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What Is a Good Business Credit Score

A good business credit score depends on which bureau is doing the scoring. At Dun and Bradstreet, a PAYDEX of 80 or above means you pay on time and is the minimum most lenders consider acceptable. At Experian Business, an Intelliscore Plus of 76 or above places you in the low-risk category. At Equifax Business, a Credit Risk Score above 700 (on their 101 to 992 scale) signals strong creditworthiness. Achieving these thresholds across all three bureaus gives you the widest access to favorable financing.

Score Ranges at Each Bureau

Dun and Bradstreet PAYDEX

The PAYDEX score ranges from 0 to 100 and measures payment performance exclusively. The scale breaks down clearly:

100: Pays 30 days early on average. The best possible score, indicating exceptional payment discipline.
90: Pays 20 days early. Excellent, well above what lenders require.
80: Pays on time. This is the threshold lenders and vendors consider "good." Most SBA loans, business credit cards, and vendor terms require at least an 80.
70: Pays 15 days late on average. Below the good threshold. Vendors may shorten your payment terms or reduce credit limits.
50: Pays 30 days late on average. Considered high risk. Most lenders will decline applications or charge significantly higher rates.
Below 50: Severely delinquent. Obtaining new credit is very difficult at this level.

The target for most businesses should be 80 at minimum, with 90 to 100 being ideal. Because PAYDEX rewards early payment, achieving a score above 80 is straightforward if you have the cash flow to pay invoices within a week of receiving them.

Experian Business Intelliscore Plus

Intelliscore Plus ranges from 1 to 100 and predicts the likelihood of your business becoming seriously delinquent within the next 12 months. The risk categories are:

76 to 100: Low risk. This is the range lenders want to see. You are considered a reliable borrower with strong payment history and stable business operations.
51 to 75: Medium to low risk. Most lenders will still work with you, though you may face slightly higher interest rates or shorter terms than businesses in the low-risk tier.
26 to 50: Medium to high risk. Financing options narrow. Traditional banks may decline, but online lenders and alternative financing remain available at higher rates.
1 to 25: High risk. Obtaining business credit is difficult. Lenders that do approve typically charge premium rates and require substantial collateral or personal guarantees.

Unlike PAYDEX, Intelliscore factors in more than payment timing. Credit utilization, company age, industry classification, public records, and in some cases your personal credit score all contribute. This means improving your Intelliscore requires a broader approach than simply paying bills early.

Equifax Business Credit Risk Score

Equifax's Business Credit Risk Score ranges from 101 to 992 and predicts the probability of your business becoming 90 or more days delinquent within the next 12 months. The general ranges are:

700 to 992: Low risk. Strong creditworthiness with a solid payment history and stable business profile.
500 to 699: Moderate risk. Acceptable to many lenders, though terms may be less favorable than for low-risk businesses.
300 to 499: Elevated risk. Traditional financing becomes difficult. Alternative and online lenders are the primary options.
101 to 299: High risk. Very limited credit options. Rebuilding requires sustained improvement in payment behavior and business stability.

Equifax also produces a Payment Index that ranges from 0 to 100, similar to the PAYDEX concept. A Payment Index of 90 or above indicates consistently on-time or early payments. This index is based on the trailing 12 months of payment data and gives lenders a quick snapshot of your recent payment behavior.

What Lenders Actually Look For

While specific score thresholds matter, lenders rarely make decisions based on a single number. A comprehensive loan evaluation typically considers your business credit scores from one or more bureaus, your personal credit score (especially for small businesses), your revenue and cash flow, your time in business, the industry you operate in, and the specific loan amount and terms you are requesting.

For SBA loans, most lenders want to see a PAYDEX of at least 80, an Intelliscore of at least 50 (though 76+ is preferred), and a personal credit score of 680 or above. The SBA itself does not set minimum business credit thresholds, but the banks that issue SBA loans set their own requirements.

For online lenders like OnDeck, Fundbox, and BlueVine, the requirements are generally lower. Many online lenders focus more on your revenue, cash flow, and time in business than on bureau scores. A business doing $100,000 or more in annual revenue with at least 12 months of operating history can often qualify even with limited business credit, though better scores always mean better terms.

For vendor payment terms, most suppliers require a PAYDEX of 80 or above for net-30 terms on large orders. Smaller starter accounts, as discussed in our net-30 vendor guide, often approve without checking business credit at all, which is how you build the initial tradelines that generate your scores.

How Your Scores Compare to Other Businesses

Knowing how your scores stack up against the broader business population provides useful context. According to D&B's data, the average PAYDEX score across all US businesses is approximately 65 to 70, which means the average business pays slightly late. A PAYDEX of 80 puts you ahead of roughly 60% of businesses. A PAYDEX of 90 or above puts you in the top 20%.

Experian reports that the average Intelliscore Plus for US businesses is approximately 50 to 55, right at the border between medium-low and medium-high risk. A score of 76 or above puts you well above average and into the low-risk tier that gets the best lending terms.

These averages skew lower because many businesses do not actively manage their business credit. They pay bills when convenient rather than strategically, they do not target vendors that report to bureaus, and they never check their reports. By deliberately building your business credit using the steps in our building guide, you are already positioning yourself ahead of the majority.

One Score Is Not Enough

A common mistake is building a strong PAYDEX at D&B while neglecting Experian and Equifax. If a lender checks your Experian report and finds no data, they treat your business as having no credit history regardless of your 100 PAYDEX. Different lenders check different bureaus, and you cannot predict which one will be pulled for your next application.

Build tradelines at all three bureaus by choosing a mix of vendors and credit cards that report broadly. Check your scores at all three bureaus quarterly during the first year and at least twice yearly after that. If one bureau's score lags behind the others, identify which tradelines are missing or underreporting and take corrective action.

Improving a Low Score

If your scores are below the "good" threshold at any bureau, the recovery path depends on what is dragging them down. Late payments are the most common cause and the most straightforward to fix: return to on-time or early payment discipline and the score will improve as older negative data ages out of the calculation window, typically over 6 to 12 months.

Public records like tax liens or judgments have a larger and longer-lasting impact. Resolving the underlying issue, paying the lien or judgment, should be the first priority. Once resolved, submit documentation to the bureau showing the resolution so the record is updated. Even resolved public records may remain on your report for up to seven years, but their impact diminishes over time and lenders weigh resolved records less heavily than unresolved ones.

A thin credit file with too few tradelines can also result in low scores or no score at all. If you have fewer than three tradelines at D&B, your PAYDEX will not generate. Adding more reporting accounts is the fastest way to address this. Read the detailed improvement guide for specific strategies by score range.