What is a credit score and how does it work?

O credit score It is a score from 0 to 1000 that represents the probability of a person paying their bills on time in the next 12 months. The higher the number, the lower the risk perceived by creditors and the better the credit conditions available.

In Brazil, the best-known score is the Serasa Score, calculated by Serasa Experian. But there are others: SPC Brasil, Boa Vista SCPC, and Quod also have their own credit scoring systems.

Summary

The scale from 0 to 1000 and what each range means.
What does Serasa use to calculate the score?
What negatively impacts the score?
Where the score is consulted
Difference between Serasa, SPC and Boa Vista
FAQ
Conclusion

The scale from 0 to 1000 and what each range means.

O Score Serasa It ranges from 0 to 1000 and is divided into four risk categories:

0 to 300 (Very low): High risk of default. Access to credit is very limited. Credit cards, loans, and financing are often denied in this income bracket.
301 to 500 (Low): High risk. Some institutions grant credit with higher interest rates and reduced limits.
501 to 700 (Good): Moderate risk. Access to basic financial products with reasonable conditions. Most digital banks accept consumers in this range.
701 to 1000 (Very good): Low risk. The best credit conditions are reserved for this category: lower rates, higher limits, faster approval.

The average credit score for Brazilians is around 500 points, according to data from Serasa itself.

What does Serasa use to calculate the score?

Serasa's algorithm is not public, but the company indicates the five groups of factors that weigh in the calculation:

Payment history (main factor): Paying bills on time contributes positively; delays and negative credit reports significantly reduce the score.
Debt level: Those who use a large portion of their income to pay off debts have lower credit scores.
Length of relationship with the credit market: A longer history of active credit tends to generate higher scores.
Recent credit search: Frequent CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID) inquiries in a short period temporarily reduce the score.
Credit options available: Having different types of products (cards, financing, loans) and all of them well managed contributes positively.

What negatively impacts the score?

Knowing the negative factors helps to avoid the most common mistakes that lower your score:

Active negative entries (bad credit history) in Serasa, SPC or Boa Vista.
Frequent delays in paying bills, even without resulting in formal negative credit reporting.
Using more than 30% of your credit card limit.
Applying for multiple credit cards or loans in a short period (multiple CPF [Brazilian taxpayer ID] inquiries)
Irregular CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID) registered with the Federal Revenue Service.
Lack of credit history (consumers who have never had a credit card or loan)

Where the score is consulted

Credit scores are consulted by any company that needs to assess a consumer's financial risk before granting a product or service. The most common situations are:

Credit card approval
Contracting personal loans and financing
Approval of real estate or vehicle financing
Property rental (the owner can check the applicant's CPF number)
Service contracts with a loyalty period (postpaid cell phone plans, pay TV)
Selection processes for positions with financial responsibility.

Checking CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID) for credit purposes is regulated, and consumers have the right to know which companies have consulted their registration.

Difference between Serasa, SPC and Boa Vista

Each credit bureau has its own database and calculation methodology. Therefore, the score may be different on each platform for the same CPF (Brazilian individual taxpayer registration number).

Serasa Experian: Brazil's largest database, free access via app and website.
SPC Brazil: Strong in retail and small businesses, free consultation by Boa Vista portal
Boa Vista SCPC: Similar to SPC, but focused on consumer credit.
Quod: most recent bureau, created by the country's five largest banks.

To get a complete view of your own credit history, it's ideal to consult more than one credit bureau.

Frequently asked questions about credit scores.

Is a credit score the same thing as a Serasa score?

Credit score is the generic term for a risk score calculated by any credit bureau. Serasa Score is the specific version calculated by Serasa Experian. The two terms are used interchangeably in Brazil because Serasa is the best-known bureau, but other scoring systems exist.

Does checking your own score negatively affect your overall score?

No. The consultation that the consumer makes to their own score is called a "soft consultation" and does not affect the score. What can reduce the score are the consultations made by companies when analyzing a credit application.

Is my credit score confidential? Can any company see my score?

The score is not public information, but it can be consulted by companies that have a business relationship with the consumer for credit analysis purposes. The consumer has the right to know which companies consulted their CPF (Brazilian tax identification number) in the last 6 months through the Serasa portal itself.

Does income bracket influence the credit score?

Income is not directly used in calculating the score. What counts is payment behavior, regardless of how much a person earns. A low-income consumer with a history of on-time payments may have a higher score than a high-income consumer with frequent late payments.

Does your credit score reset when you change banks or cities?

No. The score is linked to your CPF (Brazilian tax identification number), not to any bank account or address. Changing banks, cities, or states does not alter your credit score.

Conclusion

O credit score It is a tool used by banks, financial institutions, and companies to measure the risk of granting credit to a consumer. The score ranges from 0 to 1000 and is calculated based on payment history, debt level, and relationship with the credit market.

To find out how to check your credit score for free, how to increase it, or what changes when a debt is settled, use the buttons above.

About the author

Ricardo Siqueira

I am an agricultural engineer from São Paulo with over 15 years of experience in the field and in the corporate sector. My career combines the tradition of agriculture with technological modernization, from managing urban gardens to managing complex agribusinesses. On the Agro Portal, I share analyses of digital tools, market trends, and recipes that value local production, always with a practical, data-driven perspective.