Key difference from personal credit:
Business credit reports are NOT regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). This means: (1) Anyone can pull your business credit report — suppliers, competitors, landlords, customers. (2) You have no statutory right to dispute under the same consumer protections. (3) Each bureau uses completely different scoring ranges, so a "score" without knowing which bureau is meaningless. (4) No score is "the" business credit score — you have three separate scores simultaneously.
The Three Major Business Credit Bureaus
Dun & Bradstreet (D&B)
PAYDEX Score — Most Widely Used for Trade Credit
Score of 80 = pays on time. Above 80 = early. Below 80 = late.
Data Sources
- Trade reference payments (must be reported to D&B)
- Supplier and vendor payment history
- Public records (UCC filings, liens, judgments)
- D&B's proprietary database
Minimum to Get a Score
- DUNS Number (free to register)
- At least 3 trade references actively reporting
Good Score
80+ (pays on time or early)
Risky Score
Below 70 (consistently late payments)
Experian Business
Intelliscore Plus — Used by Banks & Lenders
Higher = lower risk. Score of 76+ generally considered good by lenders.
Data Sources
- Business credit card payment history
- Trade references from Experian's network
- Business bank account data
- Public records (UCC liens, bankruptcies)
- Firmographic data (age, size, SIC code)
Minimum to Get a Score
- Business registered with Experian
- Reporting accounts in Experian's database
Good Score
76–100 (low risk)
Risky Score
Below 25 (high risk)
Equifax Business
Business Credit Risk Score — Broadest Scale
Higher = lower risk. Score of 800+ is generally considered excellent.
Data Sources
- Payment performance (trade lines)
- Business banking activity
- Public records and court filings
- Demographic/firmographic factors
Minimum to Get a Score
- Active business in Equifax's database
- Accounts reporting to Equifax
Good Score
800–992 (low risk)
Risky Score
Below 580 (high risk)
PAYDEX Score Ranges — D&B Detailed Breakdown
The PAYDEX score is the most visible business credit score because it directly reflects payment behavior relative to terms. It's also the one most commonly checked by suppliers deciding whether to offer net terms.
| PAYDEX Range | Payment Behavior | What This Means | Supplier / Lender Reaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 30 days early | Pays 30+ days before due date | Exceptional — best terms available |
| 90 | 20 days early | Consistently pays early | Excellent — net terms, low deposits |
| 80 | On time (net 30 = day 30) | Pays exactly as agreed | Good — standard net terms offered |
| 70 | 15 days late | Pays about 2 weeks past due | Caution — may require deposits or COD |
| 60 | 22 days late | Pays 3+ weeks past due | Risk — stricter terms, smaller credit limits |
| 50 | 30 days late | Pays an entire month past due | High risk — COD or prepayment required |
| 40 | 60 days late | 2 months past due | Very high risk — credit typically denied |
| Below 40 | 90+ days late | 3+ months past due, potential collections | Severe — most suppliers won't extend credit |
Side-by-Side Comparison: All Three Bureaus
| Factor | D&B PAYDEX | Experian Intelliscore | Equifax Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score range | 0 – 100 | 1 – 100 | 101 – 992 |
| Good score | 80+ | 76–100 | 800+ |
| Primary data | Vendor/supplier trade payments | Credit cards, trade lines, banking | Trade lines, banking, public records |
| Public? (anyone can check) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FCRA protections | No | No | No |
| DUNS Number required | Yes | No | No |
| Main use case | Trade credit, supplier terms | Bank loans, SBA, credit lines | Equipment finance, real estate |
| Update frequency | Monthly (when reported) | Monthly | Monthly |
| How to dispute errors | D&B Direct | Experian Business dispute form | Equifax Business dispute form |
What Affects Each Business Credit Score
D&B PAYDEX — What Moves It
- Payment timing (primary driver) — Pay early to score above 80. Pay on time to score 80. Every late payment drops your score, and the drop is proportional to how late.
- Trade line count — More active trade accounts reporting to D&B = more data = more stable score. Aim for at least 5–7 accounts.
- Account age — Older accounts with long positive history carry more weight.
- Type of accounts reporting — Not all suppliers report to D&B. You need to specifically ask vendors if they report, or use D&B's "CreditBuilder" program.
Experian Intelliscore Plus — What Moves It
- Business credit card usage and payment history — The most impactful factor. Business cards that report to Experian Business (not personal bureaus) are key builders.
- Time in business — Intelliscore weighs business age significantly. Businesses under 3 years old score lower by default.
- Number of delinquencies — Any account 90+ days late is heavily penalized.
- Public records — Liens, judgments, and UCC-1 filings all reduce the score.
- Industry risk factor — Experian includes SIC code risk in Intelliscore. Some industries (construction, restaurants) start with lower baseline scores.
