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Sinking funds are tools that people or businesses can use to set aside money for a planned expense. For instance, you may know that you want to take a vacation next year, so you may start putting cash in an envelope in order to save up for that vacation. That, in effect, is a sinking fund.

Sinking fund categories, as such, depend on the expenses relevant to each individual. They can include auto repairs, health care costs, gifts, insurance payments, vacation funds, and more.

You can think of sinking funds as a way of “sinking” your money into an account for later use. It’s basically a savings strategy. We’ll get into it more below.

General Definition of Sinking Funds

The term “sinking fund” has its roots in the world of corporate finance, but mostly refers to the way that an individual would utilize them: for setting aside money or various types of income for a future expense.

Sinking funds are smaller offshoots of an overall budget. Putting together a sinking fund entails stashing money in reserve for the future, knowing what that money will eventually be spent on.

For instance, some people like to pay their car insurance in six-month installments. They may sock money away each month in anticipation of the next six-month installment payment, so that they’re not hit with a big expense all at once.

Their car insurance sinking fund contains the money they need, so they don’t have to scramble to cover the cost every six months.

Examples of Sinking Funds Categories

When it comes to sinking funds categories, there are no hard and fast rules. Different individuals have different financial needs and planned expenditures. As such, their sinking funds categories are going to vary. That said, some common sinking fund categories are applicable to most individuals. Here are some examples:

•   Vacations

•   Gifts and holiday-related expenses

•   A new vehicle or regular maintenance and insurance costs

•   A home purchase or home maintenance expense

•   Medical and dental costs

•   Childcare costs

•   Tuition expenses

•   Pet expenses, such as veterinarian visits

A sinking fund can be helpful in saving for just about anything.

Recommended: How to Set Your Financial Goals

Sinking Fund Category Calculations

Setting up a sinking fund is easy enough: You can stuff cash under your mattress or use a savings vehicle like a savings account. The difficulty for most of us comes in regularly contributing to it. But the trickiest part may be figuring out how much you should be contributing.

A budget planner app can come in handy, as you’ll be able to see how much money you have to dole out to your sinking fund categories after your monthly expenses have been taken care of.

Similarly, if you stick to a certain budget type — such as the 50/30/20 rule — that may help determine what you can contribute.

To calculate how much you can contribute to a sinking fund, first you’ll need to decide which sinking funds are the most important. Another consideration is which fund will need to be utilized first — perhaps you have an auto insurance payment coming up before a vacation. Priorities and timing both affect your sinking fund calculations.

In corporate finance, there is an actual sinking fund formula that helps a company figure out how much it needs to put away to pay off a long-term debt in a lump sum, while paying minimum amounts in the meantime. This can apply to individuals, too.

The formula looks at the amount of money already accumulated, multiplies it by any applicable interest, then divides it by the time period remaining on the loan. Using this calculation can tell you the monthly amount needed to be contributed to a sinking fund to reach a debt-payoff goal.

For individuals, however, it can be as simple as looking at your monthly income and dividing extra cash accordingly into your sinking fund categories.

Types of Sinking Funds

How do you save up a sinking fund? There are a few savings vehicles you can utilize.

The most obvious, and probably the simplest, is to keep the sinking fund in cash, and store it somewhere safe. Of course, that money won’t be earning any interest, and will likely lose value on an annual basis due to inflation, but it’s one way to do it.

Perhaps the best and safest option is to open up individual savings accounts at your financial institution for each of your sinking fund categories. This beats cash because your sinking fund is protected (and insured up to $250,000 by the FDIC), and you will earn a little interest on it, too.

Recommended: Money Market Account vs Savings Account

Best Time to Take Advantage of Sinking Funds Categories

Sinking funds are all about using time to your advantage, by saving up for a planned or known expense well ahead of time. As such, the best time to take advantage of them is when that expense finally does arrive, be it a pricey vacation, a new car, or sending a child to college.

There may be times or periods during the year when it’s more advantageous to save than others. For instance, most people experience a financial crunch during the holiday season — there are gifts to buy, parties to attend, and other demands on your income. So that may not be the best time to “sink” money into a fund.

Instead, think about when you may have some extra money, such as when you get a tax refund or receive a cash gift for your birthday. Those are the times when you may want to add something to your sinking funds.

The Takeaway

Sinking funds are designated cash reserves for future expenses. Using a sinking fund means that you’re stashing money away for an upcoming, known expense, and relieving some of the financial pressure of that expense ahead of time.
Sinking fund categories can vary, depending on your individual situation. Corporations and businesses also use sinking funds.

Sinking funds are a way to get ahead of your planned expenses, and give yourself some financial wiggle room. A money tracker app can help you do the same.

