In India a credit score of 750 or above is treated as good by most lenders. The range runs from 300 to 900. But no regulator defines “good”, and no bureau is required to publish the cut-off. The 750 figure is lender convention, not a rule, and it is the honest starting point rather than the answer.
What matters is not the band you sit in. It is what the lender you applied to does with the number, and that is not published by anybody.
What do the credit score bands actually mean?
The bands below are the conventions we see used across Indian lending. They are not published thresholds. We tried to source a band table from the bureaus’ own consumer pages and could not open one, so we are not presenting these as bureau-issued.
| Score | How lenders generally treat it | What it usually unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| 800–900 | Excellent | Best advertised rate, faster approval, higher limits |
| 750–799 | Good | Approval at or near card rate on most products |
| 700–749 | Fair | Approval likely, but priced above the floor rate |
| 650–699 | Weak | Approval uncertain; smaller ticket, higher rate, more documents |
| 300–649 | Poor | Unsecured credit largely closed; secured products still available |
| NH or NA | No history | Not a bad score. It is no score at all |
NH and NA catch people out. They mean no history and not applicable. A first-time borrower is not being penalised. See what NH and NA mean on a credit report.
Why does my score differ between bureaus?
Because there are four of them and they do not share a model. TransUnion CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark each run their own scoring logic on their own data. A lender may report to some and not others. A gap of 30 to 50 points between two bureaus for the same person is ordinary, not an error.
So there is no single number that is “your” score. The one that counts is the bureau your lender pulls. You will not usually be told which one. Our page on credit bureaus compared sets out the differences.
What score do I need for a home loan or a credit card?
This is the question behind the query, and the useful answer is about pricing, not approval.
Lenders publish tiered rate grids by credit band. The gap between the top band and the 700 range is routinely 50 to 100 basis points on a home loan. On a ₹50 lakh loan over 20 years that is worth lakhs. Approval is binary; price is continuous. Most people worry about the first and lose money on the second.
Credit card issuers in the mainstream fee-paying segment generally look for scores around 750. Below that, the route is a secured card against a fixed deposit, which reports to the bureaus like any other card and rebuilds history. Our pages on the score needed for a home loan and the score needed for a credit card go product by product.
How do I see my score, and what does the law give me?
You are entitled to one free full credit report from each credit information company every calendar year. RBI circular DBR.CID.BC.No.10/20.16.042/2016-17, dated 1 September 2016, requires each CIC to provide a free full credit report once in a calendar year in electronic form on request. The report must carry the same detail the bureau gives lenders, including the credit score.
Four bureaus means four free reports a year. Stagger them one a quarter and you have continuous cover at no cost. Nobody needs a paid subscription for this. See how to get your credit score free.
Checking your own score does not damage it. That is a soft enquiry. A lender checking it during an application is a hard enquiry, and several of those in a short window does hurt. Read hard versus soft enquiries before you shop around.
What if the report is wrong?
You have a remedy with money attached, and few people use it.
Under RBI circular DoR.FIN.REC.48/20.16.003/2023-24 dated 26 October 2023, a complaint about credit information must be resolved within 30 calendar days. The lender has 21 calendar days to send corrected data to the bureau. If the complaint is not resolved in 30 days, you are owed ₹100 for every calendar day of delay. The compensation must be credited within five working days of resolution, and it is shared proportionately when several lenders are involved.
Put the deadline in writing when you file. Most disputes are settled properly once the ₹100 a day clock is named. Our guide to disputing a credit report covers the filing route.
Frequently asked questions
Is 750 a good CIBIL score?
Yes, by the convention lenders use. It is normally enough for approval at or near the advertised rate on mainstream loans and cards. It is not a guarantee. Lenders also weigh income stability, existing obligations and how much of your credit limit you use. A 750 score with 90% utilisation is a weaker file than a 750 score with 20%.
Is a score of 900 possible?
900 is the top of the scale, so it is possible in principle and rare in practice. It also buys nothing extra. Once you are comfortably inside the top band, lenders price you the same. Chasing the last 40 points is wasted effort. Fixing utilisation or a missed payment is not.
How long does it take to improve a credit score?
Utilisation changes show up within one or two billing cycles, because the bureau receives a fresh balance each month. Payment history moves slowly. A default or a settlement can sit on the report for years. That asymmetry is the point: the score falls fast and rises slowly. See how to improve a credit score.
Does a loan settlement hurt my score?
Yes, and more than most borrowers expect. A settled account is reported as settled, not closed, and lenders read that as a partial loss. It stays visible for years and is a common reason for later rejection even at a decent score. Paying in full, however late, is materially better. Our page on credit score after settlement explains the repair route.
Do savings account balances or income affect my score?
No. Credit bureaus see borrowing, not wealth. Your salary, savings balance and investments are not in the report and do not move the score. They matter to the lender at underwriting, but through the application form, not the bureau file.
Sources
- Reserve Bank of India, Free Annual Credit Report to Individuals, DBR.CID.BC.No.10/20.16.042/2016-17, 1 September 2016: rbi.org.in
- Reserve Bank of India, RBI/2023-24/72 DoR.FIN.REC.48/20.16.003/2023-24, 26 October 2023, compensation for delayed updation or rectification of credit information: rbi.org.in
- Score bands are lender conventions observed in the Indian market, not figures published by any bureau or regulator.
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