Score Advice

How Often Does Your Credit Score Change?


Dear Experian,

Why doesn't my credit score update or change? The last date on my credit score says September 2014. I have been working hard since then to bring everything up-to-date and it is not reflecting in my score.


Dear ZDK,

The information in your credit report is constantly being updated, and as your credit information changes, your credit score will change, too. However, Experian does not maintain an ongoing record of credit scores.

It sounds like you are logging in to a service of some kind and viewing an old score and possibly on old credit report online. If you have not ordered a new credit report and score since September of 2016, then you may still see the same score from that date each time you log in.

Checking to See if Your Credit Score Changed

If you haven't already, you can request a free copy of your credit report from Annual Credit or from Experian.

You can also request a free credit score from Experian. You will receive with it a list of the risk factors from your credit report that are most affecting the score.

Keep in mind that there are many different credit scores, and each scoring system may have different criteria and different numerical ranges. Because of that, the credit score number you receive may vary substantially from one lender to another, depending on the model they choose.

Improving Your Credit Scores

While the credit score number itself can vary considerably, the risk factors tend to be very consistent from one score to another. The two most important things anyone can do to improve their credit scores are:

  • Make all your payments on time
  • Reduce your credit card balances

By paying attention to the factors that are affecting your score you will be able to gain a solid understanding of how to improve your overall creditworthiness, and improve all of your credit scores.

Thanks for asking.
The "Ask Experian" team

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