- How to check your business credit score for free
- What is a business credit score?
- Business credit scoring models explained
- What is a good business credit score?
- Business credit scores vs. personal credit scores
- Factors that affect your business credit score
- What is included in a business credit report?
- How to improve your business credit score
- Build your business credit with the Ramp Business Credit Card
Your business credit score affects whether you qualify for loans, credit cards, and favorable vendor terms, as well as the rates and limits you’re offered. Errors and outdated information can quietly drag down your score, making financing more expensive or harder to access.
Checking your business credit score regularly helps you catch issues early and understand how lenders and suppliers view your business before you apply for credit.
How to check your business credit score for free
Several services let you check your business credit score for free, without paying for a full report. To get started, you’ll typically need your business name, address, and employer identification number (EIN).
Checking your own business credit is a soft inquiry and won’t lower your score. Because each credit bureau collects and reports different data, checking multiple sources gives you a more complete picture of your business’s credit health.
Nav
Nav offers a free business credit monitoring account that shows summary data and letter grades from Experian, Equifax, and Dun & Bradstreet in one dashboard. This makes it one of the easiest ways to monitor multiple business credit profiles at once.
With a free account, you can view business credit summaries alongside your personal credit information. Nav doesn’t provide full reports for free, but the summaries help you track changes and identify potential issues early.
Dun & Bradstreet Credit Insights
Dun & Bradstreet provides a free Credit Insights plan that includes your PAYDEX score, delinquency score, and failure score. To access your D&B profile, you’ll need a D-U-N-S number, which you can request for free.
The free plan shows risk range indicators, alerts for changes, and summary legal events. Viewing detailed payment history or exact score calculations requires upgrading to a paid plan.
Experian business credit
Experian allows free access to your business credit report and Intelliscore Plus score. You can also search other businesses’ profiles, which is useful when evaluating vendors or partners.
An Experian business credit report includes public business information, trade lines, collections activity, and any recorded liens, judgments, or bankruptcies.
Equifax business credit
You can check your Equifax business credit score for free through third-party services like OnDeck. OnDeck provides free access to Equifax business credit scores as part of its platform.
An Equifax business credit report includes business demographics, credit balances, payment trends, and public records such as liens, judgments, and bankruptcies.
Bank and financial partners
Some banks offer free business credit scores to existing customers. Bank of America, for example, provides complimentary Dun & Bradstreet scores to qualifying business banking clients.
Check with your bank or financial institution to see whether free credit monitoring is included with your account.
Other free credit monitoring services
Additional providers like Creditsafe offer free business credit reports and risk scores. These tools can supplement your monitoring, though the major bureaus and Nav typically provide the most comprehensive coverage.
| Service | Bureaus covered | What’s included free | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nav | D&B, Experian, Equifax | Credit summaries and letter grades | No full reports |
| Dun & Bradstreet | D&B | Risk indicators, alerts, legal summaries | Detailed scores require paid plan |
| Experian | Experian | Credit report and Intelliscore Plus | Limited historical detail |
| OnDeck | Equifax | Equifax business credit score | Account required |
| Bank of America | D&B | D&B score for banking clients | Existing customer required |
What is a business credit score?
A business credit score is a numerical measure of your company’s creditworthiness, based on how it handles debt and payments. Lenders, suppliers, and other creditors use it to assess the risk of extending credit, setting terms, or approving financing.
The three major business credit bureaus—Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax—each generate business credit scores using their own models. Scores commonly range from 0–100 or 300–850, depending on the bureau, with higher scores indicating lower credit risk.
A strong business credit score can help you qualify for loans, negotiate better payment terms with vendors, and reduce borrowing costs. It’s a core indicator of your company’s financial reliability and long-term stability.
Discover Ramp's corporate card for modern finance
Business credit scoring models explained
Business credit scores aren’t standardized the way personal credit scores are. Each bureau uses its own scoring models and ranges, so understanding how each one works helps you interpret your scores and lender requirements accurately.
PAYDEX score from Dun & Bradstreet
The PAYDEX score ranges from 0–100 and measures how reliably your business pays vendors. A score of 80 or higher means you pay bills on time or early, while lower scores signal late or missed payments.