Take control of your finances with SoFi. With our financial insights and credit score monitoring tools, you can view all of your accounts in one convenient dashboard. From there, you can see your various balances, spending breakdowns, and credit score. Plus you can easily set up budgets and discover valuable financial insights — all at no cost.

FAQ

What to put in sinking funds?

You’ll put cash in a sinking fund — cash to use on an upcoming expense at a later time. What that expense is (i.e., a sinking fund’s category) will vary depending on your specific financial needs.

What is a sinking fund leasehold?

A sinking fund leasehold contains funds for repairs or renovations to a rental property. The leaseholder or landlord sets aside a small percentage of the rental money collected every month to build up the fund.

What is the difference between a reserve fund and a sinking fund?

The two are more or less the same. The big difference is that a sinking fund’s contents are designated for a specific purpose or expense, whereas a reserve fund contains funds used for general future expenses.

Photo credit: iStock/Delmaine Donson

SoFi Relay offers users the ability to connect both SoFi accounts and external accounts using Plaid, Inc.’s service. When you use the service to connect an account, you authorize SoFi to obtain account information from any external accounts as set forth in SoFi’s Terms of Use. Based on your consent SoFi will also automatically provide some financial data received from the credit bureau for your visibility, without the need of you connecting additional accounts. SoFi assumes no responsibility for the timeliness, accuracy, deletion, non-delivery or failure to store any user data, loss of user data, communications, or personalization settings. You shall confirm the accuracy of Plaid data through sources independent of SoFi. The credit score is a VantageScore® based on TransUnion® (the “Processing Agent”) data.

*Terms and conditions apply. This offer is only available to new SoFi users without existing SoFi accounts. It is non-transferable. One offer per person. To receive the rewards points offer, you must successfully complete setting up Credit Score Monitoring. Rewards points may only be redeemed towards active SoFi accounts, such as your SoFi Checking or Savings account, subject to program terms that may be found here: SoFi Member Rewards Terms and Conditions. SoFi reserves the right to modify or discontinue this offer at any time without notice.

Non affiliation: SoFi isn’t affiliated with any of the companies highlighted in this article.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

SORL-Q224-1921224-V1

A common rule of thumb for renters states that no more than 30% of your income should go to rent and utility payments each month. This guideline dates back to housing initiatives introduced by the federal government in the 1960s.

Deciding what percentage of income should go to rent and utilities is central to making a realistic budget as a renter. The less you can spend on these items each month, the more money you’ll have to fund your financial goals. Read on for more about calculating a housing budget that’s right for you, as well as creative ways to cut your housing costs.

What Is the 30% Rule?

The 30% rule says that households should spend no more than 30% of their income on housing costs, including rent and utilities. This housing affordability advice dates back to the 1969 Brooke Amendment, which was passed in response to rental price increases and complaints about public housing services.

The Brooke Amendment capped rent for public housing at 25% of residents’ income. This measure was designed to offer financial relief to low-income households participating in public housing programs. In 1981, Congress increased the 25% threshold to 30%, where it has remained to the present day.

Recommended: Should I Sell My House Now or Wait

What Is 30% Based on?

The 30% rule for housing affordability considers two distinct categories of costs: housing and utilities. For renters, this generally means rental payments and basic utilities such as electric, water, and heating. Collectively, these expenses should total no more than 30% of a renter’s gross monthly income.

Gross income is what someone earns before taxes and other deductions are taken out. Net income, on the other hand, is what they actually take home in their paychecks. Basing the 30% rule on someone’s gross income versus their net income will result in a higher dollar amount that should be allocated to rent and utilities.

It’s also important to remember that the 30% rule isn’t set in stone. The average monthly expenses for one person will vary depending on your location’s cost of living, optional costs like renter’s insurance, and whether you have a very low or high income.

If you need help managing your finances, online tools like a money tracker can help you monitor spending, set budgets, and keep tabs on your credit score.

Calculating the Percentage to Go to Rent and Utilities

Figuring out what percentage of income should go to rent and utilities using the 30% rule is a fairly simple calculation. You’d multiply your gross monthly income by 0.30 to figure out the maximum amount you should be budgeting for rent and utility costs. How complicated this calculation is can depend on how often you’re paid and whether your paychecks are always the same amount.

If You Are Paid the Same Amount Every Two Weeks

If you’re paid biweekly and your paychecks are the same, you can calculate your target rent and utilities in one of two ways. First, you take the gross amount reported on one of your paychecks and multiply it by 0.30. You then double that result to find the monthly amount.

So, say your biweekly gross income is $2,500. Thirty percent of that number is $750 ($2,500 x 0.30). If you double it, then your rent and utilities budget should be no more than $1,500 per month.

