How to read your business credit score

Step 1: place the number on its band

A business credit score usually sits on a scale, often 0–100, split into risk bands. A high score signals low lending risk; a low score signals high risk. Find where your number falls and what band the agency assigns it — that is the headline a lender sees.

Step 2: allow for agency differences

Experian, Equifax and Creditsafe each use their own scale and data, so your score can differ between them. Do not fixate on one number; look across agencies for a rounded view, and note which holds the data driving any difference.

Step 3: read the detail behind it

The score is a summary; the report behind it explains why. Look for the factors dragging it — late payments, a CCJ, thin history — because those are what you can act on. See checking your report.

Step 4: turn it into action

A low score from errors means dispute them; from late payments means tighten your discipline; from a thin file means build history. Match the fix to the cause. See improving your score.

Improve what you read

Once you understand the number, work the levers that lift it before you apply.

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