Calculator · Educational Only
Credit Score Improver
Five actions that move credit scores 20–80 points in 60–120 days, ranked by impact. Plus the real dollar cost of each score tier when you borrow $500,000 at current rates.
The Five Actions — Ranked by Speed and Impact
Pay credit cards to under 10% utilization
Utilization is 30% of your FICO score. Getting every card under 10% of its limit typically moves a score 20–60 points in 30–45 days (one billing cycle). Pay the balance before the statement closing date, not just before the due date.
Dispute inaccurate derogatories
Pull your free reports at annualcreditreport.com. Dispute anything inaccurate with the bureau (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) and the furnisher. Late payments or collections that are wrong, outdated, or unverifiable must come off within 30 days. A single removed late-payment 48 hits harder than the other four actions combined.
Become an authorized user on a seasoned account
A parent, spouse, or sibling with a 10+ year card that has never been late can add you as an authorized user. Their account history shows on your report at the next reporting cycle. Thin-file or rebuilding scores can jump 30–60 points. No actual card access needed — the history is what counts.
Don't open anything new, don't close anything old
New accounts reduce average age of credit and trigger a hard inquiry — each inquiry costs ~5 points. Closing an old card drops your available credit (raising utilization) and eventually your average-age count. Between now and closing on the house, freeze your credit behavior. Your pre-approval freezes your score at day one; underwriters re-pull and will flag new activity.
Pay everything, every month, on time
Payment history is 35% of FICO. One 30-day-late can drop a 780 score by 80–100 points. Auto-pay every recurring bill to at least the minimum. If you have an old late payment (under 24 months), a "goodwill letter" to the creditor sometimes gets it removed — but that's case by case.
Rapid rescore: if you're within 30 days of closing and need a bump, your lender can request a rapid rescore from the bureaus after you pay down utilization or resolve a dispute. Costs $30–$100 per account. Not available for consumer-initiated rescores — only lender-initiated.