You can check your business credit score directly through the three major bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and Dun & Bradstreet through third-party platforms that pull all three in one place, or through certain banks if you're an existing business client. Each bureau tracks your score separately, so the number you see in one place may not match another.
What You Need Before You Check
Most people skip this step and then get stuck halfway through. Before you look up your business credit score anywhere, have the following ready.
Basic Business Information Required
- Legal business name — exactly as registered
- Business address — current physical or registered address
- EIN (Employer Identification Number) — issued by the IRS; this is your primary business identifier for most bureau lookups
Do You Need a DUNS Number?
For Dun & Bradstreet specifically, yes. A DUNS number is a unique nine-digit identifier that D&B assigns to your business. If you don't have one, you can request it for free directly through D&B's website. It can take a few days to process, so factor that in if you're in a hurry.
The other bureaus — Experian and Equifax — use your EIN and business name to locate your file, so a DUNS number isn't required there.
How to Check Your Business Credit Score — 3 Main Methods
Method 1 — Check Directly Through Each Bureau
This is the most direct route. Each bureau has its own portal where you can purchase a report on your own business.
- Experian Business — Offers one-time reports starting around $59.95, or annual subscriptions with monitoring for $199+. You get the Intelliscore Plus score along with trade history, public records, and payment trends.
- Equifax Business — Paid reports available through Equifax's business credit portal. Includes the Equifax Business Credit Risk Score and Payment Index.
- Dun & Bradstreet — Paid access to full reports including your PAYDEX score. A free DUNS number lookup is available, but the scored report requires payment or a subscription.
In practice, most small business owners find direct bureau access useful when they need the full report — especially if they're preparing for a loan application or disputing an error.
Method 2 — Use a Third-Party Platform
Platforms that aggregate data from all three bureaus present it in one dashboard. This is the most convenient option if you want a combined view without managing three separate accounts.
Tools built around gomyfinance.com credit score tracking follow a similar aggregation logic pulling multiple data points into a single, readable summary.
Here's what the typical free vs. paid breakdown looks like:
|
Feature |
Free Tier |
Paid Tier |
|
Score summary (range + grade) |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Full numeric score |
Limited |
✓ |
|
All 3 bureaus in one view |
Partial |
✓ |
|
Score monitoring & alerts |
✗ |
✓ |
|
Personal + business side-by-side |
✗ |
✓ |
Free tiers give you enough to know roughly where you stand. If you're actively managing credit or approaching lenders, a paid tier gives you more usable detail.
Method 3 — Through Your Bank
Some business banks offer free access to D&B scores as part of their online banking platform. Bank of America, for example, provides two D&B scores to eligible Business Advantage 360 clients at no extra cost.
The catch: this only works if you're already a business client, it typically covers D&B only, and it's not available through all banks. It's a useful perk, not a complete solution on its own.
The Three Major Business Credit Bureaus — What Each One Measures
These aren't interchangeable. Each bureau uses its own model, its own data sources, and its own score range. A score of 75 means something different depending on whose scale you're reading.
Experian — Intelliscore Plus
- Score range: 1 to 100
- Higher is better — 76–100 is generally considered low risk
- Key factors: payment history, tradelines, collections, public filings, new account activity
- Used by: lenders, suppliers, and businesses evaluating trade credit risk
Dun & Bradstreet — PAYDEX Score
- Score range: 1 to 100
- 80 = paying on time. 100 = paying early. That distinction matters — on-time alone won't get you a perfect score here
- Key factors: payment history reported by vendors and suppliers who are D&B members
- Used by: suppliers and vendors deciding net-30 or net-60 trade credit terms
Equifax Business Credit Score
- Score range: 101 to 992 (Business Credit Risk Score)
- Key factors: payment history, outstanding balances, length of credit history, public records
- Used by: lenders and creditors assessing overall credit risk
FICO SBSS — The Lender-Focused Score
- Score range: 0 to 300
- SBA pre-screen minimum: 140 — if you fall below this, your SBA loan application won't pass the automated pre-screen
- What makes it different: blends your business credit data with your personal credit data
- Used by: more than 7,500 SBA lenders for loans up to $350,000
What's often overlooked is that the FICO SBSS is the score most relevant to formal lending — yet it's the one most business owners haven't heard of until they're already mid-application. As reported by CNBC, more than 7,500 lenders nationwide rely on the FICO SBSS to make small business lending decisions, and the SBA uses it to pre-screen its 7(a) loan applications.
