Why Is My FICO Score Higher or Lower Than Experian?

The score that matters hinges on your goal. When you apply for a mortgage, auto loan, or credit card, lenders almost always rely on the FICO Score - typically version 8 or 9 - while the Experian score you see on free portals usually reflects a VantageScore model.

Use the FICO Score for any creditor decision; use the Experian score for personal budgeting or pre‑screening. Next, check which FICO version the lender will actually use (FICO version guide).

Lenders pick the FICO Score version that matches the product type, the scoring agency they contract with, and the date they upgraded their models; you can verify the exact version by checking loan documents, asking the lender, and using a reporting service.

• Read your pre‑approval or loan agreement - these often state the exact model (for example, FICO 8, FICO 9, or FICO 10T).
• Call the lender's underwriting or customer‑service line and ask, 'Which FICO version do you use for this loan or credit card?'
• Visit the issuer's website; many credit‑card companies disclose the version they employ for new accounts (commonly FICO 8 or 10T).
• Subscribe to a paid credit‑monitoring service that displays the specific FICO version; the Experian free report typically shows only a VantageScore.
• Check public disclosures from the scoring agency - major mortgage lenders usually run FICO 8 for conventional loans, FICO 9 for FHA/VA, and may have migrated to FICO 10/10T after 2022. See the FICO score model overview for current usage trends.

Lenders often use specialty FICO Scores that differ from the Experian score you see for free. Below are the most common versions you may encounter.

• FICO 8 - still the default for most mortgages and auto loans; it weighs recent credit behavior heavily.
• FICO 9 - typically used by credit‑card issuers; it ignores paid medical collections and rental‑payment reporting.
• FICO 10 - may appear for newer loan products; it adds trended data like payment‑history direction.
• Industry‑specific scores - such as the FICO Auto Score for auto‑finance, the FICO Bankcard Score for credit‑card approvals, and the FICO Mortgage Score for home‑loan underwriting.
• Score for small‑business lending - often a version of FICO 8 customized with business‑credit factors; it may affect lines of credit for owners.

FICO Scores and Experian's VantageScore often diverge because they weight the same credit behaviors differently.

FICO Score  -  Payment history carries the highest weight (about 35 %). A missed payment after 30 days of delinquency hurts the score, and the impact grows with longer delays (60, 90 days, etc.). Credit‑utilization is a strong factor, and lower ratios are preferred; keeping utilization under 30 % usually helps, but there is no hard penalty at a specific threshold. FICO 9 removes paid medical collections, while FICO 8 still applies some negative weight. Hard inquiries affect the score only if they appear within the past 12 months, and the effect is modest.

Experian score (VantageScore)  -  Payment history also ranks first, but it represents a slightly smaller share of the model (around 30 %). A delinquency after 30 days is flagged similarly, yet VantageScore tends to smooth the impact of a single late payment faster than FICO. Utilization influences the score, but the model places more emphasis on overall credit mix and recent activity. Paid medical collections are ignored in VantageScore 3.0 and later, which can raise the score relative to FICO 8. Inquiries are counted only for the most recent 12 months, and their weight is generally lower than in FICO models.

You can locate hidden accounts by cross‑checking a full FICO Score‑based credit file with the free Experian score report. This reveals any creditor that failed to send data to the bureau used for the Experian snapshot.

1. Order a complete credit report from each bureau through a FICO‑compatible service; paid reports often contain every open and closed tradeline.
2. Log into the free Experian portal and download the VantageScore‑based summary; it may omit newer revolving accounts.
3. Export the list of tradelines from the paid report, noting creditor name, account number, balance, and status.
4. Compare the two lists line by line; flag any creditor that appears only on the paid file.
5. Call the missing creditor's customer service, ask why the account never reported, and request a retroactive submission if the account is current.
6. If the creditor declines, file a dispute with the bureau lacking the tradeline, attach proof such as a recent statement, and let the bureau investigate.
7. Watch both scores for changes; the FICO Score typically improves within 30‑45 days, while the Experian score may adjust sooner, setting the stage for the next section on spotting reporting timing gaps.

Timing gaps between creditor reporting cycles and bureau updates often cause your FICO Score to drift from your Experian score.

