Guide · 2 min read
How to build US business credit from zero
There is no shortcut, but there is a correct order. Most of what is sold as a secret is a free process with a markup.
The short answer
US business credit is built by opening accounts that report to commercial bureaus — Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business and Equifax Business — and paying them on time or early. It typically takes six to twelve months of reported history before a company qualifies for meaningful credit without a personal guarantee.
The sequence
- Make the basics consistent. Legal name, address and phone identical across state registration, EIN letter, bank and website. Mismatches fragment your file across multiple records.
- Get a D-U-N-S number. Free from Dun & Bradstreet.
- Open a business bank account and run real revenue through it. Lenders read bank data long before they read scores.
- Open two or three vendor accounts that report. Net-30 supplier terms are the standard starting point, and often require no credit check.
- Pay early, not merely on time. D&B's PAYDEX explicitly rewards early payment — paying on the due date scores lower than paying ahead of it.
- Add a secured or guaranteed card and clear it in full monthly.
- After six to twelve months of reported history, apply for something meaningful.
If you have no US credit history
For founders outside the US this is the real constraint. Lenders assessing a young company normally fall back on the owner's personal file, and you do not have one. Revenue in a US bank account is the substitute — consistent deposits are the most persuasive evidence available to you.
For what borrowing is realistically available at each stage, see business credit and funding.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I get credit with just an EIN and no personal guarantee?
- Eventually, but not quickly. New companies generally start with vendor accounts and secured or personally guaranteed cards. Genuine no-guarantee credit usually requires six to twelve months of reported history plus revenue a lender can verify.
- Do I have to pay for a D-U-N-S number?
- No. Dun & Bradstreet issues them free. Services charging for one are charging for the application, which takes minutes to complete yourself.
- Does paying suppliers on time build credit automatically?
- Only if the supplier reports to a commercial bureau, and many do not. Ask before opening the account. Two years of flawless payments to a non-reporting vendor build nothing at all.
Sources
Last reviewed . Verify against the primary source before acting.
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