The Experian Intelliscore Plus Credit Score Explained: Definition, Ranges & How to Improve Tips

The Experian Intelliscore Plus^SM score (1–100) predicts your business’s risk of serious delinquency. In this 2025 update, we’ll define the score, break down risk tiers, help you understand the official performance table, compare versions, and share expert strategies for improving your Intelliscore Plus.

What is the Intelliscore Plus score?

Like all credit scores, Experian’s Intelliscore Plus score is used by lenders, suppliers, and potential business partners can use it to help them decide whether they want to work with your business — and on what terms. 

Similar to when you apply for a car loan and the dealer checks your personal FICO score, the Intelliscore Plus offers lenders a quick way to assess the risk of extending credit, insurance or other benefits to your business. 

One of the main advantages of this scoring model is its flexibility. While that flexibility is designed to help companies that use these scores, it can also benefit your business.

For established businesses, the scoring model can focus purely on your business credit history. But if you're just starting out or your business doesn't have much business credit history yet, there is the option to blend in personal credit information to get a fuller credit picture. (The databases that house business credit information and personal credit information are always kept separate, however.)

For new business owners with strong personal credit, it may provide a good starting point. As your business builds its own credit history, the scoring model can shift to focus more on business-specific data.

Current versions of this score:

• Intelliscore Plus (original 1–100 scale)
• Intelliscore Plus V2 (1–100 scale)
• Intelliscore Plus V3 (300–850 scale with better prediction accuracy)

Intelliscore Plus credit score range

Intelliscore and Intelliscore V2 range from 1–100, while Intelliscore v3 ranges from 300–850. 

With all versions, higher scores mean lower risk. 

Lenders and other companies try to minimize risk, so lower scores may make it more difficult to get approved for small business loans, equipment financing, or other types of business financing. The chart below outlines each Intelliscore Plus credit score range and its associated risk class and risk description.

Intelliscore V3 ranges from 300–850, the same range that most consumer credit scores use. Using the logic that usually applies to scores in those ranges, here’s how various score ranges may be viewed: 

How is my Experian Intelliscore Plus credit score calculated?

Intelliscore Plus is built to be thorough. Experian can evaluate over 800 different data points about your business and, if applicable, you as the owner of the business.

Think of it like a really detailed background check. They're scanning public records,  credit files, court filings, and business registrations to try to build a complete picture of how your business operates and handles its obligations.

Experian keeps the exact formula under wraps (just like Coca-Cola protects their recipe), but they do provide the main categories that drive your score. Understanding these gives you a roadmap for improvement.

Business credit score factors

1. Payment history

Payment history is the main credit scoring factor for both personal and business credit. It evaluates whether you pay your bills on time, and if you’ve paid late, how often or how late you’ve paid.

But it also gets more nuanced than that. Did you start off as a slow payer but improve over time? Are you consistently a few days late, or do you have sporadic major issues? The system picks up on these patterns and weighs them accordingly.

2. Public records and derogatory marks

This looks at the bigger red flags — things like collections, tax liens, judgments, or bankruptcies. Check this section of your business credit report carefully for accuracy. 

3. How you use credit

If you're maxed out on all your credit lines, that's a red flag. The system wants to see that you're not desperately depending on every dollar of available credit. It also compares how much you owe on delinquent accounts versus your total credit limits.

Starting from scratch 

One of the biggest surprises for many business owners who check their business credit scores for the first time is a lack of credit history. It’s common to have a low score not because of late payments, but because there are too few credit references reporting to their credit reports. 

While it is possible for lenders to use Intelliscore’s blended scoring model to calculate a score when there’s no business credit history, it’s not a given. That means you’ll want to establish business credit with companies that report to business credit bureaus and pay on time to build a strong credit history. 

How do you improve your score?

When you’re trying to improve your credit, you need to know what’s in your credit reports, and identify the factors that need improvement. You can do this by checking your credit scores with Nav and looking at the key factors impacting your score. 

