8 Things NOT Included In Your Credit Score

1. Your age• A 19 year old with good credit

has an equal opportunity to qualify for a loan as an older adult and vice-versa

• The same holds true for the elderly, and lenders may not age-discriminate– A 95-year old can qualify for a

30-year mortgage, just as easily as a younger person can

Flickr/ Akash Kurdakar

2. Your salary• Whether you

make $15,000 per year or $1 million, it will have no bearing on your credit score

3. Your employment status• Even if you’re

unemployed, it won’t affect the score lenders receive

• However, lenders can and will use employment information when making decisions, such as– Employed or not?– Length with employer– Salary– Employment history

Chris Smith

4. Marital status• As long as your joint

accounts are current, your martial status won’t affect your credit score

• A common misconception, any individual accounts will only affect the account holder’s credit score– You do not “inherit” your

spouse’s credit problems

Jasen Miller

5. Your interest rates• While it’s true that

high interest rates are generally given to high-risk borrowers, the rates are not factored into your credit score for future lending decisions

Wikipedia/ Rammiefong

6. Child support• Any items

reported as child or family support obligations don’t affect your score

Flickr/ Paul Hamilton

7. “Soft” inquiries• Checking your own credit

will not affect your score• “Promotional inquiries” are

also soft inquiries– These are inquiries to “pre-

qualify” you for credit offers• Administrative inquiries

made by your current lenders to review your account also don’t count

8. Credit counseling• If you seek credit counseling services, it will

not affect your credit score

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Your credit card may soon be completely worthless!