- See How Credit Scores Work in general
- How to Get Free Credit Scores
Where Does the FICO Credit Score Come From
Your FICO credit score is calculated by the Fair Isaac Corporation. Fair Isaac looks at information in your credit report, and crunches the data using a proprietary formula.
Note that your FICO credit score is only as good as the information that Fair Isaac has available. If there is incorrect or out-of-date information, it will affect your FICO credit score.
How the FICO Credit Score is Composed
To create the FICO credit score, Fair Isaac uses a few bits of information:
FICO Credit Score Components
- 35% Payment History
- 30% Amounts Owed
- 15% Length of Credit
- 10% New Credit
- 10% Type of Credit
If you’re trying to improve your FICO credit score, you may need to focus on one or more of the components above. The next few pages help you take actions to improve each of these areas.
There’s More to You Than Your FICO Credit Score
Before you break your back trying to manage your FICO credit score, remember that lenders may look at other factors besides just your FICO credit score.
For example, you may be able to show the lender that you just got a better paying job that will allow you to cover all your debt payments – this is not something that will appear in your FICO credit score.
