Where and How to Check Your Business Credit Score

As a small business owner, it’s important to familiarize yourself with your company’s credit score and know how to find it. You should also be aware of factors that may affect it. Make a point of continually monitoring your business credit score for potential changes or mistakes.

How do I find and check my business credit score?

You can find your business credit score by checking one of the three main business credit bureaus.

1. Choose a credit bureau

Decide which of the three main business credit bureaus—Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, or Equifax Business—you want to use to access your credit report and score.

2. Create an account

Visit the chosen credit bureau’s website and sign up for an account. You may need to provide some basic business information, such as your company’s name, address, and EIN.

3. Select a plan or report option

Each credit bureau offers different plans and report options. Review the available plans and choose one that best suits your needs:

• Dun & Bradstreet: Opt for the free trial or select a paid plan starting at $15/month.
• Experian Business: Choose a single report for $39.95 or an annual plan for $189/year.
• Equifax Business: Purchase a single report for $99.95 or a multi-pack for $399.95.

4. Provide necessary information

Enter the required business information to access your credit report. This may include your EIN, company name, address, and other relevant details.

5. Access your credit report and score

Once you’ve completed the necessary steps, you will receive your business credit report and score. Review the report carefully, looking for any errors or discrepancies that may need to be addressed.

6. Monitor your credit score

Regularly monitor your business credit score, especially when you’re planning to apply for loans, negotiate contracts, or make significant financial decisions. Stay informed about changes in your credit score and take steps to address any issues that may arise.

Dun & Bradstreet

Dun & Bradstreet offers a range of services for monitoring and building your business credit. Their CreditSignal tool is a free service that provides alerts on changes to your business credit file for 14 days. However, it doesn’t grant access to your credit scores. To view your actual scores, D&B provides paid options, starting with CreditSignal Plus for $15 per month, which offers alerts along with score visibility, or CreditMonitor for $39 per month, which includes full access to your PAYDEX score, delinquency score, failure score, and supplier evaluation risk ratings.

The PAYDEX score is one of D&B’s most important credit scores, ranging from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating a better payment history. Additionally, businesses need a D-U-N-S Number to access D&B’s services. You can apply for a D-U-N-S number for free, which is used to track your company’s credit activity.

Experian Business

Experian provides flexible credit report options, beginning at $39.95 for a one-time CreditScore report, which includes your business credit score (on a scale of 1-100), payment trends, credit summary, and financial stability risk rating. This rating helps predict the likelihood of your business defaulting or facing bankruptcy within the next 12 months.

If you need ongoing access to your credit report and score, Experian offers the Business Credit Advantage plan for $189 per year, which includes continuous monitoring, alerts, and a more detailed analysis. The Intelliscore Plus model is central to Experian’s credit evaluation, incorporating factors like payment history, delinquent accounts, and credit utilization to determine your score.

Equifax Business

Equifax’s business credit reports provide a comprehensive look at your business’s credit health, including the credit risk score, business failure score, and payment index score. These reports also include public records such as bankruptcies and tax liens.

A single report from Equifax costs $99.95, but they offer a multi-pack of 5 reports for $399.95 (the equivalent of 5 reports for the price of 4). Although Equifax offers fewer self-service tools than D&B or Experian, their reports are widely used by lenders to evaluate the financial health of businesses before extending credit.

Other Options for Monitoring Business Credit

In addition to Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax, several other services offer valuable tools for business credit monitoring:

Nav

Nav offers a comprehensive credit monitoring service that pulls credit scores from Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax. They provide a free plan with access to summary reports and credit grades from these bureaus, as well as your personal credit score. For more detailed monitoring, their Business Boost plan costs $49.99 per month, including identity theft protection, FICO SBSS score, and tradeline reporting, which can help build your credit by reporting your Nav payments to credit bureaus​.

CreditSafe

CreditSafe provides real-time business credit monitoring with a global reach, making it ideal for businesses with international operations. Their service allows businesses to monitor their own credit profiles as well as assess potential partners or suppliers. Pricing starts at $69 per month, depending on the level of access required.

What information is needed to check business credit score?

When checking your business credit score, it’s important to have the correct details on hand to ensure you’re viewing the most accurate information. While the exact requirements may vary depending on the credit bureau or service provider, the following is often required:

• Business Name: You’ll need the legal name of the business, exactly as it appears on your registration documents. This ensures you’re accessing the correct credit file.
• Employer Identification Number (EIN): For U.S. businesses, the EIN is a unique identifier similar to a personal Social Security Number, and it’s commonly used in business credit reports.
• Business Address: The business’s registered address (including city, state, and country) is required to match the business to its credit report​.
• D-U-N-S Number (for Dun & Bradstreet): If you’re checking your D&B PAYDEX score, you’ll need a D-U-N-S number, which is a unique nine-digit identifier for businesses registered with Dun & Bradstreet​.
• State Registration Information: In some cases, providing additional business registration details from your state may help locate or verify your business credit information.
• Business Bank Account Information: Some credit reporting agencies may request your business bank account details to verify financial activity
• Trade References: For a more thorough credit evaluation, certain agencies may require trade references from suppliers or vendors who can vouch for your payment history​.

By having these key details ready, you’ll ensure that you access the most accurate and up-to-date credit information from any of the major business credit bureaus.

What is a business credit score?

Your business credit score is similar to your personal credit score in that it represents your business’s credibility as a borrower. Once you start your business, obtain an EIN number, and create a bank account for your company, business credit bureaus will start gathering information about your company by looking at public records. Your business credit score is connected to your company’s EIN number. It takes time to build up, so if you’re just starting out, check out these tips for improving your credit.

What factors affect my business credit score?

Several factors determine your business credit score such as time in business, assets, industry type, size of the company, public records, outstanding debt, and payment history.

• Time in business: A longer business history typically results in a higher credit score, as it demonstrates stability and reliability.
• Assets: The value of your business’s assets can impact your credit score. Lenders may view businesses with substantial assets as lower risk, which can positively influence your score.
• Industry type: Some industries are considered riskier than others, which can affect your business credit score. High-risk industries may face challenges in obtaining favorable credit terms.
• Size of the company: Larger companies with more extensive operations often have better credit scores, as they tend to have more established credit histories and a higher likelihood of meeting their financial obligations.
• Public records: Bankruptcies, tax liens, and judgments can negatively impact your business credit score. Addressing and resolving any public record issues is crucial for improving your score.
• Outstanding debt: High levels of debt, especially relative to your company’s revenue, can lower your business credit score. Aim to maintain a manageable debt load to positively influence your credit rating.
• Payment history: Timely payments to suppliers, vendors, and creditors are crucial for maintaining a good business credit score. Late or missed payments can significantly damage your credit standing.

Why is having a good business credit score important?

A good credit score will help you get better terms with new vendors or suppliers, lower interest rates on loans, lower terms on credit cards, and better insurance premiums. It also demonstrates your financial stability and creditworthiness to prospective business partners or suppliers before they enter into a working relationship with your company.

Why is it important to monitor my business credit score?

You should always stay on top of your business credit score because it can be an indicator of business identity theft or fraudulent activity. Sometimes there are mistakes in credit reports, such as outdated information, or discrepancies that should be addressed. Monitoring your credit score will also give you an insight into areas where you can improve like paying down an outstanding balance on a credit card.