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Why Do I Have Different Credit Scores?

4 min read

Last Updated: October 14, 2024

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

It’s normal to see slight differences in your credit score when you review credit reports from different credit bureaus.
You may see a different credit score because creditors don’t always report to all three major credit bureaus.
The type of credit scoring model used to calculate your score could also lead to a different score.

If you’re looking for a new credit card, you may want to first check your credit report to see how a new card could impact your credit score. But you may notice that your credit score can vary on credit reports from different credit agencies. Is there an error? Is one more accurate than the other credit scores?

Don’t worry. It’s normal to have differences in your credit score when you review credit reports from different credit bureau sites.

Why your credit scores can be different but still accurate

Creditors don’t always report to all three major credit bureaus. In addition, they may not always share the same consumer information with the credit bureaus at the same time, either.

For example, you may have missed a payment at some point. Your creditor might report this to one bureau, but not the other two. Or maybe you recently paid down a large debt to reduce your overall credit utilization, but only one or two of the major credit bureaus have received that information from your creditor.

So, the credit reporting agencies may not have the same information all of the time, which can cause differences in your credit score from different sites but still be accurate.

Different credit scoring models

Your credit score is based on various factors in your financial history. Typically, your payment history (how often you make on-time payments and if you’ve missed any payments) is the biggest factor in your credit score. But there are other factors that impact your credit score, and their importance is based on the credit scoring model used.

For example, FICO^® (which stands for Fair Isaac Corporation²) breaks down your score from these factors:

Payment history at 35%
Total amount of debt at 30%
Length of credit history at 15%
Credit mix at 10%
New credit at 10%

However, a different credit scoring model, VantageScore^®, has a different breakdown:

Payment history at 41%
Age and mix of credit at 20%
Credit utilization at 20%
New credit at 11%
Your balance at 6%
Available credit at 2%

Depending on which model is used, your credit score might vary from each credit reporting agency.

In addition, both companies have a wide range of credit scoring models to assess your creditworthiness for different types of loans—like auto loans, home loans, and credit cards.

With these possibilities, it may be easier to understand why you might have different credit scores on different sites.

Did you know?

A new line of credit could impact your credit file. A hard inquiry results from a credit card issuer processing your application, which could temporarily lower your credit score. However, a new credit card may improve your credit utilization, credit mix, and obtaining new credit.

See If You're Pre-Approved

What different credit scores mean for your credit

If the credit bureau or creditor in question has up-to-date and accurate information, you should have similar credit scores from one credit report to the next. Where little differences can become big differences is for people who are close to one credit score range versus another.

For example, FICO^® considers a fair credit score to be 580-669, while a good credit score is 670-739. If your credit score is 665 and puts you in the fair range, that may impact whether you can get approval for new credit (as well as the amount and the interest rate).

It’s recommended to keep a close eye on your credit report to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date. Federal law allows you to get one free credit report every twelve months from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. And, beyond this law, the Federal Trade Commission reports that the three credit bureaus have permanently extended the program to include one free report per week.

You can request your free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com (the only website authorized by the federal government). Additionally, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, you can ask for a free credit report within 60 days of being denied credit.

If you find your credit scores are different on different sites, they may all be accurate. The credit bureau and scoring model used, and what information and when the lender shares it with each credit reporting company, all factor into your scores. What may be more important is if one of your credit reports contains an error. Even if there are slight variations from one credit score to another, the beginning of building a good credit history is knowing what’s included in your report.

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