How Does Length of Credit History Impact Your Credit Score?

Length of credit history makes up 15% of your FICO score and about 20% of your VantageScore — making it the third most important factor in your credit score after payment history and credit utilization. Credit scoring models look at three things: the age of your oldest account, the age of your newest account, and the average age of all your accounts. The longer your credit history, the more positively it affects your score, which is why opening accounts early and keeping old ones open are two of the most valuable long-term credit-building moves.

You don't need decades of credit history to have a good score, but you do need at least six months of activity to be scored at all. Once you're past that threshold, your credit history grows in value year by year — and the strongest credit profiles tend to have an oldest account that's 20 to 30 years old.

Key Takeaways

• Length of credit history is 15% of your FICO score and about 20% of your VantageScore

• Three factors matter: the age of your oldest account, your newest account, and the average age of all accounts

• You need 6 months of credit activity to generate a FICO score

• The average oldest account among people with perfect 850 scores is around 30 years old

• Closed accounts in good standing stay on your report for up to 10 years, continuing to count toward your history

• Opening new accounts lowers your average account age temporarily

• Closing old accounts can eventually shorten your credit history once they drop off your report

Summary generated by AI, verified by MoneyLion editors

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What Is Length of Credit History?

Length of credit history (sometimes called "credit age") is a measure of how long you've been using credit. It's one of the five factors that credit scoring models use to calculate your credit score, and it gives lenders a sense of how much experience you have managing credit accounts responsibly over time.

Credit scoring models look at three specific things when calculating this factor.

The Age of Your Oldest Account

Your oldest open or recently closed account anchors your credit history. The longer this account has been open, the better. According to FICO data, people with perfect 850 credit scores typically have an oldest account that's been open for about 30 years.

The Age of Your Newest Account

Recently opened accounts pull your average age down. If you've opened a new credit card or loan in the last 6 to 12 months, that's factored into this category and can produce a small short-term drop in your score.

The Average Age of All Your Accounts

This is your most volatile credit history number. It changes whenever you open a new account (which lowers the average) or when an old account ages off your report after 10 years (which can lower it again).

How Much Does Length of Credit History Affect Your Credit Score?

The weight varies slightly between scoring models:

• FICO — length of credit history makes up exactly 15% of your score

• VantageScore — length of credit history (combined with credit mix) makes up 20% to 21% of your score

In a 700 credit score, the length of credit history factor could be worth roughly 100 points if it were maxed out. In practice, you can't fully optimize this category quickly — only time can build it.

But it doesn't take 30 years to benefit. Even after a few years of clean credit, the length of history starts to meaningfully contribute to your score. The biggest jumps tend to come when accounts cross meaningful thresholds — like the 2-year, 5-year, and 10-year marks.

How Long Until You Have a Credit Score?

You need credit activity for credit scoring models to evaluate you. Here's how long it typically takes:

• FICO score — at least one account open for 6 months, with activity reported in the last 6 months

• VantageScore — sometimes as little as 1 month of activity is enough

• Authorized user status — if you're added to a parent or spouse's card with long history, you may have a score almost immediately

If you've never had a credit account, you have what lenders call a "thin file" or no credit history at all. Opening a secured card, becoming an authorized user, or taking out a credit-builder loan is the way to start the clock.

Why a Longer Credit History Helps Your Score

Credit scoring models are designed to predict whether you'll make a serious late payment in the next 24 months. A longer credit history gives them more data to work with.

When you have years of credit history that includes:

• On-time payments through multiple economic cycles

• Responsible balance management

• Diverse credit experiences (cards, loans, mortgages)

...lenders see strong evidence that you can manage credit consistently. A short history, by contrast, leaves room for doubt — even when the existing record is clean.

This is why young adults often face higher interest rates and stricter approval requirements than older borrowers with the same income and similar payment habits. The system rewards time.

How Opening New Accounts Affects Your Length of Credit History

Every new account lowers your average account age. Here's what happens when you open a new credit card or loan.

