 401K & IRAs
      • Stocks & Mutual Funds
    • Taxes
    • Life Events
      • Marriage
      • Parenthood
      • Retirement
      • Divorce
      • Death
      • Bankruptcy
      • Job Loss
      • Natural Disaster
    • News & Trends
  • Credit Cards
    • Interest Rates
    • Denied Credit
    • Card Types
    • Manage Balance
    • News & Trends
  • Credit Tools
    • Credit
      • Monitoring & Alerts
      • Credit Scores & Reports
      • Credit Insights
      • Credit Specialists
      • Score Simulators
    • Identity Theft Insurance
    • Identity Theft Monitoring
    • Sex Offender Monitoring
  • COVID-19
Search

CreditSense > Credit Education > Credit Reports > How Often Do Your Credit Scores and Credit Reports Change?

How Often Do Your Credit Scores and Credit Reports Change?

Picture of ScoreSense

ScoreSense

  • April 5, 2020

Your credit reports and scores can change as new information is reported by your creditors. This is important to know as your credit reports and credit scores are what lenders use to help determine whether or not to extend you credit and with what terms. What your credit report reflects today might not be the same in a few days, weeks or months from now.

How Long Does It Take for Your Credit Report to Update?

Typically, creditors report consumer credit information to credit bureaus each month. Every time a credit bureau receives new information from one of your creditors, it updates your credit report.

Because creditors and lenders have different billing cycles and payment due dates, their reporting times can also be different. This means as creditors update specific dates on your report, your credit information can change multiple times throughout the month.

Of course, updates to a credit report may not happen on-the-spot. Credit bureaus evaluate the information before posting it to your credit report. In some instances, a credit bureau may have to verify what was reported if it seems like it might not be accurate, which can cause a delay.

Finally, since there are three different credit bureaus, TransUnion®, Equifax®, and Experian®, not all information is disseminated identically across all three. Some bureaus will receive data before the others, and some may not get the same data as the others at all.

How Often Do Your Credit Scores Change?  

Your credit scores and credit reports are connected. For example, when a lender makes a credit inquiry to one of the credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian or TransUnion — the data on your credit report is calculated in real-time, which generates your credit score.

But your credit scores can change even if none of the items in the underlying credit report have. Time is a factor in credit score algorithms, which means that credit scores can fluctuate up or down as credit accounts age, even if no other information has changed regarding a consumer’s credit.

Because of differing reporting times and different score models, a score can differ from one report to the next. Accordingly, due to account aging or other changes, a score used for one credit application may differ from another application made at a different time or through a different bureau.

What Causes Credit Score Changes?

If you practice responsible credit behavior, any changes that occur in your credit reports and scores should be gradual. However, there are some things that can cause your credit score to fluctuate dramatically.

1. Payments

Late payments can happen to anyone and going a few days — or even a couple of weeks — past your due date won’t necessarily affect your credit score. It’s when your payment is 30 days or more late that your creditor is allowed by federal law to report it to the credit bureau.

Late payments added to your credit report can cause substantial dings to a credit score — and the longer they remain delinquent, the more damage they can do.  

2. Credit Utilization

The amount of credit you’re utilizing in relation to your credit limit can also impact your credit score. For example, if you have $5,000 in available credit but have already charged $4,500 of it, your credit score may reflect that fact negatively. Likewise, if you pay off a credit card with a high balance, your credit score can improve. Charging and then paying off debt–and maintaining a stable credit utilization–can help you maintain a good score.

3. Inquiries

When you apply for credit, the lender will initiate a hard inquiry. If you apply for a couple of credit cards, a car loan and a mortgage loan, each one will be considered a hard inquiry. Multiple hard inquires, especially within a short timeframe, will have a negative impact on your credit score.

4. Closing Credit Accounts

The type of impact closing credit accounts can have on a credit score depends on whether the account has a considerable amount of open credit or not.

If the account does have a substantial amount of available credit, closing it could alter the credit utilization ratio. This could make it appear as if you are using more of your available credit than before. Utilizing more than 30% of your total credit limit can have a negative impact on your credit score. Note: closing older credit accounts can also shorten your credit history – and when it comes to your credit age, older is better.

5. Collection accounts

When you’ve failed to make payments on a debt for 180 days, your creditor may write off your debt as a loss and assign or sell it to a collection agency that will try to collect the debt owed.

Either your former creditor or the collection agency will report the collection account to the credit bureau. Having a collection on your credit report will lower your credit score

6. Accounts falling off report

Accounts with a late payment status, or those that end up in collections, have the most negative impact on your credit score when first reported. Over time, the impact will lessen. The statute of limitations for negative accounts and collections to remain on your credit report is seven years. After seven years, they should fall off your report. If you still see a negative account or collection on your report that is over the seven-year time limit, you may want to file a dispute with the credit bureau to have it removed.

7. Bankruptcy

When you file for bankruptcy, it can have a lasting negative effect on your credit score. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy remains on your credit report for seven years, whereas a Chapter 7 bankruptcy stays three years longer, for ten years. Again, when these entries age-off your credit report, you may see an increase in your credit score.

Monitoring Your Credit Reports and Scores

It’s a given that the information on your credit reports and your credit scores will change. ScoreSense can help you keep tabs on your credit by providing you with your credit reports and scores from all three credit bureaus, something other credit score providers lack. Daily monitoring, alerts and monthly updates from all three bureaus are also included. Are you ready to start keeping tabs on your credit? Let us know in the comments.

Smart Moves

Get your credit scores and reports from all three bureaus instantly.

Take Action

Shield your credit and finances with up to $1 million identity theft insurance*.

Get Protected

Find out how your score could change if you pay down a credit card or miss a mortgage payment.

Explore Tools

RELATED

How to Defer Your Mortgage During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Will Losing My Job Because of the Coronavirus Hurt My Credit Score?

How to Tighten Your Budget During the Coronavirus Lockdown

What Should I Do If My Information Is Part of a Data Breach?

Tax Season is High Risk

Why Are My 3 Credit Scores Different?

6 Ways to Spend Less This Holiday Season

What is a Write-off and How is it Different From a Charge-off

You are more than just 1 credit score.
Get your credit scores and reports from all three bureaus instantly.
Get My Scores

What's Your Credit Score?

Get Your credit scores & reports from all 3 bureaus, Instantly!**
Get my scores

Sign Up for Our Credit Newsletter

ScoreSense

  • Have an Account? Sign In
  • 1-800-972-7204
  • Mon-Fri: 8AM to 8PM CT
    Sat: 8AM to 5PM CT
    Sun: Noon to 6PM CT
  • customercare@scoresense.com
  • 3400 N Central Expy Ste #110-298
    Richardson, TX 75080

Company

Contact Us
Terms and Conditions
Privacy Policy
OTL*ScoreSense

 

Facebook Youtube

Features

Credit Scores & Reports
Credit Insights
Credit Monitoring
Identity Theft Monitoring
Credit Tools

Resources

Learn About Credit
What is a Good Credit Score?
Credit Score Range

Mobile Apps

© 2001-2025 One Technologies, LLC. All rights reserved.

ScoreSense® is a trademark of One Technologies, LLC.

Do not sell/share my information |

*Identity Theft Insurance underwritten by insurance company subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group, Inc. The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions, and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for terms, conditions, and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions.

**After verification of your identity, your scores are available for secure online delivery in seconds.

 

Scroll to Top