Credit Utilization Calculator
Add your cards. We'll calculate per-card and aggregate utilization, flag the cards dragging your score, and tell you exactly how much to pay down to cross the 30% and 10% thresholds.
How utilization affects your FICO score
Credit utilization is 30% of your FICO score — second only to payment history (35%). FICO weighs both per-card and aggregate utilization. The penalty curve is non-linear: each 10-point band has a different score impact, with the steepest losses above 50% and fast recoveries between 30% and 10%.
Two key thresholds:
- 30%: the standard "keep utilization below" threshold cited everywhere. Below this, the FICO penalty drops dramatically.
- 10%: the optimization target. Sub-10% is where 800+ scorers cluster. Below 10% you're capturing virtually all available utilization-driven score.
Utilization is the fastest-moving FICO factor — payment history takes years to fix, length-of-credit takes years, but utilization can move at the next reporting cycle (~30 days). Pay down a balance before the statement closes and the new lower number is what gets reported.
Common questions
What's a good credit utilization ratio?
Below 30% is the standard threshold; below 10% is the optimization target. 0% is slightly worse than 1-9% — FICO wants to see active credit usage.
How often does utilization update?
Roughly every 30 days, at your statement-close date. Pay before the statement closes to ensure the lower balance is what the bureaus see.
Should I close a credit card to lower utilization?
No — closing reduces total available credit and increases utilization. Keep cards open with $1/year auto-pay if you don't use them.
Will requesting a credit-limit increase hurt my score?
Most major issuers (Chase, Discover, Citi, Capital One) offer soft-pull limit increases via in-app request. Higher limits = lower utilization at the same balance = higher score.
Utilization is one of three FICO levers.
CreditCougar pulls all three: utilization (this calculator), payment history (FCRA disputes against incorrect late marks), and length-of-credit (don't close old cards). Run the full Cougar Method on your credit file.
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