The hard inquiry from the application drops your score by a few points. Then the new account appears on your credit report 30 to 60 days later, which:

• Lowers the average age of all your accounts

• Adds a brand-new account at "0 years old"

• May trigger a small temporary score drop in the length of credit history category

These effects are usually small (5 to 15 points combined) and recover within a few months as you build positive payment history on the new account.

There's a trade-off worth understanding. A new credit card lowers your average account age but also raises your total available credit, which lowers your overall credit utilization. For many people, the utilization benefit (30% of your score) outweighs the length-of-history dip (15% of your score) — so opening a new card can be a net positive even though it dings your history factor temporarily.

How Closing Accounts Affects Your Length of Credit History

This is where most people get hurt. Closing an old credit card has two distinct effects on your length of credit history.

The first effect is delayed. Closed accounts in good standing stay on your credit report for up to 10 years under FICO scoring, continuing to count toward your length of credit history during that time. So if you close a card today, your credit history won't immediately shorten — it'll stay roughly the same for years.

The second effect kicks in once the closed account drops off your report. After 10 years, the account is gone for good, and your average credit age drops, which can hurt your score.

VantageScore handles this slightly differently and may exclude some closed accounts from credit age calculations sooner than FICO does.

Two important nuances:

• Closing a card also reduces your total available credit, which can immediately raise your utilization. This effect is usually faster and bigger than the length-of-history effect.

• If you have to close a card, close newer ones first. Keeping your oldest accounts open protects the part of your history that matters most.

How to Build a Longer Credit History

There's no shortcut for time, but there are strategies that build credit history faster than waiting alone.

Start as Early as Possible

The single most valuable move is opening your first credit account as early as you reasonably can. For most people, that means a student credit card, a secured card, or being added as an authorized user during the late teens or early twenties.

Every year you wait is a year of credit history you can't get back later.

Become an Authorized User on an Older Account

If you have a parent, spouse, or trusted family member with a long-standing credit card and clean payment history, ask if they'll add you as an authorized user. The account's full history can appear on your credit report — including its opening date — giving you instant length-of-history benefit.

This is particularly powerful for young adults whose own accounts are only a few years old.

Keep Your Oldest Accounts Open

If you have a card you've had for years, keep it open even if you don't use it much. Use it for one small recurring charge (like a streaming subscription) to keep it active.

If the card has an annual fee you don't want to pay, ask the issuer to downgrade you to a no-fee version on the same account. This preserves your credit history while eliminating the fee.

Be Strategic About Closing Cards

If you have to close a card, close newer ones rather than older ones. Closed accounts stay on your report for up to 10 years, so closing a younger card has less long-term impact on your length of history.

Avoid Opening Multiple Accounts at Once

Every new account drags down your average age. Spacing applications out by at least 6 to 12 months minimizes the impact on this factor.

Don't Let Old Accounts Get Closed for Inactivity

Card issuers can close cards that go too long without use. Using each card occasionally — even for a small charge — keeps the account active and protects your length of credit history.

Can You Have Good Credit With a Short History?

Yes. While length of credit history matters, it's only 15% of your FICO score — far less than payment history (35%) or credit utilization (30%). People with short credit histories can still build excellent credit by:

• Paying every bill on time, every time

• Keeping credit card balances under 10% of their limits

• Avoiding too many new applications

• Building toward a diverse credit mix

Your score may not reach 800+ in the first year or two — that takes time no matter what — but a 700+ score within 12 to 18 months is realistic for someone with a thin file who manages credit well.

How Length of Credit History Differs Between FICO and VantageScore

The two main scoring models treat length of credit history slightly differently.

• FICO weighs length of credit history at exactly 15% of your score and treats it as its own standalone category. Closed accounts in good standing count toward your credit age for up to 10 years.

• VantageScore combines length of credit history with credit mix into a single category they call "depth of credit," which makes up 20% to 21% of your score. VantageScore may also exclude some closed accounts from average age calculations sooner than FICO.

