How to use
- Enter the balance you are measuring and the limit that goes with it.
- For several cards, add the balances into one number and the limits into one number, then type those sums.
- Press Calculate. The hero is the percent. The other line is limit minus balance when the balance is under the limit.
- Payoff months for one card are on the credit-card payoff calculator, which needs a rate and a payment.
How it's calculated
Utilization = balance ÷ limit × 100. Open room = limit − balance, and it is shown as zero if the balance is already over the limit.
A balance many times the limit is rejected so a swapped pair of numbers does not look like a real ratio. A modest amount over the limit is still computed.
Worked example
A $2,400 balance on an $8,000 limit is 30 percent. The unused part of the limit is $5,600. Two cards of $1,000 on a $2,000 limit and $1,400 on a $6,000 limit are the same combined ratio if you add them first: $2,400 ÷ $8,000.
Assumptions
The balance and the limit you typed, at one moment. A score model is not applied. Educators sometimes mention 30 percent as a habit. That mention is not a FICO formula and this page does not treat 30 as a cutoff.
FAQ
Will this tell me my credit score?
No. Scores use more than this ratio, and the formulas are not on this page.
How do I combine cards?
Add every balance, add every limit, and enter the two sums. Do not average the percents.
What if my balance is above the limit?
The percent goes over 100 and the open-room line is zero, unless the balance is so far over the limit that the page asks you to recheck.
Is utilization the same as a payoff plan?
No. Payoff needs an APR and a payment. That tool is the credit-card payoff calculator.