 TITLE: How Utility Bills Can Boost Your Credit Score CONTENT: Can Utility Bills Hurt My Credit?\n---------------------------------\nWhile Experian Boost won't use late payments for utility bills, it's still possible for a delinquent account to damage your credit score.\nSpecifically, this can happen if the service provider sends the account to collections or charges off the debt. This typically won't happen after just one missed payment. But if you miss multiple payments or leave a monthly bill unpaid for months, the provider may enlist the help of a debt collector. Leave it long enough, and it may charge off the account instead, assuming you're not going to pay.\nYour payment history is the most important factor in determining credit scores. It makes up 35% of your FICO® Score and is considered extremely influential to your VantageScore. So having a collections account or a charge-off reported to the credit reporting agencies can damage your credit score significantly.\nWhat's more, the negative tradeline will stay in your credit file with each reporting agency for seven years. And while adding positive payment history can help reduce its impact on your credit score, it can take a long time to recover fully. END