Because every business owner’s credit history is unique, there is no one single concrete solution to improving your credit scores. However, these approaches often help:

Make payments on time

Payment patterns and payment history are a driving factor in your overall credit score. Over time, paying your bills on or before they are due will help establish a positive payment history.

Unlike personal credit where payments typically fall into 30-day buckets, your business credit report might list a late payment even if you're just one day past the due date. Business credit uses days beyond terms to track payments. Pay two days after an invoice is due, for example, and your credit report may list 2DBT. 

Experian also says the DBT norm for all industries is 7DBT. Set up systems like autopay or payment reminders so you don’t miss due dates.

Keep debt in check

Debt isn’t necessarily bad when it comes to credit scores. Instead, most scoring models focus on how you manage your debt. 

One key factor is “utilization” or “debt usage.” This factor compares your balances on accounts to their credit limits, or if a credit limit isn’t reported, the highest recent balance reported. If your business credit report shows your business has high balances in comparison to the limit (or high credit) it can put the business in a higher risk category. 

Use business credit

When it comes to scoring your business, a credit bureau will not be able to calculate a credit score on a business with too little credit. 

In other words, your business needs accounts that report to Experian Business. Here are two easy ways to get started:

• Get a business credit card that reports to business credit bureaus 
• Get vendor accounts that report to business credit bureaus

Maintain good personal credit

By now, you may understand that personal credit may impact the Intelliscore Plus score if a lender uses a blended score (which evaluates both personal and business credit). Take your personal credit just as seriously, and set up systems like auto-pay to avoid missing payments if your business gets really busy. 

Review your credit reports

Regardless of your credit score numbers now, you want to review your personal and business credit reports regularly. This can help you spot possible issues so you can take action quickly. (Get free personal and business credit summaries here).

Intelliscore Plus performance table and how to read it

When you apply for business financing, lenders may review your Intelliscore Plus score to decide whether to approve your application, and what terms to offer. Consider this your Experian performance table user guide — it gives you a sneak peek into how lenders may think about different score ranges, helping you understand how you may need to improve.

What lenders see when they look at scores

The Experian Intelliscore Plus performance table breaks down every score range to show lenders two key things — how likely the applicant is to pay as agreed, and how they compare to other businesses. 

Here's what the numbers may mean for lender approvals:

Bad rate: This is the percentage of businesses in the score range that end up more than 90 days behind on payments or go bankrupt within a year. Lower numbers have better approval odds.

Approval rate: If lenders approved every application within this score range or higher, this is what percentage of all applicants would get funded.

Odds ratio: For every business that has serious payment problems, this shows how many pay as agreed. Higher ratios are seen as safer.

What your score range really means

Let's look at some key score ranges and what they might mean for your financing prospects:

Scores 76–100: You're in the sweet spot. Bad rates are under 2%, and lenders typically view the applicant as low risk. Scores in this range will also help business owners qualify for the best rates and terms.

Scores 51–75: You're still in decent shape. Bad rates range from 2% to 4%, so many lenders will work with you, though you might not get premium pricing.

Scores 26–50: This is where things get tougher. Bad rates jump to 4% to 11%, meaning fewer lenders will approve you and those who do will charge higher rates or require more security.

Scores 1–25: Applicants may face significant challenges. Bad rates range from 15% to over 90%, so most traditional lenders will pass. You'll need to focus on building your score before applying.

The real-world impact

Here's a concrete example: If you have a score of 55, you're in a range where about 4% of businesses have serious payment problems within a year. That means lenders are more likely to see your application as relatively safe — for every 23 businesses like yours that succeed, only one fails to pay.

But if your score drops to 35, suddenly you're in a range where 9% of businesses have problems. Now lenders see much higher risk, and your approval odds drop significantly.

