Credit Utilisation Calculator
Credit Utilisation Calculator
How much of your credit card limits you are using — overall and card by card — and how much to pay to bring it under a target you choose, such as the commonly quoted 30%.
Credit utilisation
Card 1: $60,000 on a $1,00,000 limit; card 2: $30,000 on $1,50,000; target 30%
Credit utilisation
- balance
- what the issuer reports to the bureau — usually the balance on your statement date, not what is left after you pay
- T
- the target utilisation you choose, as a fraction
Worked example
Card 1: $60,000 on a $1,00,000 limit; card 2: $30,000 on $1,50,000; target 30%
Overall = (60,000 + 30,000) ÷ (1,00,000 + 1,50,000) = 36.0%
Card 1 = 60.0%; card 2 = 20.0%
To reach 30%: 90,000 − 30% × 2,50,000 = $15,000
To bring card 1 under 30% on its own: 60,000 − 30,000 = $30,000
Payment needed in the example for other targets
| Target | Pay overall | Pay so every card is under target |
|---|---|---|
| 30% | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| 20% | $40,000 | $40,000 |
| 10% | $65,000 | $65,000 |
What the credit bureaus actually say about 30%
Credit utilisation is the share of your card limits you are using. It is one of the things credit scores look at, because a borrower who runs cards close to the limit is, statistically, a bigger risk. In the example, $90,000 of balances on $2,50,000 of limits is 36%.
The 30% figure is guidance, not a rule. TransUnion CIBIL, India’s largest credit bureau, says keeping your overall card spend to 30 percent of your limit is considered a healthy ratio. Experian calls a rate below 30% generally acceptable and under 10% optimal. FICO, whose scores are used in the US, goes further: it says the data does not support the idea that your score dips once you cross 30%; lower is simply better, gradually. None of the bureaus publishes how many points a given ratio is worth, and scoring models differ.
Two details change the answer. First, scoring models look at each card as well as the total, so one card near its limit can count against you even when the overall figure looks fine — that is why the page shows every card and the payment to bring each under your target. Second, the balance that matters is usually the one your issuer reports to the bureau, typically your statement balance. Paying in full after the statement avoids interest, but the reported utilisation can still be high; paying part of the balance before the statement date lowers it.
Utilisation reflects what you owe today, so it recovers as soon as balances fall, unlike a missed payment, which stays on your report. Closing an unused card reduces your total limit and so raises utilisation. Asking for a higher limit lowers it, but only helps if spending does not rise with it. If a balance is costing interest, the credit card payoff calculator shows how long it takes to clear. This is arithmetic on the figures you enter, not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
How is credit utilisation calculated?
Total card balances divided by total credit limits × 100. 90,000 ÷ 2,50,000 = 36%.
Is 30% credit utilisation a hard limit?
No. TransUnion CIBIL calls up to 30% healthy and Experian calls under 30% acceptable, but FICO says there is no sudden drop at 30%. Lower is generally better; under 10% is often called optimal.
Does utilisation on each card matter, or only the total?
Both. Experian says scoring models evaluate your overall utilisation and each card’s.
How much should I pay to get under 30%?
Total balances − 30% of total limits. In the example 90,000 − 75,000 = $15,000, paid before the statement date.
Related calculators
References
- TransUnion CIBIL. Six ways you can use your credit card for an optimum credit score (blog, cibil.com, accessed 22 September 2026): “Restricting your overall credit card spend to 30 percent of your credit utilisation limit is considered a healthy ratio.”
- Experian. 5 Ways to Keep Your Credit Utilization Low (Ask Experian, 4 September 2025): a rate below 30% “is generally considered acceptable, but rates under 10% are optimal”; scoring models “evaluate both your overall utilization and the utilization on each individual card.”
- myFICO. What Should My Credit Utilization Ratio Be? (accessed 22 September 2026): some experts recommend below 30%, but “the data doesn’t support the implication that your credit score will dip once your utilization ratio crosses the 30% threshold”; generally, the lower the better.