Why Is Equifax Score Lower?

A mistake on your Equifax report can lower your Equifax score, so scan the file for inaccuracies right away.

• Request your free Equifax credit report (once every 12 months).
• Verify name, address, Social Security number, and birthdate match your records.
• Check every account: name of creditor, account type, open/closed status, and balance.
• Look for duplicate entries or the same loan listed twice.
• Confirm that payment dates and amounts reflect what you actually paid.
• Flag any negative item older than seven years (ten for tax liens) that should have dropped off.
• Spot unauthorized accounts or inquiries you never authorized.
• Note any 'settled' or 'paid' status that still appears as 'delinquent.'

If you find any of these errors, the next section walks you through disputing them step‑by‑step.

Dispute Equifax errors step‑by‑step to protect your Equifax score and clean your Equifax file.

1. Download the latest Equifax report - use the free annual portal or request a copy by certified mail; keep the PDF for reference.
2. Mark every inaccuracy - look for wrong balances, duplicated accounts, or outdated status, just as we highlighted in the 'check your Equifax report for errors' section.
3. Collect supporting documents - gather statements, payoff letters, or court filings that prove the correct information.
4. Submit the dispute - log in to the online dispute center, upload your evidence, and write a brief explanation (e.g., 'Balance on Account 12345 should be $0, as shown in the attached statement').
   
   • Optional: If you prefer paper, mail a typed letter, copies of documents, and a photo ID to Equifax Dispute Department, 155 Albemarle St, Atlanta, GA 31133.
5. Wait up to 30 days - Equifax must investigate and reply; they will send you the results and an updated copy of your Equifax report.
6. Review the outcome - verify that the error is corrected; if it remains, note the investigator's reason and prepare to re‑file.
7. Escalate if needed - send a follow‑up dispute referencing the prior case number, or file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) for further pressure.

These steps reliably remove mistakes that drag down your Equifax score.

• A 30‑day late payment adds a negative mark to the Equifax report, reducing the payment‑history portion (about 35 % of the Equifax score) and can drop the score by 20 points or more, depending on your previous standing.
• The later the delinquency (60, 90, 120, 150 days), the larger the penalty; a 90‑day miss often knocks 40 - 60 points, while a 150‑day miss can shave 80 points or more.
• Each late‑payment entry stays on the Equifax file for seven years, so the impact persists even after you bring the account current.
• Multiple late payments compound the effect; the score weighs recent behavior more heavily, so two 30‑day delinquencies in a year can hurt more than a single 90‑day miss.
• Paying the overdue balance, requesting a 'pay for delete' when appropriate, and enrolling in automatic payments prevent new negatives and gradually lessen the drag as the late‑payment ages.

Pay down balances, ask for higher limits, or spread debt across cards to bring your credit utilization under 30 % and your Equifax score will usually climb.

• Review each revolving account in your Equifax report; note the current balance versus the reported limit.
• Pay off the highest‑balance cards first; a $200 payment on a $2,000 balance cuts utilization from 30 % to 20 %.
• Request a credit‑limit increase; a $5,000 limit on a $1,500 balance drops utilization to 30 % without extra cash.
• Transfer balances to a lower‑interest card with a higher limit; keep the original account open to preserve its age.
• Avoid new revolving debt while you're reducing utilization; each new charge raises the ratio again.

Lower utilization appears on your Equifax file within one reporting cycle, often 30 days, positioning you for the next factor we discuss: hard inquiries pulling down your Equifax score.

Hard inquiries can knock a few points off your Equifax score, stay on your Equifax report for 12 months, and remain visible in your Equifax file for 24 months. Each time a lender pulls your file for an application, the system logs a hard inquiry, and the scoring model treats it as a sign of increased credit risk.

Avoid unnecessary pulls by using pre‑qualification tools, waiting at least 30 days between applications, and disputing any unauthorized inquiries on your Equifax report. For a step‑by‑step guide to removing false pulls, see what are hard inquiries and how to dispute them.

Collections and public records stay on your Equifax report until you verify, dispute, or settle them, so clearing them directly lifts the drag on your Equifax score.

