What actually moves your credit score

Credit scoring models vary, but most widely used models weigh the same handful of factors — just not equally.

Payment history — the biggest factor

Whether you've paid on time carries the most weight of any single factor. A single missed payment reported to the bureaus can outweigh months of otherwise good behavior, and the effect fades over time rather than disappearing immediately.

Credit utilization — the fastest-moving factor

This is the percentage of your available credit you're currently using. It's recalculated every billing cycle, which makes it the factor that moves fastest — for better or worse. Keeping utilization well under 30%, and ideally under 10%, on each card tends to help.

Length of credit history

Older accounts help your average account age, which is one reason closing your oldest card can quietly hurt your score even if you stop using it.

Credit mix and new credit

Having a mix of account types (credit cards, a car loan, etc.) contributes a smaller amount, as does the number of recent hard inquiries. A single new inquiry has a small, temporary effect — it's a pattern of many inquiries in a short window that raises more concern.

What doesn't factor in

Your income, employment, savings balance, and rent payments (unless specifically reported) typically aren't part of the score itself, even though lenders may consider them separately when deciding whether to approve you.