Overview
Your credit score influences some of the biggest financial decisions you'll make—from qualifying for a mortgage to getting a competitive interest rate on a car loan. Quicken brings your credit score into the same place as your accounts, spending, investments, and net worth so you can better understand how your everyday financial habits affect your long-term financial health.
Your credit score updates monthly, allowing you to monitor changes over time and understand the factors influencing your score without leaving Quicken.
Before You Begin
-
The Credit Score feature is available to U.S. residents only.
-
You must be the owner of the dataset to register. Credit Score isn't available through Space Sharing.
-
Registration requires identity verification. Have your name, address, phone number, Social Security number, and date of birth available before you begin.
-
Note: Once you complete registration, you cannot unregister from the service.
How Your Credit Score Shapes Your Financial Options
A credit score is a three-digit number (typically ranging from 350 to 850) that lenders use to estimate how risky it may be to lend you money. In general, higher credit scores can help you:
-
Qualify for loans more easily
-
Receive lower interest rates
-
Pay less for certain insurance premiums
-
Improve your chances of being approved for rental housing
Lower scores can make borrowing more expensive or limit your financing options.
Although your credit score is important, lenders may also consider factors such as your income, debt, employment history, and overall financial situation when making lending decisions.
Quicken displays your score using Equifax® VantageScore 3.0, one of several credit scoring models used by lenders. Because different lenders use different scoring models and credit bureaus, the score you see in Quicken may differ slightly from scores you see elsewhere.
Checking your credit score through Quicken uses a soft inquiry, which never affects your credit score.
Registering for Credit Score Tracking
-
Select Planning Tools from the left navigation.
-
Open the Credit Score tab and select Get Started.
-
Enter your name, phone number, date of birth, Social Security number, and address.
-
Review and accept the terms and complete identity verification.
-
Tip: If you've moved within the past six months, using your previous address may help identity verification succeed more quickly.
-
-
Select Continue.
-
Check your mobile phone for a verification text message and open the verification link.
-
Once verification is complete, your credit score appears in Quicken.
Understanding What Affects Your Credit Score
After registering, select Planning Tools > Credit Score at any time to view your current credit information.
The Credit Score page includes:
-
Your current credit score
-
Your overall rating (such as Excellent or Good)
-
The date your score was last updated
-
The date your next update is expected
-
Personalized explanations that help you understand your current score
Below your score, Score Ingredients breaks down the major factors that influence your credit score and explains how each contributes to your overall rating.
For each Score Ingredient, you'll see:
-
Current values or account totals
-
An overall rating
-
An Impact level showing how strongly that category affects your credit score
-
A plain-language explanation describing what your current results mean
Understanding Score Ingredients
Credit Usage
How much of your available revolving credit you're currently using.
Payment History
Your history of making payments on time.
Age of Credit
The average age of your credit accounts and how long you've been using credit.
Total Accounts
The number and variety of credit accounts on your credit report.
Credit Inquiries
Recent applications that resulted in hard credit inquiries.
Derogatory Marks
Serious negative items such as collection accounts, bankruptcies, or certain public records.
Understanding Impact Ratings
Each Score Ingredient also includes an Impact rating that indicates how strongly that category typically affects your credit score.
For example:
-
High Impact factors, such as Payment History and Credit Usage, generally have the greatest influence on your score.
-
Medium Impact factors, such as Age of Credit, contribute over time.
-
Low Impact factors, such as Credit Inquiries or Total Accounts, usually have a smaller effect.
If you're looking for ways to improve your credit score, addressing a High Impact category with a weaker rating is often the best place to begin.
To view how your score has changed over time, select the Credit Score History tab.
Examples
Prioritizing What Matters
Emma wants to improve her credit score but isn't sure where to begin. On her Credit Score page, she sees that Payment History and Credit Usage are marked as High Impact, while Credit Inquiries are Low Impact. Instead of worrying about every factor equally, she focuses on paying every bill on time and lowering her credit card balances. Over the next several months, she watches her score gradually improve and gains confidence that she's spending her effort where it matters most.
Preparing to Buy a Home
Melissa and her spouse plan to apply for a mortgage in six months. She checks her Credit Score page each month and notices that Credit Usage is rated High Impact. By paying down several credit card balances before each statement closes, she gradually lowers her utilization from 38% to 12%. Over several months, she watches her score improve and feels more confident applying for a home loan.
Tracking Long-Term Progress
Sam reviews his Credit Score History every few months alongside his Net Worth report. Watching both trends together helps him see how responsible borrowing, consistent payments, and growing savings contribute to his overall financial health.
Guidelines for Use
-
Check your credit score monthly, when it refreshes, rather than expecting daily changes.
-
Focus on long-term trends instead of reacting to small month-to-month fluctuations.
-
Prioritize improving High Impact categories before spending time on lower-impact factors.
-
Use the personalized explanations to better understand what is helping—or limiting—your current score.
Tips
Note: Viewing your credit score through Quicken uses a soft inquiry and does not affect your credit score.
Note: Registration is permanent. Once you complete registration, you cannot unregister from the Credit Score service.