Yes, businesses do have credit scores, and they are entirely separate from the personal credit scores of the people who own them. Commercial credit bureaus track each company under its federal Employer Identification Number and issue scores that lenders, suppliers, and potential partners use to gauge how reliably the business pays its bills. The models, the number ranges, and even the rules around access all work differently from consumer credit.
Business Credit Is Tied to the Company, Not the Owner
Personal credit is tied to your Social Security number. Business credit is built under an Employer Identification Number (EIN) assigned by the IRS. That separation lets a corporation or LLC develop its own financial reputation, so the company can apply for loans, lease equipment, and open trade accounts based on its own track record rather than the owner’s history alone.
One boundary matters here: sole proprietors do not automatically get a separate business credit profile. A sole proprietorship is not a distinct legal entity, so credit activity ties directly to the owner’s personal credit report. To build a standalone business file, you generally need to form an LLC or corporation and get an EIN.1U.S. Small Business Administration. How to Build Business Credit Quickly: 5 Simple Steps
Privacy is another sharp difference. Personal credit reports are protected under federal law, and only parties with a “permissible purpose” can pull them. Business reports carry no such restriction. Anyone willing to pay the fee can buy a report on your company, including competitors, prospective partners, and vendors. The Fair Credit Reporting Act defines a “consumer” as an individual, so its privacy protections do not extend to commercial entities.2United States Code. 15 USC Chapter 41 Subchapter III – Credit Reporting Agencies
Who Tracks Business Credit
Three bureaus handle most commercial credit reporting, and each collects data independently. Your company can have a different profile — and a different score — at each one.
- Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). The largest dedicated commercial credit bureau. D&B assigns each company a nine-digit D-U-N-S Number that acts as its primary identifier for government contracts, lending, and supply-chain verification.3Dun & Bradstreet. Why Dun and Bradstreet
- Experian Business. A separate division from Experian’s consumer branch, with its own trade payment data, public filings, and scoring models.
- Equifax Business. Also distinct from Equifax’s consumer side, compiling payment data, public records, and financial indicators into business-specific reports.
What Goes Into a Business Credit Profile
Business credit files draw from three main categories of information.
Trade lines are the backbone. These are accounts with suppliers and vendors, such as a net-30 arrangement where a supplier gives you 30 days to pay an invoice. Bureaus track whether you pay on time, how many days early or late, and the dollar amounts involved. Not every vendor reports to all three bureaus, so which trade lines you open directly shapes which profiles get built.
Public records add legal context. Bureaus watch Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings, which show that a lender has a secured interest in your company’s assets, along with tax liens and civil judgments tied to unpaid debts.
Company background data rounds out the picture. This covers your industry classification, number of employees, years in operation, and annual revenue where available. Older companies in lower-risk industries tend to score better because longevity and stability correlate with lower default rates.
Business Credit Scoring Models and What the Numbers Mean
Consumer credit is dominated by FICO and VantageScore. Business credit uses a handful of separate models, each measuring something slightly different. Here are the ones you are most likely to see.
D&B PAYDEX Score
PAYDEX runs from 1 to 100 and measures payment performance. It is dollar-weighted, so larger invoices carry more influence. A score of 80 means you generally pay on time. Scores of 90 to 100 indicate you pay before the due date. Between 50 and 79 suggests payments arrive 15 to 30 days late, and anything below 50 signals serious delinquency.4Dun & Bradstreet. Business Credit Scores and Ratings: Understanding the D and B PAYDEX Score, SER Rating, and More
D&B Failure Score
D&B also publishes a Failure Score (formerly the Financial Stress Score) predicting the likelihood that a business will seek legal relief from creditors or cease operations without paying them in full within the next 12 months. It runs from 1,001 to 1,875, with lower numbers indicating higher failure risk, and includes a percentile ranking (1 to 100) and a risk class (1 to 5) for quick reference.5Dun & Bradstreet. D and B Failure Score
Experian Intelliscore Plus
Intelliscore Plus also uses a 1-to-100 scale, but it predicts the likelihood of serious delinquency within the next 12 months rather than just tracking past payment timing. The model draws on more than 800 variables, including trade payments, collections, public filings, credit inquiries, and financial ratios. The risk bands are:6Experian. Intelliscore Plus Product Sheet
- 76–100: Low risk
- 51–75: Low to medium risk
- 26–50: Medium risk
- 11–25: Medium to high risk
- 1–10: High risk
A score of 76 or above generally qualifies a business for standard interest rates and favorable credit terms.7Experian Business. Risk Ranking/Recommendation
Equifax Business Scores
Equifax uses two main models. The Payment Index runs from 1 to 100 and tracks payment behavior, with 90 to 100 indicating bills paid on time. The Credit Risk Score runs from 101 to 992 and predicts the likelihood that a business will become more than 90 days delinquent within the next 24 months. Higher numbers mean lower risk, and lenders often look at both together.
