How Do I Check My Business Credit Score? Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

To check your business credit score, visit Experian, Dun & Bradstreet, or Equifax directly — or use a third-party service that pulls all three at once. Some banks also give eligible business clients free access to at least one score.

Quick Answer: Where to Check Your Business Credit Score

Checking your own score — from any source — is a soft inquiry. It does not affect your score in any way.

What Is a Business Credit Score?

A business credit score is a number that reflects how reliably your business pays its bills. Lenders, suppliers, and insurers use it to decide whether to extend credit, set payment terms, or adjust premiums.

Think of it as your business's financial reputation — but in a numerical format that third parties can pull up without asking you first. That distinction matters more than most people realize.

 As noted in Wikipedia's overview of business credit reports, these reports are typically used during the decision-making process for granting credit to a business — and they're accessible to any party that wants to assess risk, without your consent.

How It Differs from Your Personal Credit Score

The most important practical difference: anyone can check your business credit without your permission. Unlike personal credit, which requires consumer consent, business credit scores are accessible to lenders, vendors, and other organizations freely.

Business credit is also not standardized. Each bureau uses its own scoring model, and scores genuinely cannot be compared across providers. A 75 from Experian means something different than a 75 from Dun & Bradstreet. That's not a technicality — it changes how you should interpret your results.

What Lenders, Vendors, and Insurers Use It For

In practice, your business credit score comes into play in several situations:

• Loan and credit line applications — banks use scores to assess repayment risk
• Trade credit terms — suppliers decide whether to offer net-30 or net-60 payment windows
• Commercial insurance — some insurers factor business credit into premium pricing
• Government contracts — certain federal contracts consider business credit history

The Major Business Credit Bureaus and Their Scores

Three bureaus dominate business credit reporting: Experian, Dun & Bradstreet, and Equifax. FICO also provides a blended score, though its role in SBA lending has recently changed (see below).

Experian — Intelliscore Plus

Experian's Intelliscore Plus runs from 1 to 100. Higher is better — scores in the 76–100 range are generally treated as low risk. Over 800 variables feed into this score, covering tradelines, collections, public filings, new account activity, and key financial ratios.

What's often overlooked is that small businesses with thin credit files — only one or two tradelines — tend to have more volatile scores. Even a single late payment can shift the needle significantly when there's not much else on file.

Dun & Bradstreet — PAYDEX Score

The PAYDEX score also runs 1 to 100, but it measures one thing specifically: whether you pay vendors and suppliers on time. A score of 80 means you pay on time. A score of 100 means you pay early. Anything below 70 signals some payment delays.

To generate a PAYDEX score, D&B needs at least three open tradelines reporting payment data. No tradelines, no score — which matters when you're applying for trade credit and a supplier wants to check your history.

Equifax Business Credit Score

Equifax is one of the three major business credit bureaus, and lenders do pull Equifax business reports alongside the others. The score factors in payment history, public records (liens, judgments, bankruptcies), company size, and industry risk.

Equifax's exact methodology is proprietary, but payment behavior remains the most heavily weighted factor.

FICO Small Business Scoring Service (SBSS) — Important 2026 Update

The FICO SBSS score blends business and personal credit data and produces a score from 0 to 300. Historically, it was a core part of SBA 7(a) small loan pre-screening.

However, as reported by CNBC, business credit scoring for small loans continues to evolve — and in early 2026, the SBA formally eliminated the SBSS requirement for 7(a) Small Loans under $350,000, effective March 1, 2026. Lenders are now developing their own internal credit models in its place.

If you've been tracking your SBSS score specifically for SBA loan purposes, check directly with your lender to confirm current pre-screening criteria, as standards will now vary by institution.

What You Need Before You Check

Key Business Information Required

Before running a check, have the following ready:

• Legal business name — exactly as registered with the state or IRS
• Business address — the address on file with your state or federal filings
• EIN (Employer Identification Number) — your federal tax ID
• DUNS Number — required specifically for D&B; free to register at dnb.com

Without a DUNS number, your business simply won't appear in D&B's system. You won't have a PAYDEX score regardless of how good your payment history actually is.

Does Checking Your Own Business Credit Score Affect It?

No. Checking your own business credit is a soft inquiry and has zero impact on your score. You can — and probably should — check it regularly without any concern about downside.

How Do I Check My Business Credit Score?

Option 1 — Check Directly With Each Bureau

This is the most direct route when you want a detailed report from a specific bureau.

