Repairing Your Credit Score

Here's how to revive your credit score over time.

Lisa Gerstner's avatar
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I had a tough year and was late paying some bills. How do I repair my credit score?

9 Financial Fumbles You Can Fix

Getting current on any overdue bills is crucial. Payment history is the largest component of the FICO score and VantageScore, two measures that lenders commonly use to judge whether to grant credit to potential borrowers. And how late the payment is matters: A 60-day delinquency, for example, can be more damaging to your score than a 30-day delinquency, says Ethan Dornhelm, senior director of scores and analytics for FICO.

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Lisa Gerstner
Lisa Gerstner
Editor, Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine

Lisa has been the editor of Kiplinger Personal Finance since June 2023. Previously, she spent more than a decade reporting and writing for the magazine on a variety of topics, including credit, banking and retirement. She has shared her expertise as a guest on the Today Show, CNN, Fox, NPR, Cheddar and many other media outlets around the nation. Lisa graduated from Ball State University and received the school’s “Graduate of the Last Decade” award in 2014. A military spouse, she has moved around the U.S. and currently lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and two sons.