The Creditsafe business credit score, explained
Creditsafe scores a business from 1 to 100 and attaches a recommended credit limit to it. That second number is the one your suppliers are actually looking at.
What is a Creditsafe business credit score?
The Creditsafe business credit score rates a company from 1 to 100 on how likely it is to fall seriously behind on payments in the next twelve months. Higher is better. Creditsafe pairs the score with a recommended credit limit, a currency figure suggesting how much credit it considers prudent to extend to you.
- The scale is 1 to 100, and higher is better.
- The recommended credit limit is a separate output and is often what a supplier reads first.
- Payment timeliness carries the most weight, and early payment is rewarded rather than treated as neutral.
- A file with no reported trade history scores conservatively regardless of how well the business trades.
Two numbers, not one
The score answers a risk question: how likely is this business to go seriously delinquent within twelve months. The recommended credit limit answers a practical one: given that risk, how much credit is it sensible to extend. Suppliers deciding whether to give you terms tend to look straight at the second figure.
The two do not move in lockstep. A business can improve its score while its recommended limit stays flat because the limit also reflects size and trading history, not risk alone.
What moves the number
Payment behaviour dominates. Consistently paying before the due date is the most direct lever, and it is worth more than merely paying on the day it falls due.
Depth of file matters next. A handful of reported trade references gives the model very little to work with, and a thin file scores conservatively no matter how well the business is actually trading. More reported accounts, over more time, produce a more confident score.
Then the things you would expect: how much credit is extended against how much is used, the age of the business, and anything sitting in public records.
- Pay before the due date, not on it: treat Net 30 as Net 20
- Open accounts with suppliers that report, so the file has depth to score
- Keep utilisation on any extended credit well below the limit
- Check the file monthly and dispute anything that is not yours
How to see yours
Ruproa includes your live Creditsafe score and recommended credit limit from the Starter plan up, refreshed on every billing cycle, in the same dashboard as your Equifax Business file.
Ruproa reports your payment activity to Creditsafe and Equifax Business every month, so the file you are watching is the file you are building.
Ruproa is not affiliated with Dun & Bradstreet and does not issue DUNS numbers or Paydex scores. If you need those, you get them from D&B directly and for free.
Common questions.
What is a good Creditsafe score?
The scale runs 1 to 100 and higher is better. Read the recommended credit limit alongside it, because that is the figure a supplier deciding on terms is most likely to act on.
How is Creditsafe different from Equifax Business?
They are separate bureaus with separate files, separate scoring models and different scales: Creditsafe runs 1 to 100, the Equifax OneScore for Commercial runs 300 to 650. They routinely disagree, which is why it is worth watching both.
How often does the Creditsafe score update?
Ruproa refreshes your Creditsafe file on every billing cycle, and reports your payment activity to Creditsafe every month, so what you see and what a supplier sees stay in step.
Which Ruproa plan includes Creditsafe?
Starter and above, from $19 a month. The free account includes the dashboard, your company profile and a starter set of guides; pulling the live bureau file is the paid step.
See where your business actually stands.
The account is free forever and takes a few minutes. Add your live bureau file whenever you are ready.
