How Do I Check My Business Credit Score? A Step-by-Step Guide

To answer the question how do I check my business credit score you can go directly to the three major business credit bureaus Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax or use a third-party platform like Nav that shows all three scores in one place.

How Do I Check My Business Credit Score?

There are two practical ways to do this: go directly to each bureau, or use a third-party platform that pulls from multiple bureaus at once.

As reported by CNBC Select, most business owners will need to pay to access their full scores, though limited free options do exist a distinction that matters when you're budgeting for credit monitoring.

Check Directly Through Each Major Bureau

Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) D&B offers a free service called CreditSignal that gives you limited score alerts and basic monitoring.

For full access to your PAYDEX score and complete report, you'll need a paid D&B plan. You can get started at dnb.com.

Experian Business Experian does not offer a free business credit check. Their CreditScore Report starts at $59.95 for a single report, and they offer annual monitoring plans for ongoing access. Visit experian.com/business to pull your report.

Equifax Business Equifax provides business credit reports through their website. Access is paid, and pricing varies depending on the report type.

Visit equifax.com/business to request a report.FICO Small Business Scoring Service (SBSS) Worth noting: you cannot pull your FICO SBSS score directly.

This score is generated on the lender's side when you apply for financing. As of March 2026, the SBA sunset its formal requirement for lenders to use this score as a pre-screen tool but many lenders are expected to continue using it since it's a validated model. It's useful to be aware of it, even if you can't monitor it directly.

Check Through Third-Party Platforms

Nav Nav gives free business credit summaries from all three major bureaus Experian, Equifax, and D&B in one dashboard. The free tier shows a grade and score range. Full scores require a paid Nav Prime subscription.

Bank of America Business Advantage 360 If you're an existing Bank of America business client, you can access two D&B scores the Delinquency Predictor Score and the SBFE Score for free through their Business Advantage 360 online banking platform. This is only available to eligible BofA business account holders.

Where to Check Your Business Credit Score At a Glance

Platform	Bureau(s) Covered	Free or Paid	What You Get
Dun & Bradstreet (CreditSignal)	D&B	Free (limited)	Score alerts, basic monitoring
Dun & Bradstreet (paid plans)	D&B	Paid	Full PAYDEX score + report
Experian Business	Experian	Paid (from $59.95)	Full Intelliscore Plus + report
Equifax Business	Equifax	Paid	Full business credit report
Nav (free tier)	Experian, Equifax, D&B	Free	Score summaries + grade ranges
Nav Prime	Experian, Equifax, D&B	Paid	Full scores from all 3 bureaus
BofA Business Advantage 360	D&B only	Free (BofA clients only)	Two D&B scores

What Is a Business Credit Score?

Your business credit score measures how reliably your business pays its financial obligations.

According to Wikipedia's overview of business credit reports, these reports are created by bureaus when credit grantors report information related to a business credit account and they are typically used during decision-making processes to determine whether to extend credit to a business.

Lenders, suppliers, and insurers then use these scores to decide whether and on what terms — to work with you.

How It Differs From a Personal Credit Score

A few differences matter here. Personal credit scores require your consent before anyone can pull them. Business credit scores do not. Any lender, vendor, or even a competitor can pull your business credit report without notifying you.

That alone makes it worth monitoring regularly.Score ranges are also different. Business credit scores don't follow the familiar 300–850 scale.

Each bureau uses its own model and range which is why a score of 75 means something entirely different depending on which bureau issued it.

Who Uses Your Business Credit Score

In practice, the people most likely to look at your business credit are:

Lenders — to decide loan eligibility and interest rates
Suppliers and vendors — to set trade credit terms like net-30 or net-60
Insurance underwriters — to set commercial insurance premiums
Government agencies — when evaluating businesses for contracts or bonds

Understanding who owns a business and how it generates revenue can also influence how lenders and partners assess overall financial risk much like how who owns Fiji Water shapes perceptions of that brand's financial backing and stability.

The Major Business Credit Scores Explained

Not all business credit scores are the same, and they can't be compared across bureaus. Each uses its own model, data sources, and range.

Experian Intelliscore Plus (1–100)

The Experian Intelliscore Plus score runs from 1 to 100. Higher is better a score of 76 or above is generally considered low risk.

Over 800 variables feed into this score, including tradelines, collections, public filings, new account activity, and key financial ratios.

D&B PAYDEX Score (1–100)

The PAYDEX score is Dun & Bradstreet's flagship business credit score. It also runs from 1 to 100, but the thresholds work differently.

Paying your bills on time earns you a score of 80 not 100. To hit a perfect 100, you need to consistently pay early. You also need at least three open tradelines reporting to D&B before a PAYDEX score is generated.

FICO Small Business Scoring Service — SBSS (0–300)

The FICO SBSS score blends business and personal credit data. It has historically been used by SBA lenders to pre-screen loan applications, though as of March 2026, the SBA formally sunset this mandatory requirement.

Many lenders are still expected to use it. Since you can't pull this score yourself, maintaining strong business and personal credit is the practical approach.

Equifax Business Credit Risk Score

Equifax produces its own business credit risk score. Like the others, it reflects payment history and public records, though Equifax's scoring model and data sources differ from Experian's and D&B's. Equifax scores are less commonly discussed but are still used by lenders and insurers.

