Home · Learn · Credit utilization
Credit
Utilization is the revolving balance a card issuer reported, divided by that card's credit limit. Add the cards together for the total. myFICO says amounts owed determines 30% of a FICO Score. That 30% is the weight of the category. It is not a rule that each card must stay under 30% of its own limit.
Updated 2026-10-04 · 9 min read · Educational, not credit advice. The worked balances are an example, not your statement. Interest on a balance you leave is the payoff calculator. The other four weights are how credit scores move. No new calculator.
myFICO's score page lists the five groups it uses for a FICO Score:
| Group | Weight | This page |
|---|---|---|
| Payment history | 35% | The score guide |
| Amounts owed | 30% | This page. Utilization sits here. |
| Length of credit history | 15% | Score guide |
| New credit | 10% | Score guide |
| Credit mix | 10% | Score guide |
myFICO's amounts-owed page says a high percentage of your available credit means you are close to maxing out the cards, and that can lower FICO Scores. A low percentage can help. In some cases a low ratio helps more than using none of the available credit. That page does not name a cutoff of 30%, 10%, or any other percent.
CFPB (page last modified December 18, 2024) says experts advise keeping your use of credit at no more than 30 percent of your total credit limit. Read the noun. It says total limit, and it says experts, not a published FICO threshold on each card.
These balances are labeled. They are not a bureau pull. Card A reports $2,000 on a $3,000 limit. Card B reports $100 on a $5,000 limit.
| Card A | Card B | Both | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported balance | $2,000 | $100 | $2,100 |
| Limit | $3,000 | $5,000 | $8,000 |
| Ratio | 66.7% | 2% | 26.25% |
$2,100 divided by $8,000 is 26.25%. That overall figure is under the 30 percent CFPB quotes from experts. Card A is still $2,000 divided by $3,000, which rounds to 66.7%. A sentence that only says "I am under 30%" is looking at the total and skipping the card.
myFICO says your current balance is not necessarily the balance on the credit report. The report shows what the lender reported, typically the latest statement. Paying the card in full a week after the statement can still leave the statement balance on the report.
If you pay $1,700 on card A before that issuer reports, the reported balance is $300, not $2,000. Card A is then $300 / $3,000 = 10%. The two cards are $400 / $8,000 = 5%. Card B is still 2%.
| After that $1,700 payment, if it posts before the report | Card A | Card B | Both |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported balance | $300 | $100 | $400 |
| Ratio | 10% | 2% | 5% |
The due date is a different date. Paying before the statement changes what gets reported. Paying the remaining statement balance by the due date is how you avoid interest on that cycle. This page does not guess your statement close day. It is on the statement.
CFPB says if you close credit card accounts and put the balances on one card, the score can fall when you use a high percentage of the limit you have left. Pay card B's $100 and close its $5,000 limit. The $2,000 on card A is now the whole ratio: $2,000 / $3,000 = 66.7%. Overall utilization was 26.25% the day before. The balance you care about did not change. The available credit did.
myFICO also counts how many accounts have a balance, and it scores installment loans by how much of the original amount is still owed. Those are not this ratio. Do not divide a car loan by a credit-card limit.
CFPB says you do not need to carry a balance to have a good score, and you do not need outstanding debt at all. Paying in full each month helps the score and keeps the interest at zero. myFICO's line about a low ratio sometimes beating a zero ratio is about the balance that gets reported. It is not an instruction to leave $2,000 unpaid past the due date.
If that $2,000 stays revolving at a labeled 21.9% APR, the first month of interest is $2,000 times 0.219 divided by 12, which is $36.50. Pay $40 a month and nothing extra, and the payoff calculator runs 135 months and about $3,388 of interest. 21.9% is an example you can replace. This page does not scrape a live card APR. The tool is not a score simulator, and it does not name a FICO version.
No. Amounts owed is 30% of a FICO Score. That is the category weight. myFICO does not publish a per-card cutoff on the amounts-owed page. CFPB says experts advise no more than 30 percent of your total limit. The page was last modified December 18, 2024.
Reported revolving balance divided by the limit. $2,000 of $3,000 is 66.7% on that card. $100 of $5,000 is 2%. Together, $2,100 of $8,000 is 26.25%. The total can be under 30 percent while one card is not.
myFICO says the report usually shows the statement balance the lender sent, not the balance after you pay. Paying in full each month can still leave a balance on the report.
No. CFPB says you do not need to carry a balance or have outstanding debt. Pay in full. A low reported ratio can help more than a zero ratio in some cases. That is not a reason to pay 21.9% on $2,000. The first month of that interest is $36.50.
Pay the $100 and close the $5,000 limit, and $2,000 sits on $3,000. The ratio is 66.7%, up from 26.25% overall. CFPB warns that closing cards can do this. The debt did not grow. The limit did the opposite.
No. Revolving utilization and the remaining share of an installment loan are different inputs on myFICO's amounts-owed page. Do not divide a car loan by a card limit. This page does not name a FICO version.
If the $1,700 posts before the issuer reports, card A shows $300, which is 10%, and the two cards show $400 of $8,000, which is 5%. Then pay the rest of the statement by the due date if you do not want interest.
No new calculator. $2,000 at a labeled 21.9% APR and a $40 payment is 135 months and about $3,388 of interest in the payoff tool. Type your APR. The five factors are the score guide.
Educational only. Weights are myFICO's published groups. The 30 percent line is CFPB quoting experts on the total limit, not a per-card FICO rule. The 21.9% APR is an example. Verify your statement close date, limits, and APR before you move a payment.