What this means for your business

Understanding these statistics helps you in two ways. First, you'll know what to expect when you apply for financing. A score of 65 puts you in a strong position with most lenders. A score of 40 means you need to shop around or work on improvement first.

Second, you can set realistic goals for your scores. Moving from a 45 to a 55 takes you from a range with 6% bad accounts to one with 4% bad accounts — a meaningful difference that lenders may notice.

The bottom line: your Intelliscore Plus score isn't just a number. It's a prediction of your business's financial reliability, and lenders can use it to make real decisions about your access to capital. The higher your score, the more doors open for your business.

Comparing Intelliscore Plus versions: Plus vs. V2 vs. V3

Experian has released three versions of Intelliscore Plus over the years, each one representing significant improvements in accuracy and functionality. (This is not unusual; credit scoring models are often updated with newer versions.)

Here are some key differences. 

Intelliscore Plus (original version) 

The original Intelliscore Plus established the foundation with its 1–100 scoring range and blended scoring capability. This version introduced the concept of combining business and personal credit data for newer companies, making it easier for startups to get scored even without extensive business credit history.

Intelliscore Plus V2 

Version 2 kept the familiar 1–100 scale while incorporating improved modeling techniques and expanded data sources. This version refined the algorithm's ability to predict payment behavior and became widely adopted across the lending industry. Most business owners checking their credit today will likely see this version with their reports.

Key improvements in V2 included:

• Enhanced predictive accuracy through refined statistical modeling
• Better handling of businesses with limited credit history
• Improved integration of both business and personal credit factors

Intelliscore Plus V3

The most noticeable change with V3 is the expanded 300–850 scale, which aligns with consumer credit scores and provides much more granular risk assessment.

Here’s what Experian says makes V3 significantly better:

• 36% improvement in commercial-only model performance compared to V2
• 50% improvement over consumer-only scoring models
• Extended prediction timeframe from 12 to 24 months
• Machine learning options alongside traditional logistic regression
• Much wider score range allowing for more precise risk categorization

Which version will you see? 

Most lenders still use V2 for credit decisions since it's been the industry standard. However, as V3 gains adoption, the new 300–850 scores may appear more frequently. The good news is that all versions measure the same fundamental thing — how likely your business will pay as agreed.

Focus on those fundamentals so your credit history will be strong regardless of which scoring model is used. 

How to access & monitor your Intelliscore Plus score

There are currently two main ways to access your Experian Intelliscore Plus score:

Experian

By purchasing your report and score directly from Experian Small Business. Experian currently offers several options, including a ProfilePlus^SM Report with a onetime scored report and Intelliscore and Financial Stability Risk Rating.

Or you can get an annual subscription that includes unlimited access to a scored report, along with Intelliscore and Financial Stability Risk Rating with tracking, improvement tips, and other benefits. 

Nav 

With a free Nav account, you’ll get free credit report summaries and letter grades for multiple business credit reports and scores. Find out for free where you stand. 

With Nav Prime, you’ll get detailed credit reports and scores from multiple credit bureaus, including Experian Intelliscore Plus. It’s updated monthly when you log in and is a great way to monitor your business and personal credit in one place. Your Nav Prime membership payment also gets submitted as a tradeline to multiple business credit bureaus, helping you build your business credit history. 

Business credit matters

Understanding how your Experian Intelliscore Plus score and other personal and business credit scores work, as well as regularly monitoring your Experian business credit reportst, will help ensure that you and your business are moving in a good direction financially.

Even if you don’t currently need funding, keeping your credit score strong can open the door for business financing options down the road.

Keep in mind there are many other commercial credit scores lenders may purchase. The Dun & Bradstreet PAYDEX score and Equifax Business Delinquency Score™ are just two examples. Savvy business owners keep tabs on all three bureaus because different lenders may check reports with different bureaus.

Understanding how your scores work helps put you in control. The more you know about what lenders and other companies see, the better you can position your business for the credit and partnerships you need to grow.

Frequently asked questions