Dun & Bradstreet's PAYDEX score range runs from 1 to 100, and the score tracks one thing: your payment history with suppliers, weighted by the dollars on each account. In D&B's official key, 80 means "Prompt," and only payments made earlier than terms lift a business above 80. We read D&B's own pages on November 2, 2026 to explain how reported payments become that number and what can move it before you apply for credit.
What the official Dun & Bradstreet PAYDEX score range means
D&B's What is a PAYDEX Score page says "Companies receive a score between 1 and 100," and a higher score means a greater likelihood of paying debts on time. Its business credit scores page sorts the scale into three risk categories: 0 to 49 indicates "a high risk of late payment," 50 to 79 a moderate risk and 80 to 100 a low risk. Those bands and the key below start at 0 while the pages say 1, so we've quoted each as D&B wrote it.
The PAYDEX Score Fact Sheet (copyright 2020, read November 2, 2026) ties each score to a payment habit:
| PAYDEX | What D&B says it indicates |
|---|---|
| 100 | Anticipates |
| 90 | Discounts |
| 80 | Prompt |
| 70 | 15 days beyond terms |
| 60 | 22 days beyond terms |
| 50 | 30 days beyond terms |
| 40 | 60 days beyond terms |
| 30 | 90 days beyond terms |
| 20 | 120 days beyond terms |
| 0-19 | Over 120 days beyond terms |
| UN | Unavailable |
The fact sheet says "A Paydex of 80 denotes that payments reported to Dun & Bradstreet have generally been made within terms" and "A Paydex over 80 indicates that payments reported to Dun & Bradstreet have been made earlier than terms." It gives no day count for "Anticipates" or "Discounts." On Net 30 terms, paying by the due date is what D&B calls prompt, and that lines up with 80.
How Dun & Bradstreet calculates PAYDEX from payment experiences
The inputs are trade experiences, which D&B's PAYDEX page defines as "records of payment experiences submitted to Dun & Bradstreet by suppliers and vendors," subject to its review, verification and approval. Most arrive through D&B's Trade Exchange. According to the fact sheet, participants send their accounts receivable data "on a monthly or quarterly basis," covering terms of sale, the dollar amount of credit extended, amounts current and past due, and the date of last sale. Participation is "free, confidential and voluntary," so some suppliers you pay every month may never show up on your file.
Three limits decide which records count:
- Age. The fact sheet says the reported date of a trade experience must fall within the last 24 months, and the date of last sale within the last 36 months.
- Maximum. D&B's PAYDEX infographic says it can consider "up to 875 payment experiences," each from a different supplier. Its small business funding page adds that "no more than 80 are reported in a business credit report."
- Minimum. D&B's documents differ here. The funding page says "A business needs at least four trade references on file with Dun & Bradstreet before a PAYDEX Score can be determined." An older D&B supplier FAQ, which cites 2010 data, says a PAYDEX isn't calculated with fewer than three experiences and needs two suppliers reporting. Plan around the higher number.
That FAQ also lays out the method. D&B's algorithm rolls each supplier's account-level records into one company-level experience, weights it by dollar amount and multiplies by an index weight for its payment class. The dollar amount is the high credit when one is reported, then the amount owed, then the past-due amount. Most of its weights match the key above: Anticipates 100, Discount 90, Prompt 80, slow to 15 days 70, slow to 30 days 50, slow to 60 days 40 and slow to 90 days 30, though the FAQ ties 20 to slow 180 days and over. D&B's current page calls the score "proprietary," so treat these steps as a description of the method and not as proof that today's model matches the FAQ line for line.
Worked example: three vendor payment records, one PAYDEX
Assumptions, all ours: three suppliers each report one account to D&B within the last 24 months, the high credit on each account is the dollar amount used, the weights come from the D&B supplier FAQ, and the file clears whatever minimum D&B applies. Under the four-reference minimum on D&B's funding page, this file would need one more reference before any score appears.
| Supplier (assumed) | High credit | Payment reported | Index weight | Share of dollars | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packaging supplier | $12,000 | Prompt | 80 | 60% | 48 |
| Raw materials supplier | $6,000 | 15 days beyond terms | 70 | 30% | 21 |
| Office supply vendor | $2,000 | Discount (paid early) | 90 | 10% | 9 |
| Total | $20,000 | 100% | 78 |
The math: $12,000 ÷ $20,000 = 60%, and 60% × 80 = 48. Then $6,000 ÷ $20,000 = 30%, and 30% × 70 = 21. Last, $2,000 ÷ $20,000 = 10%, and 10% × 90 = 9. Adding 48 + 21 + 9 gives a PAYDEX of 78, just under the low-risk band, even though one vendor is paid early.
