Calculate your credit utilization ratio across all your cards, see how it's affecting your score, and get tips to improve it.
| Card | Balance | Limit | Utilization |
|---|
| Utilization Rate | Score Impact | Rating | What It Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–10% | +++ Very Positive | ⭐ Excellent | Ideal for highest possible score |
| 11–30% | ++ Positive | ✅ Good | Within recommended range |
| 31–50% | 0 Neutral/Slight Negative | ⚠️ Fair | Starting to affect score |
| 51–75% | – Negative | 🔴 Poor | Noticeably reducing score |
| 76%+ | – – Very Negative | ❌ Bad | Significantly hurting your score |
| 0% (no balance) | + Positive | ✅ Great | But less than 1–10% utilization |
Pay down the card closest to its limit first. Even reducing one card from 90% to 30% utilization can boost your score significantly within one billing cycle.
Call your credit card issuer and request a limit increase without increasing your spending. Higher limit = lower utilization ratio. This works if you've been on time with payments.
Credit card issuers report your balance to bureaus on your statement date — not due date. Pay before your statement closes to report a lower balance, even if you pay in full monthly.
$3,000 on a $4,000 limit card = 75% utilization (bad). But $1,500 on two $4,000 limit cards = 37.5% per card. Spreading debt can improve per-card utilization ratios.
Don't close old credit cards even if unused. Keeping them open increases your total available credit, which lowers overall utilization. Just use them occasionally to keep active.
KOHO Credit Builder reports to Equifax and TransUnion for just $7/month — with no credit check. Ideal for newcomers or anyone building credit from scratch.
KOHO Credit Builder adds a credit account to your file without adding debt — meaning it won't affect your utilization ratio. Pay $7/month, get reported to both bureaus, and watch your score climb.
Start KOHO Credit Builder — $100 Bonus with Code 45ET55JSYA →Keep your credit utilization below 30% for a good score, and ideally below 10% for the highest possible score. This applies to each individual card AND your overall total across all cards.
Yes. Credit utilization accounts for approximately 30% of your credit score with Equifax and TransUnion in Canada — making it the second most important factor after payment history (35%). High utilization is one of the fastest ways to lower your score.
Very quickly — usually within one billing cycle (30 days). Once your card issuer reports a lower balance to the credit bureaus, your score can improve within 30 days. This is one of the fastest legitimate ways to boost your credit score.
Your utilization improves once the payment is reported to the credit bureau — which typically happens on your statement date. The actual payment posts faster, but the bureau update usually takes 1–2 business days after your statement closes.
No. KOHO is a prepaid card — it's not a credit card, so it doesn't have a credit limit and doesn't contribute to your utilization ratio. KOHO Credit Builder adds a separate credit account that helps your score without adding to utilization.
This calculator is for informational purposes only. Credit scoring models vary by bureau and lender.