Business Credit Score Ranges at a Glance

Bureau / Score	Range	Low Risk Threshold	Primary Users
Experian Intelliscore Plus	1–100	76–100	Lenders, suppliers
D&B PAYDEX	1–100	80+ (on time), 100 (early pay)	Suppliers, vendors
FICO SBSS	0–300	160+ (most lenders)	SBA and commercial lenders
Equifax Business Credit Risk	Varies	Varies by lender	Lenders, insurers

What If Your Business Has No Credit Score Yet?

This is more common than people expect. New businesses, or businesses that haven't opened accounts that report to bureaus, often have no score at all.

That's not a bad score it's simply no score, which can still create friction when applying for credit.

Steps to Start Building a Business Credit Score

Get an EIN (Employer Identification Number) — This separates your business identity from your personal Social Security number.
Open a dedicated business bank account — Mixing personal and business finances makes it harder to establish a distinct business credit profile.
Register with Dun & Bradstreet — D&B assigns a D-U-N-S Number, which is required before a PAYDEX score can be generated.
Open net-30 vendor accounts that report to bureaus — These are accounts where you buy now and pay within 30 days. Vendors like certain office supply or wholesale companies report payment data to bureaus, which helps build your file.
Pay consistently and on time — Or early, if you're targeting a strong PAYDEX score.

In practice, most small businesses find that building a meaningful credit profile takes anywhere from six months to two years, depending on how quickly tradelines are added and reported.

What Factors Affect Your Business Credit Score?

Payment history carries the most weight across all major scoring models. Everything else matters, but this one factor has the most direct and immediate impact.

Factor	Impact Level	Notes
Payment history	High	On-time or early payment is critical
Age of credit history	Medium	Older accounts generally help
Debt and credit utilization	Medium	Avoid maxing out credit lines
Public records (liens, judgments, bankruptcies)	High	Negative records significantly lower scores
Industry risk	Low–Medium	Some industries are flagged as higher risk by default
Company size	Low	Larger businesses may be scored differently

Knowing what drives your score is only half the picture. How much a business owner earns and how they built their wealth can also reflect the financial habits that shape business credit similar to how understanding how Adrian Portelli made his money reveals the discipline behind a strong financial track record.

Does Checking Your Own Business Credit Score Hurt It?

No. Checking your own business credit score does not hurt it. This is one of the clearest differences between business and personal credit.

With personal credit, lenders pulling your file counts as a hard inquiry, which can temporarily lower your score.

Business credit doesn't work that way. There's no hard inquiry equivalent. Anyone including you can pull your business credit report without affecting the score.

That also means competitors, vendors, or lenders can check your file at any time, without your knowledge or consent.

How Often Should You Check Your Business Credit Score?

For most businesses, checking quarterly is a reasonable baseline. It's enough to catch errors, spot unexpected changes, and stay generally informed.

Check More Frequently If You Are:

Preparing to apply for a loan or line of credit
Onboarding a new major supplier or vendor relationship
Expanding into a new market or pursuing a government contract
Concerned about identity fraud or errors on your report

Monitoring services from bureaus like Experian or platforms like Nav can alert you to changes automatically, which removes the need to remember to check manually.

Good workplace management practices including tracking financial health indicators like credit scores are part of what keeps a business operationally sound, as covered in resources on workplace management.

How to Improve Your Business Credit Score

Improvement takes time. There's no shortcut that moves a score significantly in a week.

What does work, done consistently:

Pay on time — or early. Especially for your PAYDEX score, early payment is the only path to a perfect score.
Add tradelines that report to bureaus. If you're paying vendors who don't report, those payments aren't helping your credit file.
Keep debt utilization low. Maxing out business credit lines signals risk, even if you pay them off monthly.
Review your report for errors and dispute them. Incorrect public records or inaccurate payment data can drag a score down without your knowledge. Each bureau has a dispute process — use it if you spot something wrong.

Conclusion

Checking your business credit score starts with knowing where to look directly through Experian, D&B, or Equifax, or through a platform like Nav that consolidates all three.

Check it at least quarterly, understand what each score measures, and monitor for errors.

Your score affects more than just loans it shapes how vendors, insurers, and partners view your business.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I check my business credit score for free?

Partially. D&B's CreditSignal offers free limited monitoring. Nav provides free score summaries across all three major bureaus.

Full scores from Experian and Equifax require payment. Bank of America offers free D&B scores to eligible business clients.

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

It typically takes six months to two years, depending on how quickly you open accounts that report to bureaus.

Having at least three active tradelines reporting is a common starting requirement for D&B's PAYDEX score.

Can someone check my business credit without my permission?

Yes. Unlike personal credit, business credit reports can be pulled by anyone lenders, vendors, or other businesses without your consent or knowledge. This is a standard feature of how business credit reporting works.

Is my personal credit score linked to my business credit score?

They are separate, but connected in certain cases. The FICO SBSS score blends both. Some lenders also review personal credit when evaluating small business loan applications, particularly for newer businesses with limited credit history.

What is considered a good business credit score?

It depends on the bureau. For Experian Intelliscore Plus, 76–100 is low risk. For D&B PAYDEX, 80 reflects on-time payment and is generally acceptable; 100 reflects early payment. For FICO SBSS, most lenders look for 160 or above.