Why Did My Fair Isaac FICO Credit Score Drop 30 Points?

Pull your Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion reports and your latest FICO score now; the numbers will reveal what caused the 30‑point dip.

1. Visit Annual Credit Report website and request the free 30‑day copies from all three bureaus.
2. Log into your credit‑card portal, lender app, or MyFICO account to view the current FICO score tied to the same bureaus.
3. Align each report with the score date; note any new late payments, collection entries, or hard inquiries that appeared since the last score you saw.
4. Mark any discrepancies - wrong balances, accounts that aren't yours, or outdated status flags.
5. Use the online dispute tool on each bureau's site to challenge errors; submit supporting documents within the 30‑day window.
6. Record the date of each hard inquiry; dozens within 12 months can shave 30 points, so confirm they're yours.
7. Save a PDF of each report and the score snapshot; you'll need them when you troubleshoot the specific cause later in the article.

You missed a payment, and the three major bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) reported it, which can knock roughly 30 points off your FICO score, especially if you previously had a clean record. A 30‑day late entry typically triggers the drop, while a 60‑day or longer delinquency may shave even more.

Check each credit report for the late entry, dispute it if it's inaccurate, and bring the account current; lenders sometimes remove the mark after a few months of on‑time payments. Keep paying all bills by the due date and monitor your score - recovery generally takes 30 - 60 days once the delinquency ages off.

A sudden jump in credit‑card utilization can drop your FICO score by roughly 30 points. Lenders view a high balance‑to‑limit ratio as increased risk, and all three bureaus - Equifax, Experian, TransUnion - may score that risk similarly.

• Utilization above 30% on any card often triggers a 20‑30‑point dip; a spike from 10% to 50% is a classic culprit.
• Balances are reported when the issuer closes the monthly cycle, not when you pay the statement; a high‑balance snapshot can affect the score even if you pay it off later.
• One bureau's data lag can cause a temporary 30‑point swing while the others catch up.
• Pay down the charge before the cycle closes, request a higher credit limit, or spread purchases across multiple cards to keep each utilization under 10%.

Your credit card reported a higher balance because the statement closing date captured recent purchases, which temporarily raised your utilization and can shave 30 points off your FICO score.

Why the balance spike hurts your score

• The balance on the statement date is the figure each of the three major bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) uses for utilization calculations.
• Even if you pay the charge off within the same billing cycle, the higher reported balance still appears in the monthly snapshot.
• Utilization jumps from, say, 12 % to 35 % can trigger a 30‑point drop, especially if it pushes you over the 30 % threshold that many scoring models flag.
• Multiple cards that all close on the same day amplify the effect, because each reported balance contributes to the overall ratio.

How to minimize the impact

• Pay down the balance before the statement closing date, not just before the due date.
• Set up a 'payment on‑statement date' to ensure the lower balance is reported.
• If possible, request that the issuer report a 'current balance' instead of the statement balance (some banks allow this for premium customers).
• Stagger large purchases across cards with different closing dates to avoid a single utilization spike.

By aligning your payment timing with the statement date, you keep reported utilization low and protect your FICO score. Next, we'll look at how multiple recent hard inquiries can also pull points down.

A cluster of hard inquiries in a short period can shave 30 points off your FICO score. Each pull signals Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion that you're seeking new credit, which briefly lowers your risk profile.

• Every credit‑card, loan, or financing application generates a hard inquiry; multiple applications within weeks add several risk flags.
• Only mortgage or auto‑rate shopping qualifies as a single 'shopping' inquiry when the pulls occur within a 30‑day window; all other types remain separate.
• The bureaus weight recent inquiries more heavily than older ones, so a sudden surge can outweigh a spotless payment history.
• Inquiries stay on your report for two years, but their impact fades after 12 months, meaning the 30‑point dip may linger if you keep applying.
• To let the score recover, avoid new hard pulls for at least six months and focus on on‑time payments and low utilization.
• If you suspect an unauthorized inquiry, dispute it with the relevant bureau (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion) to have it removed.
• Closing an old account, as discussed next, can further shorten your credit history and affect the score.

Closing an old account shortens your credit history and can knock about 30 points off your FICO score. The three major bureaus - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - all factor the average age of open accounts into the scoring model, so removing a long‑standing line immediately reduces that average.

