Average Age of Accounts Calculator: See What a New Card Does
Enter when each account was opened to get your oldest, newest and average account age, then see how far one new account would pull the average down and how long it takes to recover.
Length of credit history is 15% of a FICO Score. FICO says it considers the age of your oldest account, the age of your newest account and the average age of all your accounts. You can’t speed up time, but you can see the trade-off before you apply for something new. Copy the “date opened” for each account from your credit report — cards, loans, and any card where you are an authorized user — and mark the ones that are closed but still listed.
Your accounts
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Add the month and year each account was opened.
Why a new account costs more on a thin file
The average is a simple mean, so one new account at age zero pulls it down by the current average divided by the new account count. Someone with two cards averaging four years who opens a third drops to about 2 years 8 months. Someone with ten accounts averaging four years who opens an eleventh drops only to about 3 years 8 months. The fewer accounts you have, the more each new one moves the number — which is why people building credit from scratch are better off adding accounts slowly, one every six months or so, rather than several at once. New accounts also bring a hard inquiry and count toward “new credit,” a separate 10% of the FICO Score.
The good news: the average recovers on its own. Every account ages one month every month, so the average rises by one month a month as long as you open nothing new. The calculator’s “back to today’s average” figure is how long that takes after one more account.
Closed accounts and authorized-user cards
- Closed accounts stay on your credit report after closing — negative ones for up to seven years, and ones closed in good standing often much longer — and while they are listed, their age is part of your history. Closing an old card does not erase its age right away, but it does remove its limit from your utilization. See closing a credit card.
- Authorized-user accounts usually show on your report with the card’s original open date, so being added to a parent’s or partner’s long-standing card can raise your average immediately. Scoring models and lenders can treat them differently; the authorized-user guide covers what to check first.
- Different models count differently. The calculator shows the average two ways — all listed accounts, and open accounts only — because you can’t see exactly which version a lender’s score uses. If the two are far apart, your closed accounts are doing a lot of work, and it is worth keeping your oldest open cards active.
How to keep your credit age growing
- Keep your oldest no-fee card open and use it for one small recurring charge on autopay, so the issuer doesn’t close it for inactivity.
- Graduate rather than replace a secured card. If your issuer converts the secured card to an unsecured one, the account keeps its open date. Opening a new card and closing the secured one starts over. See secured card graduation by issuer.
- Ask for a product change instead of closing a card with an annual fee you no longer want. A downgrade to the issuer’s no-fee card usually keeps the same account history.
- Space out applications. Use the calculator’s preview before each one, and skip store cards and offers you don’t need.
Credit age is one of the slower parts of a score, and it is worth less than paying on time (35%) and keeping balances low (30%). Don’t pass up a card that fills a real need just to protect the average — the drop fades a month at a time.
FAQ
What is a good average age of accounts?
There is no published cut-off. Longer is better, and the length of credit history category is 15 percent of a FICO Score. For someone building credit, the useful goal is simply not opening new accounts faster than the average can recover, and keeping the oldest accounts open.
Do closed accounts count toward average age?
Closed accounts remain on your credit report for years after closing, and while they are listed their history is part of your file. Because you cannot see which score version a lender uses, this calculator shows the average with and without closed accounts.
How much does one new card lower my average?
The new average equals the total of all account ages divided by the new number of accounts. With N accounts averaging A months, one new account brings it to N times A divided by N plus 1. It recovers by one month for every month you open nothing else.
Do loans count, or only credit cards?
Length of credit history considers all your accounts, including installment loans such as auto, student and credit-builder loans. A paid-off loan keeps appearing on the report as closed for years after the final payment.
Does an authorized-user card add to my credit age?
An authorized-user account usually appears on your report with the primary card's open date, so an old card can raise your average age. Some lenders discount authorized-user accounts when they review an application by hand.
Sources
Primary sources, checked October 22, 2026.
- myFICO, “What’s in my FICO Scores?” (length of credit history 15%; new credit 10%; payment history 35%; amounts owed 30%) — myfico.com/credit-education/whats-in-your-credit-score.
- myFICO, “How Length of Credit History Impacts Your Credit Score” (oldest, newest and average age) — myfico.com/credit-education/credit-scores/length-of-credit-history.
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681c, reporting periods for adverse information — law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681c.
Educational estimate, not financial advice. Scoring models differ and change; no calculator can predict an exact score. · Advertiser disclosure