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Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate logo
Having a short credit history can make it difficult to get approved for loans or credit cards. Many lenders want to see that you have successfully managed credit for at least a couple of years before they will approve you. So is 6 months of credit history enough to qualify for credit? Here’s what you need to know.
Why Credit History Matters
When you apply for a loan or credit card, lenders look at your credit reports and credit scores to evaluate your creditworthiness. They want to see that you have a track record of using credit responsibly by making on-time payments and keeping balances low.
Some of the key factors that make up your credit scores include
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Payment history – Have you made payments on time in the past? Late payments can significantly damage your credit
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Credit utilization – What percentage of your available credit are you using? The lower the better
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Credit history length – How long have you been using credit? A longer history is better.
Credit score models, such as FICO and VantageScore, use complicated algorithms to figure out your scores based on these and other factors. Credit bureaus won’t be able to see a long history of responsible behavior from you if you don’t have one or if it’s very short. Because of this, many lenders will see you as a bigger risk and may turn down your application.
Is 6 Months of Credit History Enough?
Generally, 6 months of credit history is still considered quite limited. Here’s how this short history may affect your credit:
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You may not have a FICO score yet – FICO scores require at least one account to be 6 months old and to have been reported to the credit bureaus within the last 6 months. With only 6 months of history, you may not qualify for a FICO score yet.
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Your credit scores will be lower – Limited history can negatively impact your credit scores. Expect your scores to be on the lower end until you build a longer history.
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You may not qualify for top tier credit products – Many lenders like to see at least 12-24 months of credit history before approving applications. With only 6 months, you may only qualify for credit products for people with limited credit.
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You’ll have fewer active accounts – With less than a year of history, you likely only have 1 or 2 active accounts reporting. Credit scoring models like to see multiple active accounts in good standing.
So while 6 months of history is a start, it is generally considered inadequate by most lenders. You’ll need to continue building your history over time.
How to Build Credit with 6 Months of History
If you only have 6 months of credit history, focus on establishing positive credit behaviors to build your scores. Here are some tips:
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Make sure you pay all of your bills on time by setting up autopay or payment reminders. This will help boost your payment history.
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Keep balances low – Use less than 30% of your credit limit and pay in full each month if possible. Lower utilization will improve your scores.
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Add yourself as an authorized user. Ask a family member with good credit to add you as an authorized user to an account that has been open for a while. This can give your credit an instant boost.
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Get a new credit card. Getting a second card can help you build your credit history and number of accounts. Opt for a card for limited credit histories.
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Check for credit building loans – Some banks offer credit builder loans to help establish payment history. Make on-time payments to improve your profile.
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Monitor your credit – Keep an eye on your reports and scores to ensure accurate information. Dispute any errors that could be hurting your history.
When Does a Short History Stop Impacting Your Credit?
Most credit scoring models and lenders want to see at least 12-24 months of credit history before they consider your credit “established” versus “limited.” But the longer you can build a positive history, the higher your credit scores will climb.
Here are some guidelines for when a short history may stop impacting your credit as much:
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12 months – You may qualify for more credit products once you hit the 1 year mark, but your scores will still be on the lower side.
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18-24 months – At this point your history will be considered established and your scores should rise as long as you have good credit behaviors.
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5-10 years – After 5-10 years of positive history your scores will benefit from the longevity of your credit background.
Keep in mind even once you have an established history, opening several new accounts in a short period or mishandling your credit can still negatively impact your scores. Maintaining responsible behaviors is key.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, 6 months of credit history is still very limited and will likely cause challenges when trying to qualify for new credit. The longer you can build a track record of on-time payments, low balances, and diverse credit mixes, the higher your credit scores will ultimately climb. Be patient, focus on good credit habits right from the start, and your scores will improve over time.
What is your length of credit history?
There are three main credit bureaus: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Length of credit history tells you how old the accounts on your credit report are. Another way to describe length of credit history is the period of time the accounts on your credit reports have been established.
If you want to review your own length of credit history, you can do so by checking your credit report from one or more of the credit bureaus. Free weekly credit reports are available through AnnualCreditReport. com. You can also use paid services like myFICO to monitor your three credit reports and your FICO score for a deeper look at your credit information.
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Michelle Lambright Black is a credit expert with over 19 years of experience, a freelance writer and a certified credit expert witness. In addition to writing for Bankrate, Michelles work is featured with numerous publications including FICO, Experian, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and Reader’s Digest, among others.
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Seychelle is a credit card writer and Certified Financial Education Instructor℠ at Bankrate where she employs a cumulative 12 years of experience in the finance industry to help readers navigate the intersection of their money choices and consumer credit.
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Brooklyn Lowery is a Senior Editor on the Bankrate credit cards education team where she focuses on helping everyday consumers leverage credit cards as powerful tools in their personal finance toolbox.
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Erin Lowry is the author of the four-part Broke Millennial series, including: Broke Millennial, Broke Millennial Takes On Investing, Broke Millennial Talks Money and Broke Millennial Workbook: Take Control and Get Your Financial Life Together.
At Bankrate, we take the accuracy of our content seriously.
“Expert verified” means that our Financial Review Board thoroughly evaluated the article for accuracy and clarity. The Review Board comprises a panel of financial experts whose objective is to ensure that our content is always objective and balanced.
Their reviews hold us accountable for publishing high-quality and trustworthy content.
Bankrate is always editorially independent. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Heres an explanation for . Our is to ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy. Bankrate logo.
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our content is written by professionals with a lot of experience and is edited by experts in the field to make sure it is fair, correct, and reliable.
Our banking reporters and editors focus on the points consumers care about most — the best banks, latest rates, different types of accounts, money-saving tips and more — so you can feel confident as you’re managing your money. Bankrate logo
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate logo
Increase Your Credit Score To 800 In 6 Months Or Less
FAQ
Is 6 months of credit history enough?
History isn’t instant. It takes at least six months to build credit if you’ve never used it before, and even longer to get a good or excellent score.
What is considered a good length of credit history?
A longer credit history generally has a more positive impact on your credit score. While there’s no magic number, a credit history of 6-10 years is often considered a good length, with anything less than two years generally considered short.
Is 6 months enough time to fix credit?
FICO says, “you need at least one account that has been open for at least six months and has been reporting to the credit bureaus for at least six months.” April 8, 2025
How long does my credit history need to be to be good?
However, transitioning from fair to good credit (700-749) might take a few additional years of responsible credit behavior. Reaching an excellent credit score (750 and above) is generally a long-term goal and may require at least five to ten years of consistently responsible credit habits.