This strategy doesn’t take into account the two months in a year that there are three biweekly paychecks, however. If you want to find the average amount to spend on rent and utilities each month, you can multiply your biweekly gross paycheck amount by 26 (for 26 paychecks in one year), divide by 12 (for 12 months), then find 30% of that amount.

So using the $2,500 figure once again, if you multiply that by 26, you’d get $65,000. Divide that by 12 to get $5,417 (rounded up), your monthly pay. Thirty percent of that is $1,625, the amount you’d allocate to rent and utilities per month.

If You Are Paid Varying Amounts Every Paycheck

Pinpointing what percentage of income should go to rent and utilities can be a little more challenging if your paychecks aren’t the same from one pay period to the next. That might happen if you’re paid hourly and work different hours each week, receive vacation or sick pay, or part of your income is based on commissions.

In that scenario, you’d want to look at your annual income in its entirety. You can do that by looking at all of your pay stubs for the previous 12 months or checking your most recent W-2 form. Again, you’re looking at gross income, not net pay.

You’d take the gross income for the year, then multiply it by 0.30 to figure out how much of your pay should go to rent and utilities overall. If your gross annual income was $70,000, then your target number would be $21,000 for the year. Divide that by 12 and you’ll find that you should be spending no more than $1,750 per month on rent and utilities using the 30% rule.

How to Reduce Your Rent to 30% or Less of Your Income

If you’ve done the calculations and you’re spending more than 30% of your income on rent and utilities, there are some things you may be able to do to reduce those costs.

Split the Rent With Roommates

Taking on one or more roommates could ease some of the financial load. Remember, it’s important to have a written agreement in place specifying what percentage of rent and utilities each roommate is responsible for.

Also, determine who will pay the rent and utility bills when everyone is chipping in. For example, one person may volunteer to collect payments from everyone else and then cut a check to the landlord or utility company. Consider using a budget planner app to keep track of household bills and payments.

Recommended: 25 Tips for Sharing Expenses With Roommates

Consider a New Location

Moving is another possibility for lowering rent and utility costs if you’re relocating to an area with a lower cost of living. Rent in rural areas may be cheaper than in a trendy urban center, for example. There can even be significant variation in rents in different neighborhoods within the same city.

Keep in mind that relocating can have its trade-offs. For instance, living in a less expensive area may mean giving up certain amenities you enjoyed in your old neighborhood, like walkability or convenient access to stores and restaurants. And of course, you’ll also have to budget for the costs of moving, which can average $1,250 for a local move or $4,890 for a long-distance move.

Work Remotely

Working remotely can have its advantages, including saving money on certain expenses. For example, you may spend less on gas, meals out with coworkers, or office attire.

That said, if you are on a computer all day, you’ll want to take steps to lower your energy bill, such as unplugging at the end of the day and buying energy-efficient lights.

Opting for remote work could also save you money on rent if you’re able to become location-independent. When you’re not tied to a particular city, that frees you up to seek out cheaper areas to live. You could even forgo renting altogether and become a digital nomad. That has its own costs, but you’re not locked in to paying rent to a landlord or utility payments long-term.

Negotiate With Your Landlord

The most effective way to reduce your rent may be to go straight to the landlord and negotiate your rent. Your landlord may be willing to offer a discount or reduced rental rate under certain conditions.

For example, your landlord might agree to reduce your rent by 10% or 15% if you pay six months in advance or agree to a longer lease term. The prospect of guaranteed rental income might be attractive enough for them to offer you a better deal.

You may also be able to get a rate discount by offering to take care of certain maintenance and upkeep tasks yourself. If your landlord normally pays for lawn care, for example, they may be willing to let you pay less in rent if you’re working off the difference by cutting the grass and maintaining the property’s landscaping.

Ask for a Promotion or Find a New Job

Instead of attempting to reduce your costs, you could try a different tactic: Making more money means you can budget more for rent and utility costs.

Asking your boss for a raise or promotion might boost your paycheck. If you hit a dead end, you may consider a more drastic move and look for a higher-paying job. Taking on a part-time job or starting a side hustle can also help you bring in more money to cover rent and utility payments.

What to Consider if 30% Doesn’t Work for You

As noted above, the 30% rule for housing is a somewhat arbitrary number and may not work for everyone. Spending more than 30% of your income on rent and utilities doesn’t automatically mean that you’re living beyond your means, for a variety of reasons.

There are, however, a few actions you can take to streamline your finances and determine what percentage of income should go to rent and utilities.

Try the 50/30/20 Rule

The 50/30/20 budget rule recommends spending 50% of your income on needs, 30% on wants, and the remaining 20% on savings and debt repayment. This budgeting method doesn’t specify an exact percentage or dollar amount to spend on rent and utilities. Instead, those expenses get grouped into the 50% of income allocated to “needs”.

