Credit Utilization Calculator Canada (calcCreditUtil)

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Set up direct deposit and skip the monthly fee. Free to open, and the Easy plan has no monthly fee. Worth doing if you will actually move your pay or your CRA deposits over, not if the card sits unused. Code BREMO2026.

See how it works

30% of your credit score is your utilization ratio. Calculate yours and see how paying down balances affects your score.

Credit utilization — the percentage of your available revolving credit you're using — accounts for 30% of your Canadian credit score. It's the second most important factor after payment history, and it's also the fastest to change. Pay down a balance this month and your score can improve next month.

How Credit Utilization Works in Canada

Utilization is calculated both per card and across all your revolving credit combined. If you have three credit cards with a total limit of $15,000 and combined balances of $6,000, your overall utilization is 40%. Even if one card is at $0, a single maxed-out card can hurt your score.

Utilization Range	Score Impact	Target
0-9%	Excellent (maximum score benefit)	Ideal
10-29%	Good	Acceptable
30-49%	Neutral to slight negative	Improve if possible
50-74%	Moderate negative impact	Work to reduce
75-100%	Severe negative impact	Priority to fix

Credit Utilization Calculator (calcCreditUtil)

Enter up to 4 credit cards or lines of credit.

Card 1 Balance ($)

Card 1 Limit ($)

Card 2 Balance ($)

Card 2 Limit ($)

Card 3 Balance ($)

Card 3 Limit ($)

Card 4 Balance ($)

Card 4 Limit ($)

Overall utilization:

To reach 30%: Pay down

To reach 10%: Pay down

The 30% Rule Explained

Credit scoring experts commonly recommend keeping utilization below 30%. But this is a guideline, not a cliff — going from 45% to 28% is still a meaningful improvement even if you can't reach the ideal range. And going from 30% to 9% provides an additional meaningful boost for higher scorers.

Per-Card vs. Overall Utilization

Both per-card and overall utilization affect your score. A single maxed-out card can hurt your score even if your overall utilization across all cards is low. Prioritize getting each individual card below 30% before focusing on aggregate optimization.

How to Lower Your Utilization

Pay down balances: The most direct approach. Even a partial paydown moves the needle.
Request a credit limit increase: If your income has grown since you opened the card, ask for a higher limit. A $5,000 limit increase on a $3,000 balance drops utilization significantly. Don't spend the new room.
Spread balances across multiple cards: If you have one maxed-out card and one empty card, transferring some balance can reduce the per-card utilization of the maxed card.
Pay before your statement closes: Lenders report your balance to the bureau on your statement date. Paying down before that date means a lower balance gets reported.

Important: Utilization is not a permanent stain — it resets every month. This makes it the most responsive lever in your credit score. Use the calculator above to set a concrete paydown target.

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