Business credit scores
Your business has credit files separate from your own. Here is how the main scores are built, what their ranges mean, and how much weight they carry on a revenue-based file.
✓ Checking what you qualify for does not affect your credit score.
Updated October 13, 2026 · Merchant Fund Express
A business credit score rates your company, not you. The three you will hear about most are the Dun & Bradstreet Paydex score, the Experian Intelliscore Plus score and the FICO Small Business Scoring Service (SBSS) score. Each uses different data and a different scale, so a strong number on one does not translate to the others. For most revenue-based funding, your personal FICO and your bank statements carry more weight than any business score. Business scores matter more for trade credit, bank loans and larger lines.
| Score | Range | What drives it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paydex (Dun & Bradstreet) | 1 to 100 | Payment timing with suppliers and vendors. 80 means paying on time; above 80 means paying early | Needs a D-U-N-S number and vendors that report |
| Intelliscore Plus (Experian) | 1 to 100 on V1 and V2; 300 to 850 on V3 | Payment history, credit use, public records, company size and age | Version depends on what the lender pulls |
| FICO SBSS | 0 to 300 | Blends business credit, the owner's personal credit and business financials | Used by many banks; the SBA stopped its required SBSS prescreen for 7(a) small loans on March 1, 2026 |
Ranges as published by each bureau or reported for the current versions, as of October 2026. Lenders set their own cutoffs.
Paydex is built from how many days early or late your bills are paid against the terms. A vendor with net-30 terms who gets paid on day 30 pushes you toward 80. Paid on day 20, you move above 80. Paid on day 45, you slide down. It is a timing score, so a profitable business that habitually pays late can score worse than a small one that pays the day the invoice lands.
| Data point | Value |
|---|---|
| Paydex | 72: three suppliers paid 10 to 15 days late |
| Intelliscore Plus (1 to 100) | 58: average risk, high credit use on one trade line |
| FICO SBSS | Not pulled; bank asked for it only on a term loan |
| Owner personal FICO | 668 |
| Monthly deposits | $52,000 across 14 deposits |
A supplier offering net-60 terms would focus on the 72 Paydex. A bank would look at the SBSS and the financials. A revenue-based review reads the 668 FICO against the tiers on our requirements page and spends most of its time on the $52,000 of deposits. Same company, three different decisions.
All figures in worked examples are illustrations of the arithmetic, not offers or quotes. Real terms depend on your file and the funder.
We start with your personal FICO, using a soft pull, and your business bank statements. A FICO of 500 is considered, 600 opens the revenue-based tier, and 650 with three years in business opens the line of credit and term loan tier. A thin or low business credit file rarely blocks a revenue-based review. A visible UCC filing or a business tax lien does matter, because it shows up in the public records that feed Intelliscore and in the lien search a funder runs.
If your business file is weak and your personal credit is fine, read business credit versus personal credit. If personal credit is the issue, improving your score before applying covers the fastest fixes.
When you want to see where your file stands today, check what you qualify for; it does not affect your credit.
80 means you pay on time. Above 80 means you pay before terms. Many suppliers treat 80 and up as strong.
The first review uses a soft pull of your personal credit and your bank statements. A funder may run a business credit and lien search before closing.
The SBA ended its required SBSS prescreen for 7(a) small loans on March 1, 2026. Individual lenders can still use the score in their own underwriting.
Each bureau has different data sources and scales. A vendor that reports to one bureau and not another can move one score while the others stay flat.
Same-day decision. Applying takes a few minutes and will not affect your credit score.