You still need to keep track of your spending to make sure you’re staying within the 50% limit. Using an online budget planner can help you figure out if the 50/30/20 rule is realistic based on your income and expenses.

Pay Down Loans and Debt

Total U.S. household debt reached $17.69 trillion in the first quarter of 2024, according to Federal Reserve data. While a big chunk of that is mortgage debt, Americans also pay a sizable amount of money to credit cards, student loans, personal loans, auto loans, and other debts.

Working to pay off debts can free up more money to allocate to rent and utilities. There are different methods you can use, including the debt snowball method and the debt avalanche.

Look for Cost Savings in Recurring Expenses

One more way to make shouldering higher rent costs easier is to lower your other expenses. Making small changes at home can lead to lower electricity and water bills. Cutting out subscriptions you don’t use, looking for a better deal on car insurance, and eating more meals at home instead of dining out are all simple ways to lower your expenses.

The Takeaway

If you’re spending 30% of your gross (before tax) income or less on rent and utilities, pat yourself on the back. You may spend up to 50% on housing if you have no debt and a healthy savings balance. The important thing is to look at your entire financial picture, including your income, debts, and goals, to decide the figure that’s right for you.

Take control of your finances with SoFi. With our financial insights and credit score monitoring tools, you can view all of your accounts in one convenient dashboard. From there, you can see your various balances, spending breakdowns, and credit score. Plus you can easily set up budgets and discover valuable financial insights — all at no cost.

FAQ

What is a good percentage of income to spend on rent?

The 30% rule says that renters should spend no more than a third of their gross income on rent and utility payments. The less you can spend on rent and utilities, the more money you’ll have to fund other financial goals, like saving for emergencies, paying off debt, and planning for retirement.

Is 30% of income on rent too much?

Spending 30% of income on rent may be too much if a significant part of your income is also going toward debt repayment. That may leave you with little money to cover other necessary expenses or discretionary spending.

How much of your monthly income should go to rent?

A common rule of thumb says that roughly one-third of your monthly gross income can go to rent. But if you have substantial savings and no debt, you may be OK with spending a larger percentage of income on rent. On the other hand, if you’re trying to pay off debt or build savings, you may prefer to spend less on rent payments.

Photo credit: iStock/deliormanli

SoFi Relay offers users the ability to connect both SoFi accounts and external accounts using Plaid, Inc.’s service. When you use the service to connect an account, you authorize SoFi to obtain account information from any external accounts as set forth in SoFi’s Terms of Use. Based on your consent SoFi will also automatically provide some financial data received from the credit bureau for your visibility, without the need of you connecting additional accounts. SoFi assumes no responsibility for the timeliness, accuracy, deletion, non-delivery or failure to store any user data, loss of user data, communications, or personalization settings. You shall confirm the accuracy of Plaid data through sources independent of SoFi. The credit score is a VantageScore® based on TransUnion® (the “Processing Agent”) data.

Non affiliation: SoFi isn’t affiliated with any of the companies highlighted in this article.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

SORL-Q224-1911201-V1

Canceling a credit card might seem like a good idea if you’re trying to get debt under control or you want to consolidate your cards. But closing a credit account may do more harm than good and damage your credit standing. Before you take action, here’s what you need to know — and other strategies you may want to consider instead.

Understanding the Impact of Credit Utilization Ratio

In order to understand why canceling a credit card can hurt your credit score, you need to know about something called the credit utilization ratio. This is the ratio of your total credit to your total debt.

Another way to think of it is how much of your available credit you’re using. For instance, if you have two credit cards with a total line of credit of $20,000 and you use $5,000 of that, you have a credit card utilization ratio of 25%. In addition to credit cards, your credit utilization ratio can include things like loans, such as a mortgage, car loan, and personal loan.

Your credit utilization ratio directly affects your credit score. In fact, it accounts for 30% of your FICO score. Your credit utilization ratio is the second-most important factor in your credit score (payment history is number one). Ideally, lenders like to see a person’s credit utilization ratio below 30%.

When you cancel a credit card, you reduce your available credit. This can cause your credit utilization ratio to jump up — especially if you owe money on other credit cards — and can negatively impact your credit score.

Reasons to Cancel a Credit Card

There are several factors that may be motivating you to want to cancel a credit card, including:

•   Too much debt. Perhaps having the card on hand is causing you to overspend and take on even more debt. If canceling the card will help you manage your finances better and get your debt under control, it can be a good option.

•   A high annual fee. If the card’s fee is high and you aren’t taking advantage of any of the perks like travel rewards to offset it, you may want to find a card that’s a better fit.

•   Too many cards. If multiple credit cards are causing you to stress out and miss payments, fewer cards might help lighten the load. (A budget planner app can help you spot upcoming bills and manage bill paying.)

