What is a business credit score?

A business credit score measures how reliably your company pays its creditors — tracked by commercial bureaus like D&B, Experian Business, and Equifax Business. Scores range 0–100 depending on the bureau. Lenders use them alongside personal credit and financials when evaluating funding requests.

A business credit score is a numerical measure of how consistently a business entity pays its suppliers, creditors, and lenders. It is maintained by commercial credit bureaus — not the consumer bureaus that track your personal credit. The score is attached to your business's EIN and legal entity, not your SSN.

The main business credit scores

D&B Paydex (0–100): Focuses almost entirely on payment history with trade creditors. A score of 80 means you pay on time; 100 means you consistently pay early. Built from data reported by suppliers and vendors enrolled with Dun & Bradstreet.
Experian Intelliscore Plus (1–100): Uses payment history, credit utilization, company age, and public records (liens, judgments, bankruptcies). Scores 76–100 are considered low risk.
Equifax Business Credit Score (101–992): Incorporates payment trends, credit usage, and length of business credit history.
FICO SBSS (0–300): Used specifically for SBA loan pre-screening. Blends personal credit, business credit, and financial data. The SBA's minimum threshold for most 7(a) loans is 155.

What raises a business credit score?

The factors vary by bureau, but common positive signals include: opening trade accounts with suppliers that report to business bureaus, paying invoices early or on time, keeping business credit utilization low, maintaining a clean public records history (no liens or judgments), and having multiple accounts with long payment histories. The SBA's guide to business credit outlines foundational steps.

How lenders use business credit scores

For established businesses, lenders often pull both personal and business credit. A strong business credit profile can reduce the weight a lender places on your personal FICO. For SBA loans, the FICO SBSS is the primary automated screen — applications that clear the threshold move to full underwriting. For lines of credit and equipment financing, D&B Paydex and Experian Intelliscore are commonly used signals. If your business has a thin or no commercial credit file, lenders fall back to personal credit and bank statement review.

How to check your business credit score

Unlike consumer credit, there is no free annual business credit report law. You can purchase reports directly from D&B, Experian Business, or Equifax Business. Some business checking accounts and credit card issuers offer free Dun & Bradstreet score monitoring as an account benefit — check your current business accounts before paying for a report.

What the regulators say

The SBA uses the FICO Small Business Scoring Service (SBSS) as a pre-screen for SBA 7(a) loans. Applications that meet the minimum threshold advance to full underwriting. — SBA
The SBA advises small businesses to monitor and build their business credit history as part of managing business finances and accessing capital. — SBA
Business credit reports are not subject to the same free-access rules as consumer credit reports under the Fair Credit Reporting Act — they can be purchased by any party. — CFPB

Key takeaways

Business credit scores are tracked at commercial bureaus (D&B, Experian Business, Equifax Business) — separate from your personal FICO.
D&B Paydex and Experian Intelliscore both run 0–100; higher is better.
The FICO SBSS blends personal + business credit for SBA loan pre-screening.
Building a score requires trade accounts that report to commercial bureaus — not just any business purchases.
A strong business credit file can reduce lender reliance on your personal credit over time.