What is a Bad Credit Score? (2024)

FAQs

What is a Bad Credit Score? ›

A bad credit score is a FICO credit score below 580 and a VantageScore lower than 601. If your credit isn't where you would like it to be, remember that a bad credit score doesn't have to weigh you down.

A bad credit score is a FICO credit score below 580 and a VantageScore lower than 601. If your credit isn't where you would like it to be, remember that a bad credit score doesn't have to weigh you down.

Your score falls within the range of scores, from 580 to 669, considered Fair. A 600 FICO^® Score is below the average credit score. Some lenders see consumers with scores in the Fair range as having unfavorable credit, and may decline their credit applications.

What Is a Bad Credit Score? On the FICO^® Score^☉ 8 scale of 300 to 850, one of the credit scores lenders most frequently use, a bad credit score is one below 670. More specifically, a score between 580 and 669 is considered fair, and one between 300 and 579 is poor.

A 580 credit score is considered bad credit. Your credit score determines whether you will qualify for credit cards and loans, and what interest rate you'll pay if you do qualify.

Can I get a mortgage with an 623 credit score? Yes, your 623 credit score can qualify you for a mortgage. And you have a couple of main options. With a credit score of 580 or higher, you can qualify for an FHA loan to buy a home with a down payment of just 3.5%.

Credit score and mortgages

The minimum credit score needed for most mortgages is typically around 620. However, government-backed mortgages like Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans typically have lower credit requirements than conventional fixed-rate loans and adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs).

Yes, you can buy a house with a 600 credit score — but it would be less challenging if your score were higher. A 600 score will not be high enough to qualify for a conventional home loan, so look into FHA loans, which have lower requirements: 500 with a 10 percent down payment, and 580 with a 3.5 percent down payment.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) requires a credit score of at least 500 to buy a home with an FHA loan. A minimum of 580 is needed to make the minimum down payment of 3.5% of the total loan amount. However, some lenders require a score of 620 to 640 to qualify.

What is a good credit score for your age? You might consider your score to be good if it meets or exceeds the average for your peers, but that isn't the best gauge. Following NerdWallet's general guidelines, a good credit score is within the 690 to 719 range on the standard 300-850 scale, regardless of age.

Is a 900 credit score possible? ›

Highlights: While older models of credit scores used to go as high as 900, you can no longer achieve a 900 credit score. The highest score you can receive today is 850. Anything above 800 is considered an excellent credit score.

The lowest credit score typically required to buy a house is 500 with an FHA loan, which requires the borrower to make a 10% down payment. For credit scores of 580 or higher, a 3.5% down payment is sufficient. Conventional loans typically require a minimum credit score of around 620.

As someone with a 650 credit score, you are firmly in the “fair” territory of credit. You can usually qualify for financial products like a mortgage or car loan, but you will likely pay higher interest rates than someone with a better credit score. The "good" credit range starts at 690.

Therefore, most financial professionals generally accept that 300 is the lowest credit score a consumer can have. A lower credit score tells a lender there's a higher likelihood that an applicant might repay a credit obligation severely late or default on the debt entirely.

The VantageScore credit scoring model also has a range between 300 to 850. However, according to this model, a credit score below 661 isn't good. Scores between 601 to 660 are considered fair. Anything below that range is considered poor or bad (500 to 600) or very poor (300 to 499).

Your score falls within the range of scores, from 300 to 579, considered Very Poor. A 300 FICO^® Score is significantly below the average credit score. Many lenders choose not to do business with borrowers whose scores fall in the Very Poor range, on grounds they have unfavorable credit.