How to Raise Your Credit Score Fast: What Actually Works

If you want to raise your credit score fast, the honest answer is that some steps can show up on your reports within a billing cycle or two, and others take months. No company can guarantee a specific score or a specific number of points. What you can control is the information on your credit reports, and that is what scores are calculated from.

This guide puts the steps in order: the ones that can work quickest first, then the habits that do the heavy lifting over time.

Start here: get your free credit reports

Before you try to improve your credit score, look at what lenders see. You can get free reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion every week at AnnualCreditReport.com, the official site. The free weekly access is permanent. Checking your own reports does not lower your score.

The three bureaus don't always have the same information, so check all three. Our guide on how to check your credit score and report for free walks through it.

Steps that can work the fastest

1. Dispute errors on your reports

Mistakes on a credit report can drag a score down: an account that isn't yours, a late payment that was actually on time, a paid debt still showing a balance. If you find one:

• Dispute it with the credit bureau that shows it (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion), online, by mail or by phone. Explain what's wrong and include copies of your proof.
• Also dispute it with the company that reported it, like the bank, card issuer or landlord. These companies generally must investigate within 30 days.
• If the information can't be verified or is wrong, it must be corrected or removed.

You don't need to pay anyone to do this. If an account is there because of identity theft, report it at IdentityTheft.gov too.

2. Pay down credit card balances

How much of your card limits you're using (your credit utilization) is one of the biggest parts of a FICO Score, at about 30% of a typical score. A card showing a $900 balance on a $1,000 limit is at 90% utilization; paying it to $300 drops it to 30%.

Card issuers usually report your balance once a month, often around the statement date. So paying down a balance can be reflected on your next report, though the exact timing depends on the lender. There's no magic percentage that guarantees an increase, and paying down debt you can afford matters more than chasing a target.

3. Add payments you already make

If your file is thin, some services can add bills you already pay:

• Rent reporting can add your on-time rent payments to one or more bureaus. Compare services on our rent and bill reporting page, since costs and which bureaus they report to vary.
• Experian Boost is a free Experian feature that can add eligible cellphone, utility, streaming and online rent payments to your Experian file. It only affects scores based on Experian data, and not every lender uses those.

4. Become an authorized user

If a family member or partner has a credit card with a long, on-time history and low balance, they can add you as an authorized user. If the issuer reports authorized users, that account's history can appear on your report. Make sure it's a card that's paid on time: their late payments can show up on your report too.

Habits that raise your score over time

Pay every bill on time

Payment history is the biggest single factor, about 35% of a typical FICO Score. A payment reported 30 or more days late can hurt for years, so this is the habit that matters most. Set up reminders or autopay for at least the minimum payment if you can keep enough money in the account.

Don't close your oldest cards

Length of credit history counts for about 15% of a typical FICO Score. Closing an old card can also shrink your total available credit, which raises your utilization. If an old card has no annual fee, keeping it open and using it lightly is often the better move.

Apply for new credit only when you need it

Each application for new credit can create a hard inquiry, and several in a short period can signal risk. Checking your own credit is a soft inquiry and doesn't count.

Build credit if you're starting from little or nothing

If you don't have much credit history, a credit builder loan or secured credit card can add on-time payment history. They cost money or tie up a deposit, so compare total cost and which bureaus they report to. See our credit builder comparison and our guide to secured cards vs. credit builder loans.

How long does it take to raise your credit score?

It depends on what's holding your score down:

• Errors and high balances can change on your reports within about one to two monthly reporting cycles once they're fixed or paid.
• New positive history (rent reporting, a credit builder, an authorized user account) takes time to add up.
• Serious negatives like late payments and collections fade slowly. Most negative information can stay on your reports for up to seven years.

Anyone promising to raise your score by a set number of points, or to remove accurate negative information, is making a promise they can't keep.

Watch out for credit repair scams

Legitimate credit repair companies can't do anything you can't do yourself for free, and under federal law they can't charge you before they've done the work. Be careful with any company that asks for payment up front, tells you to dispute accurate information, or suggests creating a "new" credit identity.

The short version

1. Pull all three reports free at AnnualCreditReport.com.
2. Dispute anything that's wrong.
3. Pay down card balances.
4. Pay every bill on time, every month.
5. Add rent or bill payments if your file is thin.
6. Keep old accounts open and limit new applications.

Not sure which tools fit your situation? Take our free credit quiz and get a plan based on your goals and budget.

Educational information only. Results depend on your whole credit file and the scoring model a lender uses. No score increase is guaranteed.