What Hurts Your Credit Score — Ranked by Damage (2026)
Not every credit mistake is equal. A bankruptcy can erase 200+ points overnight; a hard inquiry barely registers. Here's every common credit-damaging event ranked by typical FICO drop, how long it stays on your report, and what to do about it.
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Catastrophic damage (100+ point drops)
Bankruptcy is the credit nuclear option: Chapter 7 can drop a previously-clean 780 score by 200–240 points and stays on file for 10 years from the filing date. Chapter 13 ages off in 7 years. Foreclosure and repossession each cost 100–160 points. Accounts in collections cost 60–110 points — though under recent CFPB rule changes, medical collections under $500 no longer report at all.
Major damage (40–100 point drops)
A 30-day late payment is the most underestimated drop on this list — 60 to 110 points, with a 7-year clock under FCRA §605. Charge-offs (180+ days late) cost 50–100 points and create a second negative when sold to a collection agency. A maxed credit card (90%+ reported utilization) costs 30–70 points but reverses the next statement cycle once paid down.
Moderate damage (10–40 point drops)
Opening a new account drops your average age of accounts and triggers a hard inquiry — typically 10–20 combined points. Hard inquiries alone cost 3–5 points each and are scored for 12 months. Both FICO and VantageScore deduplicate rate-shop inquiries for auto, mortgage, and student loans within a 14–45 day window. Co-signing a loan that goes late hits both signers equally.
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- Daily monitoring & alerts
- Identity theft protection
- Score simulator & insights
- $1 for 15 days trial
- Cancel online anytime
- 3-Bureau credit reports & scores
- Daily monitoring & alerts
- Identity theft protection
- Score simulator & insights
- $1 for 15 days trial
- Cancel online anytime
Minor or zero impact
- Soft pulls — checking your own score, pre-qualified offers, employer checks. Zero impact.
- Income changes — not on your credit file at all.
- Address changes — informational only.
- Paying in full vs. carrying a balance — the carry-a-balance myth. Reported utilization is what matters, and paying in full each month never lowers your score.
Credit damage ranked by typical FICO drop
| Event | Typical FICO drop | Time on report |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy | 130–240 pts | 10 years |
| Foreclosure | 100–160 pts | 7 years |
| 30-day late payment | 60–110 pts | 7 years |
| Account in collections | 60–110 pts | 7 years |
| Charge-off | 50–100 pts | 7 years |
| Maxed credit card | 30–70 pts | Until paid |
| Closing oldest card | 5–25 pts | 10 yrs after close |
| Hard inquiry | 3–5 pts | 24 mo (scored 12) |
Related credit guides
- How to improve your credit score →
- How long negatives stay on your report →
- How to dispute credit report errors →
- Credit card utilization explained →
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