When the average age drops, the score may fall 20‑40 points, especially if the closed account was one of your oldest. For example, closing a 10‑year credit‑card you've used for years can shrink the overall age from seven to five years, prompting each bureau to adjust the FICO score downward. This explains why the drop appears after you delete the account, even though you haven't missed a payment or increased utilization.

A collection or public record that resurfaces on your credit file can drop your FICO score by roughly 30 points. It reappears when a creditor renews a claim, a court updates a judgment, or a previously removed record is reported again.

A collection is an unpaid debt that a lender sold to a third‑party agency; a public record includes tax liens, civil judgments, or bankruptcies filed in a court. All three bureaus - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - track these items, and each can add up to 100 points of negative impact. Even if the account is older than seven years, a renewed filing or a new docket entry can cause the bureau to reinstate it, instantly lowering your score.

Typical resurfacing scenarios include a medical bill sent to collections after the provider files a new claim, a state tax lien that the department re‑files after missed payments, a civil judgment revived when the plaintiff files a supplemental docket, a Chapter 13 bankruptcy that reopens after missed court‑ordered payments, or a utility debt that a collection agency reports anew.

Because these items sit in the 'negative' section of your report, the FICO algorithm treats them as high‑risk, often shaving close to 30 points off the total. Equifax's guide to collection accounts

Removing an authorized user can shave up to 30 points off your FICO score because the secondary account's credit limit disappears, raising your overall utilization.

The loss of that limit often pushes the utilization ratio higher on Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and the average age of your accounts may drop if the authorized‑user card was one of your oldest lines.

Check each bureau's report for the removal, then consider adding a new authorized user or paying down balances to bring utilization back down; you'll see similar advice in the next section on identity theft and reporting errors. How authorized users affect credit reports

Identity theft or a reporting error can cause a sudden 30‑point drop in your FICO score.

If a fraudster opens a new account, racks up a balance, or triggers a hard inquiry, the false activity appears on one or more of the three major bureaus - Equifax, Experian, TransUnion - and drags your score down.

The damage often shows up as a high‑balance charge or a missed payment you never made.

Acting quickly, filing a fraud alert, and reviewing the suspicious items can halt further harm; see how to respond to identity theft for the exact steps.

Conversely, a simple reporting mistake - such as a late‑payment entry that belongs to someone else, a duplicated loan, or an incorrect balance - can also shave 30 points.

Errors travel across all three bureaus, so the same inaccuracy may surface on each credit report.

Dispute the mistake directly with the bureau that shows it, and the correction can restore the lost points; read dispute a credit report error for a step‑by‑step guide.

Leverage FICO 9 by asking lenders to base your application on that version and then using the higher score to negotiate tighter loan offers. Many fintechs already price loans on FICO 9, so if you present a recent FICO 9 report, you can often secure a lower APR than a borrower who only provides an older score.

First, pull your latest FICO 9 from a free‑credit portal, then run side‑by‑side quotes from at least three lenders that mention FICO 9 in their underwriting criteria. Use the highest FICO 9 number as leverage in every negotiation call - state, 'My current FICO 9 is 805; I'm looking for a rate at or below 5%.' As discussed in the fintech‑usage section, many neo‑lenders will adjust rates within minutes when you supply that data.

Finally, record each lender's response and use the most favorable one as a benchmark when you circle back to other institutions; the documented difference often forces them to match or beat the offer. For a recent analysis of post‑2022 adoption, see FICO's post‑2022 adoption report.

Regain the lost 30 points by fixing the most common score‑draggers directly.

1. Obtain free credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion and dispute any inaccuracies you find.
2. Reduce credit‑card balances to bring utilization under 30 % (ideally below 10 %).
3. Set up automatic, on‑time payments for every revolving and installment account.
4. Request a goodwill removal for a one‑time late payment; many lenders will delete it if you've been reliable.
5. Add a responsible authorized user on a high‑limit, low‑balance card to boost age and utilization metrics.
6. Re‑open or reactivate an old account that was closed in good standing to lengthen your average credit history.
7. Pause new hard inquiries for at least six months and let existing ones age off the report.