FICO Small Business Scoring Service (SBSS)
The FICO SBSS is different because it blends personal credit data with business credit data into a single score from 0 to 300, with higher scores indicating lower risk. It has been widely used in SBA 7(a) loan pre-screening, where lenders historically required a minimum score of 155 to move an application forward.8U.S. Small Business Administration. Business Loan Program Improvements Because SBSS pulls from both files, a strong personal credit history can help offset a thin business file, and the reverse also holds. Many banks and online lenders use SBSS or similar blended models when evaluating small business loan applications.
How to Check Your Own Business Credit
Businesses have no legal right to a free annual credit report. The Fair Credit Reporting Act guarantees free yearly disclosures only to “consumers,” which the statute defines as individuals.2United States Code. 15 USC Chapter 41 Subchapter III – Credit Reporting Agencies Accessing your company’s profile generally costs money.
At D&B, you first register for a free D-U-N-S Number if your company doesn’t already have one. D&B then offers tiered monitoring plans, with a free tier showing basic score ranges and paid plans starting around $49 per month for full scores and detailed monitoring. Experian Business sells individual reports at roughly $60 each, with subscription options available.9Experian. Products and Pricing Equifax Business offers similar paid access through its online portal. Because anyone can buy a report on your company, checking all three bureaus periodically is worthwhile — both to catch errors and to see what lenders see.
How to Build Business Credit
Business credit does not build automatically. Unlike a personal file, which grows the moment you open a credit card, a business profile only develops when creditors actively report your payment activity to the commercial bureaus. A few steps get the process moving:
- Form a separate legal entity such as an LLC, LLP, or corporation so the business is legally distinct from you.1U.S. Small Business Administration. How to Build Business Credit Quickly: 5 Simple Steps
- Apply for an EIN through the IRS. It functions like a Social Security number for the company.
- Register for a free D-U-N-S Number with Dun & Bradstreet. It is often required for government contracts and many loan applications.
- Open net-30 accounts with vendors that report payment data to at least one of the major bureaus. Common reporting vendors include office supply companies, industrial suppliers, and shipping services. Check before opening the account, since coverage varies by bureau.
- Apply for a business credit card. Many issuers report activity to commercial bureaus, and even cards that require a personal guarantee can build the business file because payments are reported under the company’s name. Secured business cards are an option for newer companies and typically require a deposit of $500 or more that serves as the credit limit.10U.S. Small Business Administration. Is a Secured Business Credit Card Right for You
- Pay early when you can. For PAYDEX specifically, paying before the due date pushes your score above 80 and into the 90–100 range that signals the lowest risk to creditors.4Dun & Bradstreet. Business Credit Scores and Ratings: Understanding the D and B PAYDEX Score, SER Rating, and More
Building a solid profile generally takes at least six months to a year of consistent reporting activity. The more trade lines showing positive payment history, the stronger and more stable your scores become.
Why Personal Credit Still Matters
Even with a strong business file, many lenders require a personal guarantee from the owner, especially for newer or smaller companies. A personal guarantee is a promise that you will accept personal responsibility for the debt if the business cannot pay.11U.S. Small Business Administration. Unsecured Business Funding for Small Business Owners Explained
So even though business and personal credit are separate, a default on a personally guaranteed loan can hit both your business file and your personal report. Lenders commonly require personal guarantees for SBA loans, commercial lines of credit, and business credit cards. Some alternative lenders offer revenue-based financing without a personal guarantee, but those products typically require a track record of consistent revenue and several years in business. Building strong business credit over time reduces lender risk and can help you negotiate smaller personal guarantees, higher credit limits, or lower rates.
How Long Negative Information Stays
Negative marks on a business credit report can linger far longer than they would on a personal one. At Experian Business, bankruptcies stay on file for roughly nine years and nine months, while tax liens and judgments remain for about six years and nine months. Trade payment data, including late payments, typically appears for 36 months.12Experian. How Long Data Stays on a Business Credit Report
D&B and Equifax do not publish standardized retention schedules in the same way, and retention can vary by record type. There is no federal law requiring commercial bureaus to drop outdated negative information after a fixed period. In practice, recent positive payment activity weighs heavily in scoring models, so consistent on-time payments can offset older negative marks even before they fall off the report.