1. Pull the latest Equifax file and locate every collection or public‑record entry. Note the creditor, account number, balance, and dates.
2. Verify each entry with the original source (court, tax authority, or collection agency). Request proof of ownership, a copy of the judgment, or a payment ledger.
3. If documentation is missing, incomplete, or contains errors, file a dispute through the Equifax online dispute portal. Include the item's reference numbers and a brief statement of why it's inaccurate.
4. While the dispute is pending, contact the collector or court to negotiate a 'pay‑for‑delete' or a settlement that includes removal of the record. Get any agreement in writing before sending payment.
5. Once the item is verified as inaccurate, deleted, or settled, request an updated Equifax file. Confirm the change within 30 days; if the item reappears, repeat the dispute and attach the settlement proof.

These actions directly address the collections and public‑record factors discussed after the 'hard inquiries' section and set the stage for the upcoming 'timing differences' analysis.

Equifax score can tumble overnight when the Equifax report receives a new data snap that a previous snapshot didn't include. Most lenders push updates at month‑end; the next scoring cycle may run a few days later, so a balance rise, a newly posted late payment, or an added hard inquiry appears only after the prior score was calculated. That timing gap creates a sudden dip even though the underlying behavior hasn't changed dramatically.

A similar lag occurs when positive items age out - closed accounts drop off after ten years, or a long‑standing credit line is reported as 'inactive.' Both actions reduce the overall age of credit and raise utilization ratios, triggering another abrupt drop. Conversely, a creditor may report a payment 30 days after it's made, meaning the Equifax file shows a missed payment before the correction arrives.

These staggered updates explain why the score can swing sharply from one day to the next, and they set the stage for the identity‑mix‑up checks discussed in the next section. For a deeper look at reporting cycles, see understanding credit reporting cycles.

Spotting identity mix‑ups or fraud in your Equifax file begins with a line‑by‑line scan for any data that isn't yours.

• Verify name spelling, middle initial, and suffix; mismatches often signal a mixed file.
• Check every address, including past residences; an unfamiliar address suggests another consumer's record.
• Review Social Security number and date of birth; any digit error can merge two profiles.
• Look for accounts, loans, or credit cards you never opened; note the creditor, balance, and opening date.
• Search for duplicate entries of the same account; duplicates double‑count activity and lower your Equifax score.
• Note hard inquiries you didn't authorize; a sudden surge may indicate fraudulent applications.
• Compare reporting dates; an account that appears before you turned 18 or before you moved to a state is likely misattributed.
• Flag public records (bankruptcies, liens) that do not belong to you; they can drag your score down.

Address each red flag by filing a fraud alert, requesting a detailed investigation, and submitting supporting ID to Equifax.

Equifax calculates your score by weighting five data buckets that appear in your Equifax report. Payment history influences roughly 35 % of the total, credit utilization about 30 %, length of credit history around 15 %, types of credit close to 10 %, and recent activity the remaining 10 %.

For example, a 30‑day late payment on a credit‑card pushes the payment‑history bucket down by about 20 points; a balance of $2,000 on a $5,000 limit raises utilization to 40 % and trims roughly 15 points; opening a new auto loan adds a recent‑inquiry event that can shave 5‑10 points for the next year;

keeping an account open for 10 years adds length‑of‑history credit, potentially adding 5‑10 points; and holding both revolving and installment accounts improves the types‑of‑credit bucket by a few points. Equifax explains the model components.

Equifax scoring models read only the data in your Equifax file, apply a version of the FICO or VantageScore algorithm that Equifax licenses, and output a single 300‑850 number; they weight payment history, credit utilization, account age, mix and recent activity in a fixed formula that updates monthly.

Lender scores also start with the same Equifax report but each lender runs its own version of the model - often a older FICO version, a customized risk‑based score, or a proprietary algorithm that emphasizes recent inquiries, rent‑payment data, or industry‑specific risk factors - so the number you see on a loan application can differ noticeably from the generic Equifax score shown on Equifax's own scoring page.

An ex‑spouse or a joint account can pull your Equifax score down when the other party misses payments or carries high balances. The negative activity appears on the same Equifax report, so any late payment or high utilization is counted against you as if it were yours.

Joint credit lines affect two score components: payment history and credit utilization. If the shared card reaches a 70 % balance, the Equifax file reflects that high utilization for both owners, and a missed payment stays on the report for up to seven years, dragging the score even after the relationship ends.

To protect your score, request a consumer statement explaining the joint ownership, close or transfer the account if possible, and ask the co‑owner to bring the balance down. You can also dispute any inaccurate late‑payment entries once the divorce decree is filed, which we'll explore further in the section on scoring models versus lender scores.