Why did my credit score drop?

Scores move when the data behind them moves. A drop almost always traces to something that changed on the report in the last cycle.

Quick takeaways

Find the changed line before guessing at causes.
Closing an old card can hurt more than it helps.
Utilization spikes are the fastest fixable cause.

The common causes

A payment reported 30+ days late, a balance increase that pushed utilization up, a new hard inquiry and new account, a collection appearing, or a closed account that shrank your total available credit.

The counterintuitive ones

Paying off and closing your oldest card can lower your average account age and your available credit. Paying off an installment loan can drop points because your active mix changed. Neither means you made a bad decision.

What to do

Compare this month's report to last month's and find the changed line. If the change is wrong, dispute it. If it is right, it will fade — and consistent on-time payments are what pulls the number back.

Want someone to look at your actual reports?

Start the free intake and a Knox specialist will walk your file with you — what can be challenged, what should stay, and what to do next. No cost, no obligation.