Are Business Credit Scores Free to Check?
Partially. Here's an honest breakdown.
What's Available at No Cost
- Score summaries from third-party platforms (grade and range, not always a precise number)
- D&B scores through select bank partnerships, if you're an eligible client
- Free DUNS lookup through D&B's own site (identifier, not a full scored report)
What Typically Costs Money
- Full bureau-direct reports with detailed trade line data and exact scores
- Experian one-time reports: from $59.95
- Experian annual monitoring: $199/year
- Third-party paid subscriptions for complete scores across all three bureaus
If your goal is a rough directional check, free options work. If you're preparing for a loan or investigating why a lender turned you down, pay for the full report — the summary won't show you enough. Understanding how to create a budget around these costs upfront helps avoid surprises when you're actively managing business credit.
How Business Credit Scores Differ From Personal Credit Scores
A few things here that genuinely surprise people.
First, the ranges are completely different. Personal credit scores run from 300–850 (FICO). Business credit scores vary by bureau — 1–100 for Experian and D&B, 101–992 for Equifax, 0–300 for FICO SBSS. You can't apply the same mental benchmark.
Second —according to wikipedia- and this one matters — anyone can access your business credit score without your permission. Personal credit is protected under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which requires consumer consent before a credit file can be accessed.
Business credit files carry no such protection — they are treated as public commercial data, meaning lenders, vendors, competitors, and potential partners can all look up your score without notifying you.
Third, scores are not standardized across bureaus and cannot be compared to each other directly. A 70 on Experian's scale and a 70 on D&B's scale reflect different things, calculated differently.
What Factors Affect Your Business Credit Score
Across bureaus, these are the core factors that influence where your score lands:
- Payment history — the most heavily weighted factor across all bureaus; late payments pull scores down quickly
- Age of credit history — older, established accounts generally help
- Debt levels — high utilization or maxed credit lines signal risk
- Industry risk — some industries are categorized as higher risk by default, which can affect baseline scores
- Company size — larger companies with more documented history tend to score more easily
- Public records — liens, judgments, and bankruptcies appear on your file and lower your score
In practice, the businesses that struggle most with scores aren't the ones with bad debt — they're the ones with no data. If your vendors don't report to the bureaus, your payment history simply doesn't exist on file.
This is why many small business owners treat percentage calculators hub tools and financial tracking resources as part of their broader credit management routine — keeping tabs on utilization ratios and debt levels before they become a problem.
Conclusion
To check your business credit score, go directly to Experian, Equifax, or Dun & Bradstreet, use a third-party platform for a combined view, or check with your bank if they offer it free. Checking your own score does not hurt it. Make it a regular habit — quarterly at minimum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check my business credit score for free?
Yes, partially. Free summaries are available through some third-party platforms and select bank partnerships. Full numeric scores with detailed report data typically require a paid plan or one-time purchase directly from the bureau.
Does checking my own business credit score hurt it?
No. Checking your own business credit score is considered a soft inquiry and does not negatively affect your score — regardless of which bureau or platform you use.
Why do my scores differ across bureaus?
Each bureau collects data from different sources and uses its own scoring model. A vendor that reports to D&B may not report to Experian. Different data in, different scores out.
Can someone check my business credit score without my permission?
Yes. Unlike personal credit, business credit files are accessible without the business owner's consent. Lenders, vendors, and other parties can pull your business credit report without notifying you.
What is a good business credit score?
It depends on the bureau. For Experian Intelliscore Plus and D&B PAYDEX, 75–100 is considered low risk. For FICO SBSS, above 160 is generally considered competitive for SBA lending, with 140 as the minimum pre-screen threshold.
