Wrap Up Better Business Credit Before Year's End

With just three weeks left until the end of the year, now could be your best opportunity to boost business credit scores and ratings, especially if you are hoping to apply for new or additional credit after January 1st. To help put you in the best possible position, I've created a quick checklist that you can print or download in case you need it.

To boost your business credit at year-end, it's important that you focus on several factors that have a direct impact on your scores and ratings, such as paying bills on time, keeping credit usage low (preferably under 30%), reducing debt, monitoring your reports for errors, correcting inaccuracies, disputing derogatory data, and establishing positive trade references with vendors who report, potentially asking them to report to the bureaus to show financial health before those new year applications. It's also a good idea to diversify your credit mix and, as always, separate personal/business finances for stronger profiles.

Key Year-End Actions

☐ Pay Down Balances to Lower Credit Utilization: Pay off outstanding credit card balances or make significant payments to lower your credit utilization ratio (the amount of credit used versus the total available credit). Aim for a ratio below 30%, or ideally 10%, to demonstrate responsible credit management.

☐ Diversify Your Business Credit: Use a mix of credit types (loans, lines, cards, terms) to show responsible credit management. Focus on keeping an even mix of all available credit types to avoid relying too heavily on those that may carry higher interest rates. Consider an expense management card to pay and track low-dollar monthly expenses that can sometimes get lost in the shuffle.

☐ Request Invoicing With Terms for Year-End Inventory: The end of the year is a great time to take advantage of sales that allow you to boost your inventory in time to get those tax credits. But, at the same time, it's crucial to not let that added debt outweigh the tax benefits by reducing your available credit. If you can push those invoice due dates into the new year, your credit will end on a high note.

☐ Use Business Gifting to Renew Vendor Relationships: Holiday gift-giving to staff and clients is a great way to refresh your relationship with vendors that you may not use throughout the rest of the year. It's important to use your vendors at least once per year to ensure positive payment history doesn't drop off your credit report.

☐ Ensure All Bills are Paid on Time: Payment history is the most critical factor in business credit scoring. Settle all outstanding invoices and debt obligations that are due before January 31st. While it's tempting to set up automatic payments to avoid any accidental late payments, it's important to recognize that automatic payments get reported to the bureaus differently than payments that you make manually.

☐ Review, Update and Dispute Credit Report Errors: Obtain copies of your business credit reports from the major bureaus (Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax). Review them thoroughly for any inaccuracies, such as incorrect late payments or accounts you don't recognize, and dispute them immediately. Correcting out-of-date information and reporting errors can provide an immediate boost to your score.

☐ Maximize Positive Trade References: Confirm that vendors or suppliers you have a good payment history with are reporting your on-time payments to the credit bureaus. If some don't report automatically, ask if they can, even if just once per year. Manually submitted vendors can add payment history that will stay on the business credit report for 24-28 months. If your existing vendors won't report to the bureaus, consider shifting some of your business expenditures to those who will.

☐ Increase Credit Limits to Lower Utilization: Strategically request higher credit limits on existing accounts to increase your available credit lines while also lowering utilization ratios. This can usually provide a significant credit score improvement that you may need when you are ready to request additional funding.

☐ Avoid Closing Unused Accounts: Keep older credit accounts open, even if they are paid off, as closing them reduces your total available credit and can increase your utilization ratio. A single purchase once per year will keep auto-reported transactions in your file for at least another 12 months. The length of your credit history is an easy way to positively impact your scores.

☐ Update Business Information: Ensure your business information, such as address, phone number, and legal structure, is current and consistent across all credit bureaus and public records (like the IRS and Secretary of State filings). Consistency is key, and inconsistent data can make your business appear unreliable.

☐ Maintain Separate Finances: Reiterate the separation of personal and business finances by using dedicated business bank accounts and credit cards for all business transactions. This solidifies your business's financial identity. Business expenses can be excluded from reporting to the bureaus simply because they were paid with personal credit cards to bank accounts.

☐ Limit New Credit Applications: Avoid applying for multiple new lines of credit in a short time frame at year-end, as the resulting hard inquiries can temporarily lower your score. A sudden influx of business credit inquiries could send a signal that your business is either desperate for funding or the victim of corporate identity theft, neither of which are good for business credit scores. Plan future credit needs strategically.

Strong business credit helps you secure better loan terms, qualify for larger contracts, lower insurance costs, and avoid using personal credit for business needs. By taking the time to focus on these areas now, you can start the new year in a better position to achieve the credit your business deserves.

I am always happy to help entrepreneurs and start-ups improve their creditworthiness and opportunities to grow their business. If there is anything I can do to help boost your business credit scores, please don't hesitate to give me a call at 800-918-7505 or schedule an online appointment here: https://www.starpointcreditsolutions.com/book-online

Download this checklist for later!