Dun & Bradstreet also publishes supporting risk scores, including the Delinquency Predictor Score, Failure Score, and Supplier Evaluation Risk (SER) Rating. These scores assess the likelihood of late payments, business failure, and short-term supplier risk.
| D&B score type | Score ranges and risk levels |
|---|---|
| PAYDEX score | 80–100: Low risk • 50–79: Moderate risk • 0–49: High risk |
| Delinquency Predictor Score* | Class 1: Lowest risk • Class 5: Highest risk |
| Failure Score* | Class 1: Lowest risk • Class 5: Highest risk |
| Supplier Evaluation Risk Rating** | Class 1: Lowest risk • Class 9: Highest risk |
*Scores range from 1–5
**Scores range from 1–9
Intelliscore Plus from Experian
Experian’s Intelliscore Plus predicts the likelihood of serious payment delinquency. Earlier versions use a 1–100 scale and factor in payment trends, credit utilization, company age, and industry risk.
Newer versions—Intelliscore Plus V3 and the Financial Stability Risk Score V2—use a 300–850 scale designed to align more closely with consumer credit scoring ranges.
| Experian score type | Score ranges and risk levels |
|---|---|
| Intelliscore Plus (legacy) | 76–100: Low risk • 51–75: Low to medium risk • 26–50: Medium risk • 11–25: Medium to high risk • 0–10: High risk |
| Intelliscore Plus V3 / Financial Stability Risk Score V2 | 781–850: Low risk • 721–780: Medium low risk • 661–720: Medium risk • 601–660: Medium high risk • 300–600: High risk |
FICO Small Business Scoring Service (SBSS)
The FICO Small Business Scoring Service (SBSS) ranges from 0–300 and combines both personal and business credit data. SBA lenders commonly use this score when evaluating loan applications.
A score of 140 or higher is typically required to qualify for SBA-backed loans, though individual lenders may set higher minimums based on risk tolerance.
Equifax business credit scores
Equifax issues two primary business credit scores: OneScore for Commercial and the Business Failure Score. Both use reverse scoring, meaning higher numbers indicate lower risk.
| Equifax score type | Score ranges and risk levels |
|---|---|
| OneScore for Commercial | 300 (highest risk) to 600 (lowest risk) |
| Business Failure Score | 1,001 (highest risk) to 1,722 (lowest risk) |
| Scoring model | Range |
| --- | --- |
| PAYDEX (D&B) | 0–100 |
| Intelliscore Plus V3 (Experian) | 300–850 |
| FICO SBSS | 0–300 |
| OneScore (Equifax) | 300–600 |
What is a good business credit score?
What counts as a good business credit score varies by scoring model. Unlike personal credit, where 700+ is generally considered good across the board, business credit requires understanding each bureau's specific thresholds.
Here are the benchmarks for each major scoring model:
- PAYDEX: 80+ is considered good and indicates on-time or early payments
- Intelliscore Plus V3: 721+ is lower risk
- FICO SBSS: 140+ is typically needed for SBA loans
- Equifax OneScore: 500+ indicates lower credit risk
Only top-performing businesses achieve scores near the maximum, so don't be discouraged if you're not at the top of the range. Focus on consistent improvement over time.
Business credit scores vs. personal credit scores
Business and personal credit scores measure credit risk, but they work differently and are used for different decisions. Understanding the distinction helps you manage both without conflating the two.
- Scoring range: Personal credit scores typically use a standardized 300–850 FICO range. Business credit scores vary by bureau, including 0–100, 300–850, and 0–300 ranges.
- What’s tracked: Personal credit reflects your individual borrowing and repayment behavior. Business credit focuses on your company’s payment history with vendors, lenders, and suppliers.
- Who can access it: Business credit reports are public and can be checked without your permission. Personal credit reports require authorization before a lender can access them.
- How credit is built: Personal credit builds automatically as you use credit cards and loans. Business credit requires deliberate setup, including establishing trade lines with vendors that report payment data.
For newer businesses, lenders often review both scores together. As your company’s credit profile matures, business credit typically carries more weight in financing decisions.
Factors that affect your business credit score
Business credit bureaus evaluate several factors to assess your company’s credit risk. While weighting varies by model, payment behavior and credit usage tend to have the greatest impact.
Payment history
Payment history is the most important factor in your business credit score. Late or missed payments can stay on your report for years and significantly lower your scores.
Paying early, not just on time, can improve your PAYDEX score. Dun & Bradstreet rewards businesses that consistently pay vendors before the due date.
