Credit Utilization Calculator

How Credit Utilization Affects Your Score

Credit utilization is the second most important factor in your credit score, making up 30% of your FICO score. It measures how much of your available credit you are using.

Utilization Ranges

0-10% — Excellent. Optimal for credit score
11-30% — Good. Generally acceptable by lenders
31-50% — Fair. May start to negatively impact your score
51-100% — Poor. Significantly hurts your credit score

Tips to Lower Your Utilization

Pay balances down before the statement closing date
Request credit limit increases (without a hard inquiry if possible)
Make multiple payments throughout the month
Spread charges across multiple cards instead of maxing one
Keep old unused cards open to maintain total available credit

Frequently Asked Questions

What is credit utilization ratio?

Credit utilization ratio is the percentage of your total available credit that you are currently using. It is calculated by dividing your total credit card balances by your total credit limits. Both per-card and overall utilization affect your score.

What is a good credit utilization ratio?

Most experts recommend keeping utilization below 30%. For the best possible credit score impact, aim for under 10%. Having 0% utilization is not ideal either — using 1-5% shows active, responsible credit use.

Does credit utilization reset each month?

Credit utilization is typically reported once per month when your statement closes. Paying down balances before the statement date can show lower utilization to credit bureaus, even if you use the card heavily during the month.

Should I close unused credit cards?

Generally no. Closing unused cards reduces your total available credit, which increases your utilization ratio. Keep them open to maintain a higher credit limit, even if you do not use them regularly.

Does utilization affect all credit scores?

Yes. Both FICO and VantageScore models consider credit utilization as a major factor. FICO weighs it at 30% of your total score. Keeping utilization low benefits all credit scoring models.

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'+c.name+''+util.toFixed(1)+'%

+c.bal.toLocaleString()+' / +c.lim.toLocaleString()+'

';});cardHtml+='

Recommendation

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Excellent! Your utilization is under 10%. This is optimal for your credit score.

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Good. Your utilization is under 30%. For the best score, try to get below 10% by paying down +(totalBal-totalLim*0.1).toLocaleString('en-US',{maximumFractionDigits:0})+'.

';}else{recHtml+='

Your utilization is above 30%. Pay down +payDown.toLocaleString('en-US',{maximumFractionDigits:0})+' to reach the recommended 30% threshold. Ideally, pay down +(totalBal-totalLim*0.1).toLocaleString('en-US',{maximumFractionDigits:0})+' to reach 10%.

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How Credit Utilization Affects Your Score

Utilization Ranges

Tips to Lower Your Utilization

Credit Utilization Calculator — CreditScoreCalcTools by State

Frequently Asked Questions