Credit Utilisation Calculator

How much of your available credit you use drives a big slice of your score. Check every card, your overall ratio, and exactly what to pay down before your next application.

Overall Utilisation
0%
Enter your cards to calculate
Total Balances
£0
Total Limits
£0
Rating
·
Pay Down to Hit Target
£0
Cards Over 75%
0
Limit Increase to Hit Target
£0
Enter your cards to get started.
Per-Card Utilisation
Utilisation Bands
BandEffect on Score
Under 25%Best scoring band · shows headroom
25% · 50%Acceptable · minor impact
50% · 75%Costing points · lenders notice
Over 75% / maxedActive damage · red flag before applications

Explore More Tools

💳 Credit Card Payoff 📊 Debt-to-Income 🔄 Balance Transfer ❄️ Debt Snowball 🏔️ Debt Avalanche ⏩ Loan Overpayment 🧮 APR Converter 🔑 Salary for Mortgage 📊 Budget Planner 🛡️ Emergency Fund

Credit Utilisation FAQs

What is credit utilisation?
The percentage of your available credit you are using: total balances divided by total limits. £1,500 on a £5,000 limit is 30%. Credit reference agencies treat low utilisation as evidence you are not credit-hungry · Experian suggests staying below 25% for the best scoring band.
What should I aim for?
Under 25% overall for the best band; 25-50% is acceptable; 50-75% costs points; over 75% or maxed cards actively hurt. Watch single cards too: one card over 90% is a negative marker even when your overall figure is healthy · agencies score both views.
Is 0% utilisation best?
Slightly counter-intuitively, no. Light usage repaid in full · a few percent · scores better than dormant plastic, because it demonstrates active well-managed credit. The classic pattern: groceries on the card, cleared by direct debit every month.
Should I close old cards?
Not for scoring reasons: closing removes that card's limit from your denominator, instantly raising utilisation on unchanged balances, and shortens your average account age. Close cards because of fees or temptation, never to "tidy up" your file before a mortgage.
When do balances get reported?
Once a month, typically the statement balance · so you can look heavily utilised even if you repay in full. Before a mortgage application, pay the balance down before the statement date (not the due date) so the low figure is what reports.

For informational purposes only · Not credit advice · Utilisation bands are guideline figures from UK credit reference agency guidance; exact scoring models are proprietary · Check your reports free: Experian, Equifax (via ClearScore), TransUnion (via Credit Karma)