You might be wondering about how long it takes for your credit cards to report to the credit bureaus. Perhaps you are working hard to improve your credit score. Maybe you are about to apply for a new mortgage or loan and you’ve made a substantial payment to a creditor with the goal of improving your odds.
So when do credit cards send information to the credit agencies? And when is your credit report updated? At what point might you see your score improve? Before we answer these questions, let’s go over some information that will help you understand how credit works.
How is your credit score calculated?
First, remember that your credit score is based on your financial data captured in a credit report from one of the three major credit bureaus or agencies (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion). Your score is calculated using many factors including length of history, amount owed, payment history, new accounts, and credit mix.
It’s all in the timing.
In order to understand the relationship and timing between your credit card accounts and the credit bureaus, it is helpful to understand three important dates:
- statement date: the day your credit card company issues your statement showing your charges for the billing cycle
- payment due date: the day by which you must pay your bill to avoid interest charges on your transactions
- reporting date: the day the credit card company reports your balance to the three major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax
and TransUnion
Creditors usually report your data monthly.
There is no simple answer to when credit cards report to credit bureaus. However, usually, they report every month. Credit card companies have various reporting dates depending on their policy. Most credit cards report your balance on your statement date. But some may have different schedules. It can be advantageous for you to find out when each of your card’s reporting date is. That way, it will give you an idea on timing on when you might see your score change after your payment due date. Another good piece of information
But even knowing this information cannot guarantee you the ability to influence your score within a finite timeframe. Sure, your financial behavior does indeed shape your credit report and score. But credit card companies and the agencies themselves are processing billions of pieces of data all the time. The size and complexity of this process means sometimes you can’t predict when you’ll see changes in your report and score.
Ups and Downs
When a lender or creditor looks at your credit report and score, they catch a moment in time of your financial picture. It is good to recognize that this snapshot is everchanging and will have ups and downs. Depending on which scoring algorithm used (such as FICO or VantageScore), you have numerous credit scores. Additionally, the score can vary depending on the credit report used. Also, the process of you spending money and incurring debt and then making payments towards that debt will affect your score as well.
Generally speaking, these bumps are quite small and gradual. However, somethings can make dramatic changes to your score:
- Late or Missed Payment: Because payment history is one of the biggest factors in calculating your score, if you are very late or miss a payment your score will plummet.
- Change in the Amount Owed: Another important factor in your score is how much you owe or the ratio of credit you are using, called credit utilization. If you suddenly incur a lot of debt, your score can go down significantly. On the positive side, make a significantly large payment and you could see a boost within a month or two!
Don’t micromanage your credit.
The best advice to optimize your credit score is to avoid trying to control every piece of it. It is not wise to worry about every payment and how it impacts your score. To make the most out of your credit, its best to do the following to maximize your score:
- Your owed balance should remain as low as possible.
- All payments are received on time, by the payment due date each month.
- Avoid opening new accounts unless needed (such as to establish credit or to increase credit mix). This will keep credit inquiries low.