Length of time accounts have been established

FICO code numbers

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

This code shows up on high scores too, because the comparison is against files with decades of history. FICO says length of history considers the age of your oldest account, the age of your newest account and an average age of all your accounts.

New accounts move the average fastest. Say you have three accounts averaging six years, which is 18 account-years in total. Open two new cards and the average becomes 18 divided by 5, or 3.6 years, the day they report.

What to check on your credit report

• Find the oldest open date on each report.
• Work out your average age: add the ages of all accounts and divide by how many there are.
• Check that old accounts, including closed ones in good standing, still show.

What you can do about it

• Leave old accounts open.
• Space out new accounts, especially in the year before a big application.
• Skip paid services that sell spots on strangers' old cards to age your file.

How soon a change can show

Time is the only fix. Each month adds to every account's age, and the average keeps rising as long as you don't add new accounts.

If you are applying for a mortgage

This is the code to leave alone before a mortgage. It can't change in time, and chasing it with new accounts makes the score worse.

Guides that go deeper

• How long it takes to get a credit score after your first accountFICO needs an account 6 months old that reported in the last 6 months. VantageScore can score sooner. The month-by-month calendar, and what speeds it up.
• The risks of buying tradelinesPaying to be an authorized user on a stranger's card can move some scores briefly. How FICO, mortgage underwriters and regulators treat it.
• What it takes to reach 850, and why you don't need itAbout 1.7% of people have an 850 FICO Score. What their files look like, how long it takes, and where a higher score stops saving money.
• What your credit score reason codes are telling youReason codes list what held your score back the most, in order. What the common ones mean, which you can act on, and which to leave alone.