What’s Not In Your Credit Score

The credit score was invented about 40 years ago by Fair Isaac Corporation. A FICO on your credit report is that score. It is considered the standard in the financial services industry and is used by all three of the major credit bureaus.

FICO scores consider a wide range of information on your credit report, primarily your credit history, your payment history and what credit accounts you have and owe.

Personal information is not considered in your credit score. Data that is not considered includes:

Race, religion, national origin, sex or marital status. It is against the law in the United States to consider any of this information in credit scoring.
Receipt of public assistance, or the exercise of any consumer right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act is also illegal.

Your age is not a consideration in a FICO score.

Your salary, occupation, job title, employer, employment date or employment history. Although lenders consider this information, it is not considered in your credit score. Where you live is not a consideration.
The interest rate being charged on a particular credit card or account.
Child/family support obligations or rental agreements.

Requests for your credit report are not considered. The score does not count requests you have made for your credit report to check it for errors. It also does not count requests made by lenders to make you a pre-approved credit offer. Any request by a lender for you to review your account with them, called an administrative inquiry, is not included. Requests coming from employers are not counted either.
Any information not found in your credit report will not be considered in your credit score.

A popular fallacy is that if you participate in credit counseling that it affects your credit score. It is not true.

Your credit score only paints a picture of your finances – not your entire life!*

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