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Credit Utilization Calculator

Enter the balance and credit limit for each of your cards, up to 10, to see how much of your available credit you’re using. The calculator shows your overall utilization, each card’s own ratio and how far your balances sit from the 30% level the CFPB cites.

Your numbers

Your cards

Card 1

Card 2

Calculated in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.

Results

Overall utilization
20.0%
Highest single card
90.0%
Total balances
$1,000

What this means

Balances of $1,000 against $5,000 of credit limits put overall utilization at 20.0%.

The highest single card is at 90.0%. The combined figure can hide one heavily used card, so it helps to look at both.

The CFPB notes that experts advise using no more than 30% of your total credit limit. These balances are within that.

The balance that counts is the one the issuer reports, which can differ from the live balance in your card app.

Balances at 30% of your limits
$1,500
Paydown to reach 30% overall
$0
Utilization by card
CardBalanceLimitUtilization
Card 1$900$1,00090.0%
Card 2$100$4,0002.5%
All cards$1,000$5,00020.0%
  • Lower utilization can help a credit score, but no percentage guarantees a particular score or approval. Payment history and other factors matter too.
  • Paying interest is not required to build credit.

How this calculator works

Add one row per card with its balance and credit limit. The calculator divides each balance by that card’s limit, then adds the balances and limits of the cards that have a limit to find your overall utilization. It also picks out the highest single card, since one card near its limit can hide inside a comfortable-looking total.

Two more figures put the result in context: the total balance that would equal 30% of your combined limits, and how much you’d need to pay down to get there. Enter a limit for every card. A card with a balance but no limit can’t be measured, so the calculator leaves it out of every figure and names it in the results.

The formula

Utilization compares what you owe on your cards with how much credit they allow. For the overall figure, add the balances first and the limits second, then divide one by the other. Averaging each card’s percentage answers a different question, and the two usually differ: the three cards below average 28.3%, while overall utilization is 33.0%.

A worked example

Consider three illustrative cards: $1,800 owed on a $3,000 limit, $1,500 on a $6,000 limit and nothing on a $1,000 limit. Together that’s $3,300 of balances against $10,000 of credit, or 33.0% overall. Reaching 30% would mean total balances of $3,000 or less, a paydown of $300. Card 1, at 60.0%, stands out even though the total looks moderate.

Now suppose the unused third card were closed. The balances stay at $3,300, but the combined limit falls to $9,000, so overall utilization rises to 36.7% and the paydown needed to reach 30% grows to $600. Nothing new was charged; the credit available shrank. That’s one way closing a card can raise utilization.

A worked example
CardBalanceLimitUtilization
Card 1$1,800$3,00060.0%
Card 2$1,500$6,00025.0%
Card 3$0$1,0000.0%
All cards$3,300$10,00033.0%

What the result doesn’t tell you

The balance that counts toward a score is the one the card issuer reports, which can differ from the live balance in your app. A score can also be calculated on a day when your balance happens to be high, even if you pay it in full the next day. The calculator simply uses whatever balances you enter.

Utilization is one factor among several. Paying on time has the greatest effect on a score, and how long you’ve had accounts and how many you have matter too. Lower utilization can help, but no percentage guarantees a particular score or approval, and carrying a balance or paying interest isn’t required to build credit.

Common questions

Is 30% credit utilization good?

The CFPB notes that experts advise using no more than 30% of your total credit limit, so it’s a common reference point. It isn’t a cliff, though: 29% isn’t automatically safe and 31% isn’t failing. Lower utilization can help a score, and scoring formulas differ in how they weigh it. Think of 30% as a level to watch, not a target to hit exactly.

Is utilization calculated per card or across all cards?

It helps to look at both. The overall figure compares total balances with total limits, while a single card near its limit can stand out even when the total is low. Scoring formulas vary and don’t publish every detail, so the calculator shows the combined ratio and the highest single card side by side. Paying down the card closest to its limit lowers both numbers.

Does paying my card in full every month mean 0% utilization?

Not necessarily. A score can be calculated on a day when your card carries a balance, even if you pay it in full the next day, so some utilization can show up despite paying in full every month. Issuers report balances on their own schedules; asking yours about timing can help if it matters, for example before a loan application.

Does closing a credit card affect utilization?

It can. Closing a card removes its limit from your total, so the same balances make up a larger share of the credit you have left. In the example above, closing an unused $1,000 card moved overall utilization from 33.0% to 36.7%. The CFPB notes that moving balances onto fewer cards may hurt a score if it leaves you using a high share of your limit.

Do I need to carry a balance to build credit?

No. The CFPB notes that you don’t need to carry a balance on credit cards to get a good score. A record of on-time payments is what builds history, and paying the full statement balance by the due date avoids interest on purchases when your card has a grace period. Carrying a balance mainly adds interest costs.

Terms on this page

Sources and further reading

Examples are illustrative and focus on U.S. personal finance. This page is educational, not individual financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Read our editorial approach or report a correction.

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