Credit utilization
Credit utilization measures how much of your available credit you’re using. Keeping utilization below 30% signals responsible credit management and reduces perceived risk.
High balances relative to your limits can hurt your score, even if you always pay on time.
Length of credit history
Older businesses with longer credit histories tend to score higher. Time in business helps demonstrate stability and consistent financial behavior.
Newer businesses can still build strong credit, but it typically takes time and consistent payments.
Company size and industry
Some scoring models consider company size, revenue, and industry risk. Businesses in higher-risk industries or with limited operating history may face stricter evaluation.
Public records and legal filings
Liens, judgments, bankruptcies, and UCC filings negatively affect your business credit scores. These records signal financial distress and can remain on your report for several years.
What is included in a business credit report?
A business credit report is a detailed record of your company’s financial behavior and credit history. Lenders and suppliers use it alongside your score to evaluate risk before extending credit or setting payment terms.
A typical business credit report includes:
- Company information: Legal name, address, industry classification, and years in business
- Credit scores: Bureau-specific business credit scores and risk indicators
- Payment history: How consistently you’ve paid vendors and lenders
- Credit accounts: Open and closed accounts, credit limits, balances, and terms
- Public records: Liens, judgments, bankruptcies, and UCC filings
- Trade references: Your history of paying vendors and suppliers
- Collections activity: Accounts sent to collections or written off
- Inquiries: A record of who has accessed your business credit file
Creditors use this information to assess repayment risk and determine eligibility for financing, trade credit, or supplier agreements. Keeping your report accurate and up to date directly affects the terms you’re offered.
How to improve your business credit score
You can improve your business credit score by focusing on consistent payment behavior, responsible credit usage, and clean financial separation. Small changes compound over time and directly affect how lenders evaluate risk.
Pay bills on time or early
Payment history has the biggest impact on your business credit score. Late payments can remain on your report for years and significantly lower your scores.
Paying early—not just on time—can increase your PAYDEX score. Dun & Bradstreet rewards businesses that consistently pay vendors before the due date. Using tools like automatic bill payments helps prevent missed deadlines.
Keep credit utilization low
Aim to use less than 30% of your available credit. Lower utilization signals financial stability and reduces perceived risk.
If you regularly exceed that threshold, requesting a higher credit limit can lower your utilization ratio without changing spending behavior.
Separate personal and business finances
Maintain a dedicated business bank account and business credit card. This creates a clear credit profile for your company and prevents personal activity from muddying business credit data.
Separating finances also simplifies bookkeeping and protects your personal assets.
Establish trade lines with vendors
Work with vendors that report payment activity to credit bureaus. Trade accounts like Net 30 accounts help build business credit when invoices are paid on time.
Prioritize vendors that report to Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, or Equifax to ensure your payment history is captured.
Monitor and dispute errors regularly
Review your business credit reports from all three bureaus at least annually. Errors and outdated information can drag down your score.
Dispute inaccuracies directly with the reporting bureau and provide supporting documentation to speed up resolution.
Build your business credit with the Ramp Business Credit Card
Building business credit depends on consistent, well-managed spending, and the Ramp Business Credit Card is designed to support that from day one. There’s no personal credit check or personal guarantee required—Ramp evaluates factors like business revenue and cash on hand instead.
Ramp offers unlimited physical and virtual cards with customizable spending limits for your team. You get real-time visibility into expenses, making it easier to track spending by vendor, category, or department and enforce policy before issues arise.
With built-in controls like merchant and category restrictions, you can prevent out-of-policy purchases and keep spending predictable. Businesses that use Ramp save an average of 5% a year across all spending. Try an interactive demo to see how it works.
FAQs
No. Checking your own business credit score is a soft inquiry and does not affect your score. You can review your business credit as often as needed without negative impact.
Most businesses can establish a credit file within a few months of opening trade accounts. Building a strong, lender-ready business credit score typically takes 1–2 years of consistent payment history.
Usually not. Most services also require your business name and address to accurately locate your credit file, though the EIN is often used as a primary identifier.
Check at least quarterly, or monthly if you’re actively building credit or preparing to apply for financing. Regular monitoring helps you catch errors and track changes early.
Dispute the error directly with the credit bureau that issued the report. Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax each have their own dispute processes, and providing documentation helps speed resolution.
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