How to Cancel a Credit Card

If, after considering the pros and cons, you’ve decided to go ahead and cancel the credit card, here’s how to do it:

1.    Pay off the remaining balance on the card, or transfer the balance to another credit card.

2.    Contact the credit card company, preferably by phone. Some credit card companies allow customers to cancel online, but most will require a call. Keep in mind the company wants to hold onto customers, which could mean that they will try to entice you with offers or deals. You have the right to cancel at any time.

3.    Consider sending written confirmation to make things official. Send a letter to the credit card company informing them that you have canceled the same credit card account. Post it via certified mail to ensure the company receives the letter with confirmed receipt.

4.    Cut up the card. Shredding or destroying the card helps prevent fraud.

5.    Look at credit reports for changes to your credit score. The canceled account should be reflected in your credit score within several weeks. AnnualCreditReport.com offers a free copy of your credit report once a year.

Keep in mind that you can also track your credit score with a money tracker app. It helps you stay up to date with any changes that affect your score, allows you to connect all your bank accounts, and lets you monitor your spending habits and savings all in one place.

Can Closing a Credit Card Impact Your Credit History?

Closing a credit card can affect the length of your credit history. That’s important because credit history is one of the factors used to help determine your credit score. In general, creditors want to know that you’ve had credit accounts over a period of time, so the longer the relationship, the better.

Recommended: 10 Credit Card Rules You Should Know

How to Downgrade Your Credit Card

If you’re considering canceling your credit card because of high fees or a high interest rate, you might want to downgrade the card instead. By downgrading, you can swap your current credit card for one with a lower fee or lower interest rate.

Downgrading can provide some of the benefits of canceling the card without the negative impact of closing the account.

If downgrading sounds like a good option for you, these strategies can help:

•   Research the credit card issuer. Do they have cards with a low or no annual fee? It may be worth switching to credit card issuers with one of those.

•   Call the credit card company and ask for a downgrade. They may offer to waive the annual fees on your existing card. Or they may downgrade you to a low-interest card with no annual fee.

•   Ask about a partial refund. Some credit card companies will provide a partial refund on the annual fee, depending on when you downgrade. Ask the customer service representative if they can prorate the annual fee or provide any refund.

How to Keep Your Credit Utilization Rate Low

Whether you downgrade a credit card or not, it’s important to improve your credit utilization rate since it counts for 30% of your FICO score. Here’s how to keep yours low.

•   Make more than one credit card payment a month. Making more than two automatic bill payments or one payment per billing cycle can benefit your credit score. That’s because credit card companies report balances towards the end of the billing cycle. Making several payments can reduce your credit utilization ratio when your balance is reported.

•   Keep credit accounts open, if possible. Keeping a card open, even if you rarely use it, increases your credit limit and helps lower your credit utilization rate.

•   Ask for an increase in credit limit. If you have a record of on-time payments, your credit card company may be willing to increase the credit limit for your account. And the more available credit you have, the better your ratio. Call customer service to make the request.

The Takeaway

Canceling a credit card can negatively impact your credit score, so make sure to consider all your options carefully. You can keep the credit account open, which can help with your credit history, and rarely use the card. Or you can downgrade to a card with a lower interest rate and no annual fee. In the end, the decision is yours, but it’s good to know you have choices.

Take control of your finances with SoFi. With our financial insights and credit score monitoring tools, you can view all of your accounts in one convenient dashboard. From there, you can see your various balances, spending breakdowns, and credit score. Plus you can easily set up budgets and discover valuable financial insights — all at no cost.

FAQ

How do I close a credit card without affecting my credit score?

Closing a credit card is likely to have a negative impact on your credit score. Downgrading to a card with a lower interest rate and no annual fee may be a better option.

Is it better to cancel unused credit cards or keep them?

If the credit card has a low interest rate and no annual fee, it can be better for your credit score and your credit history to keep the card.

Does canceling a credit card hurt your credit?

Canceling a credit card can hurt your credit score. However, practicing other good credit habits, like paying your bills on time, can help you gradually get back in good standing.

Photo credit: iStock/Doucefleur

SoFi Relay offers users the ability to connect both SoFi accounts and external accounts using Plaid, Inc.’s service. When you use the service to connect an account, you authorize SoFi to obtain account information from any external accounts as set forth in SoFi’s Terms of Use. Based on your consent SoFi will also automatically provide some financial data received from the credit bureau for your visibility, without the need of you connecting additional accounts. SoFi assumes no responsibility for the timeliness, accuracy, deletion, non-delivery or failure to store any user data, loss of user data, communications, or personalization settings. You shall confirm the accuracy of Plaid data through sources independent of SoFi. The credit score is a VantageScore® based on TransUnion® (the “Processing Agent”) data.

