Credit Utilization Calculator
Quick answer: Credit utilization is total balances ÷ total credit limits × 100. With Card A at $2,000/$10,000 (20%) and Card B at $500/$2,000 (25%), overall utilization is $2,500 ÷ $12,000 = 20.8% — in the "Good" band. The rating bands are general guidance, not a FICO rule. Enter your cards above to see your per-card and overall ratios instantly.
Your credit utilization ratio — balances divided by limits — is one of the fastest-moving parts of a credit score. This credit utilization calculator shows the ratio per card and overall, plus a plain-English rating band for your result.
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Your results
Cards with a $0 limit are skipped. Rating bands are general guidance, not a FICO rule.
How to use this calculator
Enter each card's current balance and its credit limit. Leave unused card slots at $0 — they are skipped. The per-card ratios, the overall ratio, and your rating band update instantly.
For example, Card A at $2,000/$10,000 is 20%, Card B at $500/$2,000 is 25%, and the overall ratio is $2,500 ÷ $12,000 = 20.8% — the "Good" band.
How it works
Per-card utilization = card balance ÷ card limit × 100. Overall utilization = total balances ÷ total limits × 100. Rating bands (general guidance, not a FICO rule): Excellent under 10%, Good 10–29%, Fair 30–49%, Poor 50% or more. All figures are exact arithmetic from your inputs.
Reference data
| Category | Weight |
|---|---|
| Payment history | 35% |
| Amounts owed | 30% |
| Length of credit history | 15% |
| New credit | 10% |
| Credit mix | 10% |
Source: myFICO (FICO), 2026 — myfico.com. Utilization sits inside the "Amounts owed" category; the rating bands used above are general guidance, not official FICO thresholds.
Method & sources
Each card's ratio is balance ÷ limit × 100; the overall ratio sums all entered balances and all entered limits first, then divides. Bands: under 10% Excellent, 10–29% Good, 30–49% Fair, 50%+ Poor. These bands are general guidance — FICO publishes only the category weights shown in the reference table, not utilization cutoffs. All calculations are exact arithmetic on your inputs; nothing is estimated.
- FICO score category weights: myFICO (FICO), 2026 — the five published weights total 100%.
- Utilization rating bands: general guidance widely cited in credit education; not an official FICO rule.
Worked example
Card A: $2,000 ÷ $10,000 = 20%. Card B: $500 ÷ $2,000 = 25%. Overall: ($2,000 + $500) ÷ ($10,000 + $2,000) = $2,500 ÷ $12,000 = 20.8% → the Good band (10–29%, general guidance).
Frequently asked questions
What is a good credit utilization ratio?
As general guidance (not a FICO rule): under 10% is considered excellent, 10–29% good, 30–49% fair, and 50% or more poor. Lower is better — paying balances down before the statement closing date can lower the reported ratio.
Does closing a card hurt my utilization?
It can — closing a card removes its limit from the denominator while its balance (if any) stays in the numerator. Closing a card with a $5,000 limit while carrying balances elsewhere raises your overall ratio.
Is the overall ratio or the per-card ratio more important?
Both count: scoring models look at overall utilization and per-card utilization. A maxed-out card can hurt even when your overall ratio looks fine, so watch both columns above.
Why do the bands say 'general guidance, not a FICO rule'?
FICO and VantageScore publish only that amounts owed matter — they do not publish hard cutoff scores for utilization bands. The bands here reflect widely cited guidance, not an official FICO threshold.
Do the FICO percentages mean utilization is 30% of my score?
Not exactly. Amounts owed is 30% of a FICO score, but utilization is only one factor inside that category, alongside how much you owe across accounts and loan balances. The table below shows the official published weights.