Payments on auto accounts less than scheduled amount

VantageScore code number

Code numbers can differ by bureau and score version. The wording of the statement is what to match.

What puts this reason on your score

VantageScore's explanation says your file shows auto loans with payments made for less than the amounts due. That means the lender reported payments below the scheduled monthly amount. Sending $250 toward a $400 car payment is the plain case.

The code sits apart from 4.0's auto delinquency codes, such as 73 for a delinquent auto account. So it can appear on a file with no 30-day late at all. Paying short is a sign of strain that can come before a missed payment, and 4.0 reads it that way.

What to check on your credit report

• The scheduled payment and the amount paid on each auto loan, month by month, if your report shows them
• Whether a deferral, extension or payment arrangement your lender approved is reported as short payments
• Whether a payment made in two parts in one month shows up as one full payment

What you can do about it

• Pay the full scheduled amount each month. Paying in pieces is fine as long as the whole amount lands by the due date.
• If an approved arrangement shows as short payments, ask the lender how it reports the plan and dispute any month reported wrong.
• If you can't make the full payment, call the lender before the due date and ask how each option it offers will be reported.

How soon a change can show

Each month the lender reports a full payment adds a clean month. The short months stay in the history, so the code fades over several reporting cycles rather than at once.

If you are applying for a mortgage

The car payment counts in your mortgage debt-to-income ratio, and short payments invite questions about it. Paying it in full for the months before an application helps the VantageScore 4.0 a lender may pull and the file behind it.

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