Rent and Utility Reporting: What Counts for Your Credit
Rent and utility bills are some of the biggest payments you make, yet they usually do not reach your credit reports. Here is who reports them, to which bureau, and which scores use the data.
A rent payment helps your credit only if it reaches a credit file, and in the US that mostly happens only when your landlord, a rent-reporting service or you (through a feature like Experian Boost) send it there. The CFPB says Experian, Equifax and TransUnion all use rental payment and related debt-collection information in their credit reports, although the way they handle it varies. This guide uses the bureaus', FICO's and the CFPB's own pages, checked October 8, 2026.
Who reports rent, and to which bureau
| Route | Bureau | What the source says | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experian Boost | Experian only | Free. Adds on-time payments for utilities, phone, certain online rent, insurance and streaming to your Experian credit file. Only positive payment history counts; up to two years of history per bill is added. | Jul 31, 2025 |
| Experian RentBureau | Experian | Landlords, property managers and rent-reporting services send data. On-time positive rental payments are reported to Experian at the end of each month. Each data furnisher decides which tenants are reported; RentBureau does not manage resident opt-in or opt-out, and does not charge furnishers. | Current FAQ page |
| Rent app partnership (TransUnion) | TransUnion | TransUnion announced it would include tenants' rent payments in their credit files for renters who opt in through a rewards app, free for residents and landlords, and said that when rent was included, consumers saw an average increase of nearly 60 points. | Jun 14, 2022 |
| Rent-reporting partners (Equifax) | Equifax | Equifax announced opt-in partnerships with Esusu, MoCaFi and Zingo so renters can include rental payments in their Equifax report. | Jan 8, 2020 |
Sources: Experian (Boost page and RentBureau FAQ), TransUnion newsroom, Equifax investor relations (see Sources). Programs and partners change, so confirm with the service that it reports to the bureau you care about, and check the age of each announcement. The TransUnion figure is a company-reported average, not a promise.
- Ask your landlord first. The CFPB says to ask whether your landlord participates in a rental reporting program, often through a rental payment app.
- Reporting covers one bureau at a time. A service that reports to one bureau does nothing for the other two, and lenders pull different bureaus. Check which ones before paying for anything.
- It can go both ways. Experian says RentBureau accepts negative items, such as outstanding balances and write-offs, and the CFPB says late rent and rent-related collections can affect your credit. Only start if you are confident you can pay on time.
What about utilities?
- Experian Boost is the main consumer route: it adds utility and phone payments to your Experian file (above).
- NCTUE is separate. The National Consumer Telecom and Utilities Exchange, managed by Equifax, is a data exchange for telecom, pay TV, home security and utility providers. Equifax says its database does not include Equifax credit information, and only contributing members in those industries can access it. It can inform a utility's decision about a new customer, but it is not the same as your Equifax credit report.
- Unpaid bills can still reach your credit report. If a past-due bill goes to a collector, a collection account can be reported. See how to handle collections.
How scoring models count it
| Score | Counts reported rent? | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FICO Score 9, 10 and 10 T | Yes, when rent is on the credit file. FICO says reported rental data has been included in all new versions since 2014. | myFICO |
| FICO Scores 5, 4 and 2 (used for mortgages) | No. FICO says reported rent will not affect the FICO Scores currently used for mortgages. | myFICO |
| VantageScore | Experian says all versions of VantageScore can recognize reported rent and factor it into scores. | Experian, Sep 15, 2023 |
| Scores reading an Experian file with Boost data | Experian lists FICO 3, 8, 9 and 10 and VantageScore 3 and 4 as scores that can improve with Boost, but says not all lenders use Experian files or scores affected by Boost. | Experian, Jul 31, 2025 |
Which version a lender uses is the lender's choice, so a reported rent history can help one application and not another. Mortgage lenders in particular may use older FICO versions that ignore rent.
Best fit: thin or no credit file, or a file with few on-time accounts. FICO notes the effect can be larger for people with limited history. If your file is already deep, expect a smaller change. Nobody can promise a score gain from it.
Before you sign up
- Confirm which bureau(s) the service reports to, and whether it reports every month.
- Ask what it costs, who pays (you or the landlord) and how to cancel. Fees vary by service and we do not list them here.
- Check whether past rent can be added, and for how many months (Boost adds up to two years of history per bill, per Experian).
- Pull your reports at AnnualCreditReport.com after one or two cycles to see whether the account appears.
- Pair it with a card or loan in your own name: best cards to build credit, credit-builder loans.
FAQ
Does paying rent on time build credit?
Only if the payments are reported to a credit bureau. The CFPB says all three bureaus use rental payment information, and recommends asking your landlord whether they use a rental reporting program. Without reporting, on-time rent does not appear in your credit file.
Which credit bureau do rent-reporting services report to?
It depends on the service. Experian Boost and Experian RentBureau feed Experian. TransUnion and Equifax have announced their own rent-reporting partnerships. A service that reports to one bureau does not help the other two.
Which credit scores count rent?
FICO says FICO Score 9, 10 and 10 T include reported rental data, while the older FICO Scores 5, 4 and 2 used for mortgages do not. Experian says all VantageScore versions can factor in reported rent.
Does Experian Boost cover utilities?
Yes. Experian says Boost can add on-time utility, phone, online rent, insurance and streaming payments to your Experian credit file for free. It affects Experian data only, and only positive history counts.
Can reporting rent hurt my credit?
Yes, if you pay late. The CFPB says late rent and rent-related collections can affect your credit, and Experian says RentBureau accepts negative items such as outstanding balances. Experian Boost, by contrast, adds only positive payments.
Sources
Only primary sources, checked October 8, 2026.
- CFPB, “Does late rent affect my credit score?” — consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/does-late-rent-affect-my-credit-score-en-1815/.
- myFICO, “How to Add Rent Payments to Your Credit Reports” — myfico.com/credit-education/blog/add-rent-credit-reports. FICO score versions that count rent. No date shown.
- Experian, “What Is Experian Boost?”, July 31, 2025 — experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/what-is-experian-boost/.
- Experian, “Is My Rental History on My Credit Report?”, September 15, 2023 — experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/is-my-rental-history-on-my-credit-report/.
- Experian RentBureau, “Rent reporting frequently asked questions” — experian.com/rental-property-solutions/rentbureau/frequently-asked-questions.
- TransUnion newsroom, June 14, 2022 — newsroom.transunion.com.
- Equifax, “Equifax Expands Partnerships with Rent Reporting Service Providers,” January 8, 2020 — investor.equifax.com.
- Equifax, National Consumer Telecom and Utilities Exchange — equifax.com/business/data-network/nctue.
Educational information, not financial advice. Advertiser disclosure