*Terms and conditions apply. This offer is only available to new SoFi users without existing SoFi accounts. It is non-transferable. One offer per person. To receive the rewards points offer, you must successfully complete setting up Credit Score Monitoring. Rewards points may only be redeemed towards active SoFi accounts, such as your SoFi Checking or Savings account, subject to program terms that may be found here: SoFi Member Rewards Terms and Conditions. SoFi reserves the right to modify or discontinue this offer at any time without notice.

Checking Your Rates: To check the rates and terms you may qualify for, SoFi conducts a soft credit pull that will not affect your credit score. However, if you choose a product and continue your application, we will request your full credit report from one or more consumer reporting agencies, which is considered a hard credit pull and may affect your credit.

Non affiliation: SoFi isn’t affiliated with any of the companies highlighted in this article.

Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

Disclaimer: Many factors affect your credit scores and the interest rates you may receive. SoFi is not a Credit Repair Organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. SoFi does not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history, or credit rating. For details, see the FTC’s website .

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

SORL-Q224-1921170-V1

Contrary to logic, a person’s starting credit score doesn’t begin at zero. In fact, no one’s credit score is zero. The lowest credit score is 300, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s a person’s starting score. If a person is just starting and has no credit history, they’re more likely to have no score.

So, for a person just beginning their credit journey, what is the starting credit score? Read on to learn the factors that impact this score from the beginning, and the habits to establish to ensure a better credit score.

How Your Credit Score Is Calculated

There’s no standardized starting credit score. That may be partly due to the factors that influence how a score is calculated. What a person’s done in their young credit history will impact their starting score.

The FICO® Score is widely used in the U.S. to help determine a person’s credit score. This FICO company uses the following to calculate its score:

Payment History

Payment history is the most important factor for any credit score, including a starting credit score. Paying on time and avoiding missed payments account for 35% of a person’s credit score. That’s why it’s important to pay everything from credit card bills to rent on time — even a single late payment can harm a starting credit score.

Credit Utilization

The second most important factor in a credit score is credit utilization, which makes up 30% of a person’s score. Credit utilization is the percentage of their available credit a person actually uses. The ideal credit utilization ratio is 30% or under.

Length of Credit History

How long someone’s accounts have been open makes up 15% of their credit score. The longer an account has been open, the higher the credit score.

While it’s out of their hands, consumers who are just beginning to establish credit will likely be negatively impacted by this factor, lowering their starting credit score.

Recommended: How to Get a Personal Loan With No Credit History

Credit Mix

Making up 10% of a person’s credit score, credit mix refers to the different types of credit a person has. Generally, the two types of credit are:

•   Installment loans: Think car loans, student loans, and mortgages.

•   Revolving credit: Includes credit cards and home equity lines of credit (HELOCS).

If an individual can manage different types of credit without late or missed payments, it reflects well on their score.

Recommended: Does Net Worth Include Home Equity

New Credit

Opening multiple new accounts at a time? This factor accounts for 10% of a credit score. New credit includes “hard inquiries” as well as opening new accounts.

For a person with a starting credit score, they may have all, none, or some of these factors on their credit history. The mix varies from person to person, making it hard to predict one starting credit score for everyone.

Recommended: Should I Sell My House Now or Wait?

What Is a Good First Credit Score?

Unfortunately, a starting credit score won’t be the perfect 850. More likely it’s in the good (670-739) or fair credit score (580-669) range.

That’s mostly because of their limited payment history. If a person just opened a credit card or started paying back student loans, the credit bureaus don’t see an established history of timely repayment. Even if the consumer has never missed a payment, payment history is limited.

Similarly, the length of credit history is short, perhaps only a few months, which doesn’t give lenders enough data to judge a consumer as low- or high-risk.

Recommended: What Credit Score is Needed to Buy a Car

Ways to Establish Good Credit

While it can be discouraging that a starting credit score is penalized just for being new, it doesn’t take long to build credit with a few simple habits:

•   Paying bills on time will continue to be important, as payment history is a major factor in a credit score.

•   Keeping accounts open and in good standing, even if they’re no longer used, can help lengthen a person’s history.

•   Adding to the credit mix with a personal loan, credit-builder loan, or other types of credit can boost the credit mix.

•   Paying bills in full can help keep the credit utilization ratio balanced at 30% or below.

•   Not applying for too much at once will avoid the pitfall of too many hard inquiries and new accounts, which can have a negative impact.

While an individual can proactively try to build their score, a good portion of a credit score comes from paying bills consistently over time.

Establishing good habits, and continuing them, will likely lead to a higher credit score.

Recommended: When Do Credit Card Companies Report to Credit Bureaus?