This means a single action — like closing an old credit card — can affect your FICO and VantageScore differently in both magnitude and timing.

A Practical Plan to Build a Stronger Credit History

If you're working to strengthen this part of your credit profile, here's where to focus:

1. Open your first credit account as early as possible — even a small secured card builds the clock

2. Become an authorized user on a family member's older account if possible

3. Keep your oldest credit card open, even if you barely use it

4. Use older accounts occasionally to prevent issuer-initiated closures

5. Space out new credit applications by at least 6 to 12 months

6. Downgrade rather than close cards with annual fees you don't want to pay

7. Be patient — this is the one credit factor where time does most of the work

For most people, the difference between a fair credit score and an excellent one comes down to a few years of consistent good habits. Length of credit history is the silent factor that rewards everything else you're doing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's a good length of credit history?

There's no exact target, but most experts recommend an average credit age of at least 7 years for a strong score. People with perfect 850 scores have an oldest account averaging around 30 years.

How quickly does length of credit history improve my score?

Slowly — this is the one credit factor that requires real time. Most people see gradual improvements year over year, with bigger jumps when accounts cross meaningful thresholds like 2, 5, or 10 years.

Do closed accounts count toward my length of credit history?

Yes, for a while. Closed accounts in good standing stay on your FICO credit report for up to 10 years and continue to count toward your credit age during that time. After they drop off, your average age may decrease.

Does opening a new credit card hurt my length of credit history?

Temporarily, yes. A new account lowers your average account age, which can produce a small dip in this category. The dip usually recovers within a few months as the new account builds its own history.

Should I close credit cards I don't use anymore?

Usually no, especially if they're your oldest accounts. Keeping them open preserves your credit history and your available credit. If a card has an annual fee, ask the issuer to downgrade it to a no-fee version instead of closing.

Can I get a good credit score without a long credit history?

Yes. While longer history helps, payment history and credit utilization carry more weight. A short credit history can still produce a 700+ score with consistent on-time payments and low balances.

How long until I have a credit score?

For a FICO score, you need at least one account open for 6 months with activity reported in the last 6 months. VantageScore can score you with as little as 1 month of activity.

Does authorized user status help length of credit history?

Yes. When you're added as an authorized user on someone else's card, the full account history can appear on your credit report — including the original opening date. This is one of the fastest ways to add length of credit history.

What's the difference between credit age and length of credit history?

The terms are often used interchangeably, but credit age usually refers specifically to the average age of your open accounts, while length of credit history is a broader category that also includes your oldest account, newest account, and individual account ages.

Will paying off a loan hurt my length of credit history?

Not immediately. The closed installment loan stays on your report for up to 10 years and continues to count toward your credit history. You may see a small temporary score dip from the closed account, but it usually recovers within a few months.

Key Terms

• Length of credit history: A credit score factor that measures how long you've been using credit, including the age of your oldest account, newest account, and average account age.

• Credit age: Often used interchangeably with length of credit history, though it specifically refers to the average age of your open credit accounts.

• Average age of accounts: The mean age of all the credit accounts on your credit report. A new account lowers this average; old accounts raise it.

• Thin credit file: A credit report with very few accounts or limited history. Thin files can produce lower scores and make credit harder to access.

• Authorized user: Someone added to another person's credit card account. The cardholder's history can appear on the authorized user's credit report, helping build their length of credit history.

• FICO score: The most widely used credit scoring model. Length of credit history accounts for 15% of the FICO score.

• VantageScore: A competing credit scoring model that combines length of credit history with credit mix into a "depth of credit" category worth 20% to 21% of the score.

Sources:

• myFICO: How Credit History Length Affects Your FICO Score

• Experian: How Does Length of Credit History Affect Credit Score?

• Bankrate: How Length of Credit History Affects Your Score

• Capital One: How Does Length of Credit History Affect Credit Scores?

• Discover: What Is Length of Credit History?

Summary generated by AI, verified by MoneyLion editors