Your personal credit score goes up to 850. Your business credit score goes up to 100. Different ceiling, different floor, different rules — and if you think they work the same way, you're building your business credit strategy on a broken foundation.
Business credit scores are separate from your personal FICO. They're tracked by different bureaus, calculated by different models, and checked by different people for different reasons. Understanding what you're actually working with is the first step to building scores that actually open doors.
There Isn't One Business Credit Score — There Are Four
Most people assume business credit works like personal credit: one score, one number, one thing to track. It doesn't. There are four main business credit scores, each produced by a different organization, each used by different lenders and vendors.
1. Paydex Score (Dun & Bradstreet) — Range: 0–100
Paydex is the most widely recognized business credit score. It's produced by Dun & Bradstreet and lives in your D&B file alongside your DUNS number. Paydex is almost entirely about how fast you pay — it's a dollar-weighted score based on your payment speed across all reporting trade lines.
A score of 80 means you consistently pay on time. A score above 80 means you pay early. A score below 70 is a red flag for most vendors and lenders.
Learn more about how it's calculated and what moves it in our deep-dive on what is a Paydex score.
2. Experian Intelliscore Plus — Range: 0–100
Experian's Intelliscore Plus pulls from a wider data set than Paydex. In addition to trade line payment history, it weighs:
- Number of active trade lines
- Outstanding balances and credit utilization
- Business age and industry
- Number of inquiries
- Public records (liens, judgments, bankruptcies)
A score of 76–100 is low risk. Below 50 is high risk. Many business credit card issuers and lenders use Experian Business as a primary or secondary check.
3. FICO Small Business Scoring Service (SBSS) — Range: 0–300
FICO SBSS is the one that matters for SBA loans. The SBA uses it as a pre-screen — you need a minimum score of 155 to pass the initial review for 7(a) loans, and many lenders set their own minimums higher (165–175 is common).
Unlike Paydex and Intelliscore, FICO SBSS is a blended score. It factors in both your business credit profile and your personal credit. The exact formula varies by lender because lenders can customize the weight given to each data source.
You can't access your FICO SBSS directly — lenders pull it when you apply.
4. Equifax Business Credit Risk Score — Range: 101–992
Equifax's business score has a quirky range that surprises most people who encounter it. The 101–992 range doesn't map neatly to anything else in business credit. A higher score is better. Scores above 500 are generally considered solid.
Equifax's model pulls from bank account data, trade lines, payment history, and business demographic information. It's used primarily by banks and larger lenders evaluating commercial credit applications.
How Each Score Is Calculated
The inputs vary by score, but the core factors are consistent:
| Factor | Paydex | Intelliscore | FICO SBSS | Equifax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment history | ✅ Primary | ✅ High weight | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Credit utilization | ❌ | ✅ Included | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Length of history | ❌ | ✅ Included | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Business age/size | ❌ | ✅ Included | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Personal credit | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Blended | ❌ |
| Public records | ❌ | ✅ Included | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Number of trade lines | ❌ | ✅ Included | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
Paydex is the simplest to move because it only cares about one thing: pay early, consistently, across multiple accounts. The others are more complex because they factor in more variables.
What Score You Need for Each Financing Type
Different products have different score requirements. Here's a practical reference:
Net-30 Vendor Accounts
Most tier-1 net-30 vendors (Uline, Quill, Grainger) don't require a minimum business credit score to get started — they help you build the score. But once you're applying for tier-2 vendors, a Paydex of 70+ and an Intelliscore of 50+ gives you a much higher approval rate.
Business Credit Cards
Business credit cards vary widely. Some use your personal credit only (especially for new businesses). Others check Experian Business or pull a blended report. Cards aimed at established businesses often want a Paydex of 75+ and clean Experian data with no public records.
SBA Loans
The FICO SBSS pre-screen requires a minimum of 155. Most lenders set their own threshold at 165–175. Getting here typically requires 2+ years in business, a healthy personal credit score (680+), and an established business credit file.
Business Lines of Credit
Bank-issued lines of credit often want to see a Paydex of 75+, Intelliscore above 60, and at least 1–2 years of credit history. Non-bank lenders like Bluevine and Fundbox have more flexible requirements but typically want to see consistent payment history across multiple accounts.
Why Business Credit Doesn't Auto-Link to Personal Credit
This is the mistake that sets most small business owners back by a year or more.
When you open a personal credit card, it reports to TransUnion, Equifax Consumer, and Experian Consumer. Your credit score builds automatically. You don't do anything special — you just use the card and pay it.
Business credit doesn't work that way. It's an entirely separate system with different bureaus (D&B, Equifax Business, Experian Business), different account types (net-30 trade lines, business credit cards, bank financing), and different score models. Nothing from your personal credit history crosses over.
You have to build business credit intentionally. Open accounts that report to business bureaus. Pay them consistently. Build the file from scratch. This is exactly why business credit vs personal credit is such a critical distinction to understand early.
Why Vendors and Lenders Check Business Credit First
For B2B relationships — vendor terms, supplier credit, commercial leases, wholesale accounts — the business credit file is the primary data source. The vendor wants to know if your business is creditworthy, not whether you personally have a good personal score.
That means a business with strong trade line history can get net-30 or net-60 terms even if the owner has personal credit challenges. And a business with no file — even one owned by someone with an 800 personal score — gets rejected or has to prepay everything.
That's a significant business advantage once you understand it. Building your business credit file gives you access to vendor terms and financing products that are completely unavailable to businesses without a credit profile.
The Full Comparison
| Score | Bureau | Range | Primary Users | Key Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paydex | Dun & Bradstreet | 0–100 | Net-30 vendors, suppliers | Payment speed |
| Intelliscore Plus | Experian Business | 0–100 | Business credit cards, lenders | Payment history + utilization |
| FICO SBSS | FICO (blended) | 0–300 | SBA lenders | Business + personal blend |
| Business Credit Risk Score | Equifax Business | 101–992 | Banks, commercial lenders | Payment + banking history |
Where to Start
If you're just getting started, the fastest path is: get your DUNS number, open 3–5 net-30 trade lines with vendors that report to D&B, pay early, and watch your Paydex build. That's the foundation.
Once Paydex is above 80, you add Experian-reporting accounts to build your Intelliscore. From there, you're positioned for business credit cards, lines of credit, and eventually SBA financing.
Understanding how long it takes to build business credit is key — it's not instant, but with the right steps it's faster than most people expect.
Build the Right Scores the Right Way
The DIY Accelerator at $97/mo gives you the complete step-by-step roadmap, templates, and credit-building tools to build all four scores systematically. Or let the Done-With-You Concierge Program at $297/mo guide you personally through every phase.
See our plansPublished by Famp Business Concierges | Business Credit & Funding Specialists