Why Your Credit Score Is Important

It may be just a three-digit number, but a good credit score is a gateway to better financial opportunities. With a very good (740-799) or exceptional (800-850) credit score, borrowers have better odds of being approved for loans and may even have better repayment terms or more favorable interest rates.

Businesses and lenders may pull your credit history to confirm your qualifications for any of the following:

•   Credit cards

•   Mortgages

•   Rental apartments

•   Job applications

•   Car loans

•   Personal loans

•   Student loans

With a low credit score or no credit score, getting favorable terms or qualifying for anything above could be challenging.

How to Check Your Credit Score

Checking a credit score isn’t just a good way to track progress; it can also highlight any incorrect or fraudulent activity tied to a person’s name.

Monitoring a credit score is free and easy. Anyone can get their free FICO Score annually from Experian using AnnualCreditReport.com. The site allows visitors three free reports annually, one from each credit bureau.

In addition, credit card companies and lenders often offer free credit score reporting on their portals.

Recommended: What is The Difference Between Transunion and Equifax

The Takeaway

Having a starting credit score doesn’t mean starting from zero – or with a perfect 850. Consumers may start at a fair to good level. Working to establish healthy credit habits, such as paying bills on time and in full, will build their credit score. A solid credit score is important because the higher your credit score, the more financial opportunities you will have.

Take control of your finances with SoFi. With our financial insights and credit score monitoring tools, you can view all of your accounts in one convenient dashboard. From there, you can see your various balances, spending breakdowns, and credit score. Plus you can easily set up budgets and discover valuable financial insights — all at no cost.

FAQ

What are the FICO credit score ranges?

FICO® credit scores range from 300 to 850.

Can you have a credit score without a credit card?

Yes. Credit scores aren’t based solely on credit cards. The score takes into account student loans, rent, utility payments, and more.

What are the differences between FICO, Experian, and Equifax?

Experian and Equifax are credit bureaus that create credit scores and compile credit histories. FICO® creates its own credit score. All three companies provide slightly different credit scoring models.

Photo credit: iStock/blackCAT

SoFi Relay offers users the ability to connect both SoFi accounts and external accounts using Plaid, Inc.’s service. When you use the service to connect an account, you authorize SoFi to obtain account information from any external accounts as set forth in SoFi’s Terms of Use. Based on your consent SoFi will also automatically provide some financial data received from the credit bureau for your visibility, without the need of you connecting additional accounts. SoFi assumes no responsibility for the timeliness, accuracy, deletion, non-delivery or failure to store any user data, loss of user data, communications, or personalization settings. You shall confirm the accuracy of Plaid data through sources independent of SoFi. The credit score is a VantageScore® based on TransUnion® (the “Processing Agent”) data.

*Terms and conditions apply. This offer is only available to new SoFi users without existing SoFi accounts. It is non-transferable. One offer per person. To receive the rewards points offer, you must successfully complete setting up Credit Score Monitoring. Rewards points may only be redeemed towards active SoFi accounts, such as your SoFi Checking or Savings account, subject to program terms that may be found here: SoFi Member Rewards Terms and Conditions. SoFi reserves the right to modify or discontinue this offer at any time without notice.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

Disclaimer: Many factors affect your credit scores and the interest rates you may receive. SoFi is not a Credit Repair Organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. SoFi does not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history, or credit rating. For details, see the FTC’s website .

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Technically, once a check clears it can’t be reversed, meaning the payer cannot get the funds back. The only exception to this is if the check payer can prove that identity theft or fraud has occurred, in which case they may get their money back.

When discussing the ins and outs of check clearing, it can be helpful to understand how checking accounts work, typical clearance times, and exceptions to the rule. Read on to learn more about how checks get cleared.

How Long Does It Typically Take for a Check To Go Through?

It typically takes between two and five business days for a check to clear, but some banks will process it more quickly. The first $225 is made available in one’s account the next business day after a check is deposited, and then the rest of the check will be made available in the next four days.

The time it takes for a check to clear can depend on several factors, including the relationship the account holder has with the bank, the amount of money already in their account, and the amount that the check is for. A larger check may take longer to clear than a smaller one. If it’s a government check or a check from a certified fund, the bank is required to make the funds available within one day.

Note that check clearance rules apply to paper checks only. If you pay bills electronically by ACH, a different set of guidelines will apply.

Recommended: How to Get a Checkbook

How to Know If Your Check Cleared

In order to know for certain that a check has cleared, call the bank where the check was deposited and ask them. Banks do not inform payees if a check for less than $5,000 bounces. However, if a check for more than $5,000 bounces, banks are required to inform payees.

Financial software like SoFi can help you track checks and alert you when they clear. You may also benefit from other handy tools, including a budget planner app, debt payoff planner, and credit monitoring.