Now change one thing at a time from that base case:
| Change from the base case | Arithmetic | Result |
|---|---|---|
| None | 48 + 21 + 9 | 78 |
| Office supply vendor paid even earlier (Anticipates, 100) | 48 + 21 + 10 | 79 |
| Raw materials account brought within terms (Prompt, 80) | 48 + 24 + 9 | 81 |
| Packaging account paid at a discount (Discount, 90) | 54 + 21 + 9 | 84 |
| Packaging account slips to 30 days beyond terms (50) | 30 + 21 + 9 | 60 |
Paying the small account even earlier adds 1 point. Clearing the late $6,000 account adds 3, and across the cases in the table the $12,000 account moves the score from 60 to 84 depending on how it's paid. The biggest balances do most of the work, and a file paid promptly on every dollar works out to exactly 80.
How supplier trade references get added to your D&B file
Trade Exchange suppliers report on their own schedule. For the ones that don't report, D&B's scores page says "you can ask your suppliers to submit your paid invoices to Dun & Bradstreet as a Trade Reference," and that "Companies can manually submit trade references through the D&B Credit Insights product." D&B's trade reference page also refers to references "proactively submitted through the CreditBuilder product."
A submitted reference isn't automatic. The trade reference page lists reasons D&B may not add one, such as a supplier that doesn't respond to D&B, already reports automatically, can't be verified, has policies that bar sharing payment data, or sits outside the United States. You can resubmit references for verification at any time. The infographic states that D&B "cannot guarantee that trade references will be accepted or that accepted trade references will impact your business credit file," and suppliers can submit positive or negative experiences, so a reference from a supplier you've paid late can pull the score down.
What raises a PAYDEX score, and how fast new reports show up
D&B's advice is short: repay debts on time or early, and ask suppliers and vendors to report to D&B, because "Payment experiences that aren't reported to Dun & Bradstreet cannot be considered when the PAYDEX score is calculated." The infographic says a recent increase "could mean that Dun & Bradstreet has received new information indicating that your past payment experiences were made in a timely manner."
Speed depends on things you don't control. Trade Exchange suppliers report monthly or quarterly, D&B reviews what arrives, and the supplier FAQ says the PAYDEX "recalculates every night" when trade content changes. A payment you make today shows up only after that supplier's next report is received and accepted, and older slow experiences stop counting once they pass the 24-month window. We found no D&B page that promises a timeline, and anyone who promises a specific score by a specific date is guessing.
In order of likely impact under dollar weighting:
- Bring the largest past-due accounts within terms. In the example, the biggest account moved the score more than both others combined.
- Pay early on big accounts only when cash allows. A supplier's early-pay discount can offset the cost, but draining working capital to chase points can weaken the bank statements many lenders review.
- Get non-reporting suppliers on file. Ask them to report, or submit trade references that D&B then reviews.
- Dispute errors. D&B's D-U-N-S Profile Manager is free for a "U.S.-based, non-public commercial organization," and a verified owner, director or officer "can dispute payment experiences that appear in your business credit report." D&B says it "cannot guarantee that requested updates will be accepted," and we found nothing on its pages about removing accurate payment history early.
Where PAYDEX fits when you apply for a loan or line of credit
D&B's scores page says "many suppliers, banks, and customers will look at a company's PAYDEX Score," but lenders don't all pull the same reports, and we found no published PAYDEX cutoff that applies across lenders. For a business line of credit or a term loan, lenders commonly weigh the owner's personal credit, bank statements, revenue and time in business alongside any business credit file, and requirements vary by lender. Our guides on how to build business credit and personal vs. business credit for loans cover the rest of the file.
Before you apply, check which suppliers report to D&B, bring large late accounts current, dispute wrong records and leave time for new reports to arrive. When you're ready, one EQ Funding application goes to lenders who compete for your business, and each lender decides on its own criteria after reviewing your credit and repayment ability.