How often does my credit card report my balance, and why does the timing matter?

Most issuers report your balance to the credit bureaus once a month, usually on or shortly after your statement closing date, not your due date. That reported number is the balance used to calculate your credit utilization, which is roughly 30% of your FICO score.

Timing matters because your score reflects whatever balance happened to be showing when the report went out. If you charge a lot, let the statement close on a big balance, then pay it off, your utilization can look high for that month even though you never carried debt. The workaround: make a payment before the statement closes to lower the reported balance, or pay down early if you have a big purchase or are about to apply for a loan. Find your statement closing date in your online account.