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What a credit score is

Summary

A credit score predicts how likely you are to repay credit, computed by a scoring model from your credit reports. You have many scores, not one; most range 300-850.

General information, not financial or tax advice. Check IRS/agency sources or a professional for your situation.

Facts

• id: F1 claim: A credit score predicts credit behavior, such as likelihood of repaying a loan on time, based on credit report data. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-10-14
• id: F2 claim: Lenders, landlords and insurers use scores, which also affect interest rates and credit limits. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-10-14
• id: F3 claim: Common factors: payment history, current debt, number/type of accounts, account age, credit utilization, new applications, collections/foreclosure/bankruptcy. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-10-14
• id: F4 claim: You have multiple scores; they vary by model, data source and date. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-10-14
• id: F5 claim: Most credit scores range from 300 to 850; higher generally means better terms. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-10-14

Pointers

• answers: Full official guidance beyond this summary where: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-score-en-315/ access: open, no account

For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt. This page in Markdown: /library/reference/us-gov/credit-scores.md.