• Experian Business: One-time CreditScore Reports start at $59.95. Annual monitoring plans run $199/year for unlimited access and alerts.
• Dun & Bradstreet: Registering for a DUNS number is free. Your actual PAYDEX score and full report require a paid plan via D&B's website.
• Equifax Business: Paid access through Equifax's business credit portal.

Option 2 — Use a Third-Party Aggregator

Services like Nav display summaries from all three bureaus — and your personal credit — in a single dashboard. Free accounts provide a grade and score range per bureau. Full scores require a paid plan.

This is the more practical starting point for most business owners who want a broad picture before deciding which bureau's report to dig into further.

Option 3 — Check Through Your Bank

Bank of America's Business Advantage 360 platform provides free access to two D&B scores for eligible business clients. It's worth checking with your own bank — some institutions have negotiated similar arrangements with credit bureaus and offer them at no added cost to business account holders.

Cost Comparison: Checking Your Business Credit Score

What Factors Affect Your Business Credit Score

Payment history is the most consistent factor across all bureaus. Businesses that pay vendors early — not just on time — build scores faster, particularly for the PAYDEX. In practice, many small business owners don't realize that on-time payment alone caps their PAYDEX at 80, not 100.

Why Your Score May Differ Across Bureaus

Your Experian score and your PAYDEX score will almost certainly be different numbers. That is expected and normal. Each bureau uses a different model, pulls from different data sources, and measures slightly different things.

Here's the practical issue: not every vendor or supplier reports to all three bureaus. A supplier who reports to D&B but not Experian contributes to your PAYDEX but does nothing for your Intelliscore. This is why managing which accounts report — and to which bureaus — matters more than most business owners realize early on.

What If Your Business Has No Score Yet

New businesses often find they have no score at all. That's not a red flag — it's just how the system works. D&B needs at least three reporting tradelines to generate a PAYDEX. Experian and Equifax have similar thresholds before a usable score is produced.

To start building:

1. Register for a DUNS number at dnb.com (free)
2. Open trade accounts with vendors who report payment activity to the bureaus
3. Use a business credit card and pay it consistently on time
4. Confirm that your suppliers are actually reporting your payments — many don't unless asked

Scores can begin forming within three to six months of active reporting. A stable, meaningful credit file typically takes a year or more to develop.

One-Time Check vs Ongoing Monitoring

There's a difference between checking your score once and watching it consistently.

A one-time check makes sense right before a loan application, a new vendor relationship, or any situation where your credit will be evaluated. It gives you a snapshot of where you stand.

Ongoing monitoring is better for active businesses that extend credit, apply for financing regularly, or operate in industries where credit checks are common. Monitoring catches errors, flags unexpected changes, and surfaces issues before they become problems.

Experian offers monitoring for $199/year. Third-party tools like Nav also provide alert-based monitoring across multiple bureaus.

Teams that review business credit quarterly — rather than only before an application — consistently report fewer surprises when it actually matters.

How to Improve Your Business Credit Score

• Pay early, not just on time — for PAYDEX specifically, paying early is the only way to reach 100
• Add existing payment accounts to your credit file if they aren't already reporting
• Keep utilization low — don't run business credit lines to their limit
• Dispute errors promptly — incorrect public records or payment entries can drag scores down fast
• Monitor reports regularly — catching a problem early is always easier than correcting months of compounding damage

Conclusion

Check your business credit score directly with Experian, D&B, or Equifax — or use a third-party tool for a full view across all bureaus. Know your numbers before lenders and vendors do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free way to check my business credit score?

Free score summaries — including a grade and score range — are available through services like Nav. Full detailed scores from individual bureaus require payment. Bank of America offers free D&B scores for eligible business account holders.

How long does it take to build a business credit score?

With at least three reporting tradelines, scores can begin forming within three to six months. A stable, reliable credit file typically takes one to two years of consistent payment activity to develop.

Can lenders check my business credit without asking me?

Yes. Business credit scores are accessible to lenders, vendors, insurers, and other organizations without the business owner's consent — unlike personal credit, which requires authorization.

Why is my score different across bureaus?

Each bureau uses a different scoring model and pulls from different data sources. Since not all vendors report to every bureau, your payment history may appear complete at one bureau and incomplete at another.

Do I need a DUNS number to check my business credit score?

A DUNS number is required specifically for Dun & Bradstreet. Without one, your business won't appear in D&B's system and won't have a PAYDEX score. Registration is free at dnb.com.