Most lenders pull a FICO Score that reflects data up to the previous statement closing date, while Experian's free report may include a more recent batch that arrived after the lender's pull. Typical gaps include:

• month‑end batch reporting, where creditors send activity on the last day of the month and the bureau processes it 10‑15 days later;
• 30‑day processing lag, which means a payment made on the 5th may not appear on the bureau file until the next cycle;
• weekend or holiday delays, which push the update to the following business day;
• new accounts that open after the lender's inquiry but before the bureau's next refresh.

To narrow the gap, align your payment dates with statement closing dates, request that creditors submit 'soft' updates immediately after major changes, and monitor a real‑time FICO Score service that reflects the most current bureau file. These steps often reduce the timing mismatch and bring the two scores closer together.

Being an authorized user often lifts your FICO Score, but the boost depends on the primary cardholder's payment history, utilization, and the FICO version the lender checks.

An authorized user is added to someone else's revolving account; the account's age, balance, and on‑time payments usually flow onto the user's credit file. In FICO 8 and 9, which most lenders favor, a long‑standing, low‑balance card can add 10 - 20 points, while a high‑utilization or recently opened card may lower the score or have no effect. Experian's free score often includes the same AU data, but its weighting differs, so the change may be smaller or invisible. If the primary account closes or falls into delinquency, the benefit may disappear quickly.

For illustration, a 30‑year‑old with a single AU on a primary's $5,000 credit limit card carrying a $500 balance saw her FICO rise from 680 to 702 within two months, whereas adding herself to a primary's maxed‑out $2,000 card dropped her score by about five points. Official Consumer Financial Protection Bureau guide on authorized users

Collections and charge-offs shrink both your FICO Score and Experian score because they signal unpaid debt and severe delinquency.

• They sit in the payment‑history section, which often accounts for the largest weight (about 35 % of a FICO Score, roughly 40 % of an Experian score).
• The newer the entry, the harsher the hit; a single recent collection may drop a FICO 8 score 50 - 100 points, and an older version can lose even more.
• Unpaid collections stay on the report for up to seven years; paid collections may still impact a FICO 8 but usually affect FICO 9 and Experian scores far less.
• The amount owed relative to the original balance feeds the amounts‑owed factor, so a large collection balance can further depress the score.
• Multiple collections or charge‑offs trigger severity scoring, compounding the penalty.
• Understanding how collections affect credit scores explains the typical point ranges.

Because collections and charge‑offs often create the biggest gap between your FICO Score and Experian score, the next section shows why inquiries impact each model differently.

Inquiries change a FICO Score and an Experian score because the algorithms assign different point values and time windows. FICO Score models (especially 8 and 9, which lenders use most) typically subtract 5‑30 points from a hard inquiry for the first 12 months and then stop counting it after two years. Experian score, built on VantageScore, often ignores the same hard inquiry after one year and may discount its effect even sooner, so the same request can look harmless on your free report but still pull your FICO Score down.

The disparity matters when you compare reports side‑by‑side. A recent study shows hard inquiries may lower a FICO 8 by up to 5 points while VantageScore may not reflect any change after 12 months. Soft inquiries never affect either model, but some specialty FICO versions (like 2 or 4) treat them as neutral signals, whereas a VantageScore‑based Experian score may use them to gauge activity trends. Knowing which model your lender checks helps you schedule credit pulls strategically and avoid unnecessary dips.

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Dispute an Experian score entry only when the error directly lowers the FICO Score you'll see from lenders, typically because a late payment, collection or duplicate account is reported inaccurately; accept the difference when the discrepancy stems from timing gaps, model‑specific weighting, or harmless older negatives that the free Experian (VantageScore) report shows but the FICO 8/9 version already discounts. If you spot a factual mistake - wrong balance, mis‑dated delinquency, or an account that never existed - file a dispute with Experian immediately, because correcting the record can improve both the Experian score and the underlying FICO Score used by creditors.

When the gap appears after a recent credit inquiry, a new account opening, or a seasonally‑adjusted scoring factor, recognize that the two models may diverge by design and that disputing will not change the lender's view; in those cases, focus on the 'quick fixes' outlined in the next section instead of chasing a non‑actionable dispute.