Equifax Business Credit Risk Score — What Moves It
- Payment performance across all trade lines — On-time and early payment across all reporting accounts.
- Credit utilization — Similar to personal credit — high utilization of available credit limits suggests stress.
- Number of derogatory items — Collections, bankruptcies, tax liens.
- Business demographic data — Business age, employee count, revenue size.
How to Get Your Business Credit Scores
- D&B PAYDEX — Register for a free DUNS number at dnb.com. Your PAYDEX is visible in D&B's paid reports or via Nav.com.
- Experian Intelliscore — Check via Experian's Business Credit Advantage or Nav.com (free tier available for basic scores).
- Equifax Business — Check at equifax.com/business or Nav.com.
Nav.com aggregates all three bureaus in one place — free account shows summary scores from D&B, Experian, and Equifax simultaneously. The paid tier shows full reports and tradeline details. Most SCORE advisors recommend Nav as a starting point for small business owners checking credit for the first time.
10 Ways to Build All Three Business Credit Scores
- Register for a DUNS Number — Free at dnb.com. Required for government contracts and federal grants. Without it, you cannot build a PAYDEX score.
- Open a dedicated business bank account — Commingling personal and business funds is the #1 reason small businesses fail to build separate credit profiles.
- Get a business credit card that reports to business bureaus — Not all do. Business cards from Amex, Capital One Spark, and Chase Ink generally report to business bureaus. Avoid cards that report only to personal bureaus.
- Apply for net-30 vendor accounts — Uline, Grainger, Amazon Business, and Quill are popular "starter" vendors that report to D&B. These accounts are net-30 (pay within 30 days) and report monthly payment behavior.
- Pay early, not just on time — For PAYDEX, paying 15–30 days before due pushes your score above 80 toward 90–100. On-time = 80. Early = 90+.
- Keep credit utilization below 30% — For Equifax and Intelliscore. Even on a $10,000 business card limit, carrying more than $3,000 signals financial stress.
- Dispute inaccurate trade lines — Business bureaus make mistakes. If an account is reporting inaccurately, dispute it directly with each bureau.
- Avoid UCC-1 liens where possible — MCA providers often file UCC-1 liens against business assets. Multiple UCC-1s are visible to lenders and suppliers — they signal encumbered assets and can reduce credit limits offered by trade creditors.
- Ensure your business is properly registered — EIN, state filing, business address, NAICS/SIC code. Bureaus use firmographic data to verify your business exists and is appropriately categorized.
- Build time in business — Intelliscore weights business age heavily. At 3+ years in business, scores often improve significantly even without any other changes.
Business Credit vs. Personal Credit: What MCA Providers Actually Check
Most MCA providers (ISOs) do not pull formal business credit reports during underwriting. Instead, they:
- Do a soft pull of personal FICO (minimum typically 500 — no hard inquiry)
- Review 3–6 months of business bank statements (primary underwriting factor)
- Calculate average daily balance and average monthly deposits
- Look at the frequency of NSF/returned items and negative balance days
This means you can qualify for an MCA with no established business credit history at all — the bank statements tell the underwriter everything they need. However, building strong business credit in parallel opens up access to lower-cost capital options (vendor net terms, business lines of credit, SBA loans) that reduce your dependence on MCA financing over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a business credit score?
- A business credit score is a numerical rating of a business's creditworthiness — its likelihood of paying obligations on time and in full. There are three major business credit bureaus (D&B, Experian Business, Equifax Business), each with different scoring ranges and models. Business credit is separate from personal credit, built from trade payment history, business loans, and public records.
- What is a PAYDEX score?
- PAYDEX is Dun & Bradstreet's business credit score, ranging from 0 to 100. It measures payment behavior relative to invoice terms. An 80 means you pay exactly on time. Above 80 (up to 100) means you pay early. Below 80 means you pay late. PAYDEX is the most widely used score for supplier and vendor trade credit decisions. To get one, you need a DUNS number and at least 3 trade references actively reporting to D&B.
- What is the difference between a business credit score and a personal credit score?
- Personal credit (FICO, VantageScore) ranges 300–850 and is regulated by FCRA — giving individuals rights to free annual reports and dispute processes. Business credit has no such regulation: there are three separate scores with different ranges, anyone can pull your business credit without your permission, and you have no statutory free report right. Business credit also doesn't affect (or reflect) your personal FICO — they're entirely separate profiles.
- Do MCA providers check business credit scores?
- Generally no — MCA providers primarily use bank deposit history (3–6 months of statements) and a soft pull of personal FICO (minimum 500). Formal business credit reports are rarely required. However, strong business credit can support your application at some funding sources and is essential for accessing lower-cost options (vendor net terms, business LOC, SBA loans) as your business matures.