Estimate the potential impact of positive credit actions on your credit score.
Enter your current FICO or VantageScore (e.g., 650).
Estimate how many responsible actions you'll take soon (e.g., paying bills on time, reducing credit utilization).
This estimates the average score increase per positive action (1=Low, 10=High).5 points
Estimate how many negative marks you'll address (e.g., late payments, high balances).
This estimates the average score increase from resolving a negative factor (5=Low, 30=High).15 points
Your Estimated Credit Score Increase
0
This is an estimation. Actual results may vary.
Understanding Credit Score Factors and Improvement
Your credit score is a crucial three-digit number that lenders use to assess your creditworthiness. It influences your ability to get loans, credit cards, mortgages, and even impacts interest rates, insurance premiums, and rental applications. While the exact algorithms used by credit bureaus (like FICO and VantageScore) are proprietary, they generally consider several key factors.
Key Factors Influencing Your Credit Score:
Payment History (Approx. 35% of FICO Score): This is the most critical factor. Making payments on time, every time, is paramount. Late payments, defaults, and bankruptcies can significantly damage your score.
Amounts Owed (Credit Utilization – Approx. 30% of FICO Score): This refers to the amount of credit you're using compared to your total available credit. Keeping your credit utilization ratio low (ideally below 30%, and even better below 10%) can boost your score.
Length of Credit History (Approx. 15% of FICO Score): The longer your accounts have been open and actively managed, the better.
Credit Mix (Approx. 10% of FICO Score): Having a mix of different credit types (e.g., credit cards, installment loans like mortgages or auto loans) can be slightly beneficial, though not as impactful as payment history or utilization.
New Credit (Approx. 10% of FICO Score): Opening too many new accounts in a short period can temporarily lower your score as it may suggest higher risk.
How the Calculator Works:
This calculator provides an *estimated* potential credit score increase based on two primary drivers of improvement: engaging in positive credit behaviors and resolving negative credit issues.
The calculation is a simplified model:
Positive Actions Impact: We multiply the "Number of Positive Actions" (like consistent on-time payments, lowering credit utilization) by the "Impact of Each Action" score you select. This estimates the cumulative benefit from consistent good habits.
Negative Factors Resolution Impact: We multiply the "Number of Negative Factors to Resolve" (such as bringing past-due accounts current, paying down high balances) by the "Impact of Resolving Negatives" score you select. Resolving negative issues often yields a more significant score boost than simply maintaining good habits.
Total Estimated Increase: The total estimated increase is the sum of the impacts from positive actions and resolving negative factors.
Example:
If your current score is 650, you plan 3 positive actions with an estimated impact of 5 points each (3 * 5 = 15 points), and you will resolve 1 negative factor with an estimated impact of 15 points (1 * 15 = 15 points), the total estimated increase would be 15 + 15 = 30 points, bringing your potential score to 680.
Important Considerations:
Credit Score Range: Scores typically range from 300 to 850. The potential for improvement often depends on your starting score and the severity of negative factors.
Timeframe: Credit score changes don't happen overnight. It takes time for positive actions to be reported to credit bureaus and for negative information to be resolved or age off your report.
Credit Scoring Models: Different scoring models (FICO, VantageScore) may weigh factors slightly differently.
No Guarantees: This calculator provides a hypothetical scenario. Your actual credit score improvement will depend on many real-world variables and how accurately credit information is reported.
For the most accurate picture of your credit health and personalized advice, consult your credit reports directly and consider speaking with a reputable credit counseling agency.
function calculateCreditScoreIncrease() {
var currentCreditScore = parseFloat(document.getElementById("currentCreditScore").value);
var positiveActionsCount = parseInt(document.getElementById("positiveActionsCount").value);
var actionImpactScale = parseInt(document.getElementById("actionImpactScale").value);
var negativeFactorsCount = parseInt(document.getElementById("negativeFactorsCount").value);
var resolutionImpactScale = parseInt(document.getElementById("resolutionImpactScale").value);
var impactFromPositiveActions = 0;
var impactFromResolvingNegatives = 0;
var totalEstimatedIncrease = 0;
// Validate inputs
if (isNaN(currentCreditScore) || currentCreditScore 850) {
alert("Please enter a valid current credit score between 300 and 850.");
return;
}
if (isNaN(positiveActionsCount) || positiveActionsCount < 0) {
alert("Please enter a non-negative number for positive actions.");
return;
}
if (isNaN(actionImpactScale) || actionImpactScale 10) {
alert("Please select a valid impact level for positive actions (1-10).");
return;
}
if (isNaN(negativeFactorsCount) || negativeFactorsCount < 0) {
alert("Please enter a non-negative number for negative factors to resolve.");
return;
}
if (isNaN(resolutionImpactScale) || resolutionImpactScale 30) {
alert("Please select a valid impact level for resolving negatives (5-30).");
return;
}
impactFromPositiveActions = positiveActionsCount * actionImpactScale;
impactFromResolvingNegatives = negativeFactorsCount * resolutionImpactScale;
totalEstimatedIncrease = impactFromPositiveActions + impactFromResolvingNegatives;
// Cap the score at 850
var finalEstimatedScore = currentCreditScore + totalEstimatedIncrease;
if (finalEstimatedScore > 850) {
finalEstimatedScore = 850;
totalEstimatedIncrease = 850 – currentCreditScore; // Adjust increase to reflect cap
}
document.getElementById("creditScoreImpact").innerText = totalEstimatedIncrease + (totalEstimatedIncrease === 1 ? " point" : " points");
}
// Update range slider display values
var actionImpactScaleSlider = document.getElementById("actionImpactScale");
var actionImpactValueDisplay = document.getElementById("actionImpactValueDisplay");
actionImpactScaleSlider.oninput = function() {
actionImpactValueDisplay.innerText = this.value + " points";
}
var resolutionImpactScaleSlider = document.getElementById("resolutionImpactScale");
var resolutionImpactValueDisplay = document.getElementById("resolutionImpactValueDisplay");
resolutionImpactScaleSlider.oninput = function() {
resolutionImpactValueDisplay.innerText = this.value + " points";
}