Recommended: What Is the Difference Between Transunion and Equifax

How Check Clearance Works

When a check gets deposited, there are a few steps involved in processing and clearing it. First, the bank makes a request to take the funds out of the check payer’s account. Typically, the bank actually deposits funds into the payee’s account first, as long as the check is not flagged as risky or there’s another reason that it might not clear.

In the event that the funds aren’t available in the payer’s account, the check “bounces.” In that case, the funds are then withdrawn from the payee’s account.

Recommended: How to Sign Over a Check

How Long Can a Bank Hold a Check?

The length of time that a bank will hold a check depends on a few factors, including the amount of the check, the bank the check is coming from, the relationship of the payee to the bank, and more. If both the payer and the payee use the same bank, the clearing time will be shorter. Usually it takes two business days for a check to clear, but it may take up to seven days.

The time that it takes for a check to bounce varies depending on the bank’s size and technology. Larger banks with more technological capabilities will know more quickly that a check has bounced. It will take longer for a smaller bank to process bounced checks. Generally after 30 days, one can assume that a check has cleared.

Factors That Affect Hold Times

In certain cases, a “risky” check may take up to seven business days to clear. The following reasons can cause this to happen:

•   Insufficient funds in the account

•   Checks larger than $5,525

•   Accounts younger than 30 days

•   Repeated overdrafts associated with the account

•   Checks from international banks

Clearance Times for Large Checks

If a check is larger than $5,525, it may take up to nine business days for it to clear because the bank will want to ensure the check will clear before processing it. However, $225 of the funds may be made available within one day after the deposit. If a check is very large, it may be a good idea to inform the bank ahead of time that the transfer will be occurring to speed up the clearing time.

Personal Checks vs Government-Issued Checks

While it takes between two and five business days for personal checks to clear, banks are required by law to make funds available from government checks and U.S. Treasury checks within one business day.

Certified checks and cashier’s checks are both types of personal checks. A certified check is a check where the money is taken out of a checking account, ensuring that the funds are available in the payer’s account. Generally a certified check is required for making larger transfers. With a cashier’s check, the money is taken out of the bank’s account, also ensuring that the funds are available.

Cases of Fraud

If a check bounces, fraud protection does not cover it. The account holder is responsible for repaying the funds even if they have already withdrawn them from their account.

Once a check is cleared, the payer can’t reverse it and get their money back. However, if they can prove to the bank that the check was fraudulent or a case of identity theft, they can potentially get their money returned to their account.

Recommended: What Credit Score is Needed to Buy a Car

The Takeaway

Once a check has cleared, it cannot be reversed unless fraud or identity theft is suspected. However, many banks will make the first $225 of a check deposit available for immediate use.

Take control of your finances with SoFi. With our financial insights and credit score monitoring tools, you can view all of your accounts in one convenient dashboard. From there, you can see your various balances, spending breakdowns, and credit score. Plus you can easily set up budgets and discover valuable financial insights — all at no cost.

FAQ

How can a check clear and then bounce?

If a bank doesn’t see any red flags that a check might bounce, they may go ahead and transfer funds into the payee’s account. However, it may turn out during their processing that funds weren’t available from the payer, so then the check bounces.

Can a bank reverse a check deposit?

Technically, a cleared check cannot be reversed. But if a check bounces, the bank can remove funds they had deposited into the payee’s account.

Can you dispute a cleared check?

If identity theft has occurred or if a check is fraudulent, then a cleared check can be disputed. If the bank finds the evidence to be believable, the funds may be returned to the account.

Photo credit: iStock/sturti

SoFi Relay offers users the ability to connect both SoFi accounts and external accounts using Plaid, Inc.’s service. When you use the service to connect an account, you authorize SoFi to obtain account information from any external accounts as set forth in SoFi’s Terms of Use. Based on your consent SoFi will also automatically provide some financial data received from the credit bureau for your visibility, without the need of you connecting additional accounts. SoFi assumes no responsibility for the timeliness, accuracy, deletion, non-delivery or failure to store any user data, loss of user data, communications, or personalization settings. You shall confirm the accuracy of Plaid data through sources independent of SoFi. The credit score is a VantageScore® based on TransUnion® (the “Processing Agent”) data.

*Terms and conditions apply. This offer is only available to new SoFi users without existing SoFi accounts. It is non-transferable. One offer per person. To receive the rewards points offer, you must successfully complete setting up Credit Score Monitoring. Rewards points may only be redeemed towards active SoFi accounts, such as your SoFi Checking or Savings account, subject to program terms that may be found here: SoFi Member Rewards Terms and Conditions. SoFi reserves the right to modify or discontinue this offer at any time without notice.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

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