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Payment history (35%)

The five things that move your score · Lesson 5 of 22 · 3 min

This is the single biggest piece. It records whether each account was paid on time, month by month, for up to seven years.

The safest habit with an unpredictable income is autopay set to the minimum, with extra payments made by hand whenever money comes in. Autopay protects the score; the manual payments cut the interest.

Takeaway

Autopay the minimum on every account. Pay more by hand when you can.

Next up: Utilization: the 30% rule