The PAYDEX Score

PAYDEX is D&B's 1-to-100 score of how a business pays its bills, built only from reported trade experiences. A score of 80 means payments arrive on time; scoring higher requires paying early.

Why it matters

PAYDEX is the business credit headline number. Vendors use it to set terms, lenders use it in screening, and it is the score most sensitive to the one habit you control completely: when you pay.

Key facts

• PAYDEX is dollar-weighted: larger invoices influence the score more than small ones.
• 80 = prompt (paid on terms). 90 and above requires paying early; 100 reflects payments about 30 days ahead of terms.
• D&B generates a PAYDEX only after enough trade experiences from enough different reporters are on file.
• PAYDEX looks at roughly the most recent two years of payment behavior.
• Only reported payments count; perfect payments to non-reporting vendors do not move it.

In practice

1. Pay every reporting vendor early, starting with the largest invoices, since dollars weigh the score.
2. Confirm which of your vendors report to D&B before counting on them for score building.
3. Review the D&B file quarterly; dispute payment experiences that are factually wrong.