Dun & Bradstreet Business Credit Score 2026: PAYDEX, Delinquency and How to Check

Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This article is general education, not financial advice. Terms and prices change, so check the provider before you act.

Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) scores your business with three main numbers: the PAYDEX Score (D&B describes it as a 1 to 100 payment score, with 80 to 100 in its low-risk band), the Delinquency Predictor Score (101 to 670) and the Failure Score (1,001 to 1,875). A D-U-N-S Number, the ID that starts your D&B file, is free to request. Paid monitoring is where the money goes: as of November 2026, D&B lists Credit Insights at $0, $49, $149 and $199 a month depending on the tier. I wrote this for store owners at Ecommerce Paradise who keep hearing suppliers ask for a “D&B number” and want to know what it means, what to check and what not to overpay for.

D&B Business Credit Scores at a Glance (as of November 2026)

Every figure in this table comes from D&B’s own score and rating pages. Where D&B does not show a figure on the pages I could load, I say so in the last section instead of guessing.

Two things stand out. First, these are risk scores written for suppliers, lenders and landlords deciding whether to trust you, not consumer scores. Second, the PAYDEX is built from payment records that suppliers send in, which is why it is the number you can most directly influence by paying on time and making sure your vendors are reported.

How D&B Business Credit Differs From Your Personal FICO Score

D&B says business and personal credit are separate files. Business credit reflects the company, not your personal finances, and a new business can start its own file by requesting a D-U-N-S Number. A key detail on D&B’s own explainer: if an application asks for your Social Security number, your personal credit will likely be reviewed, while an application that asks only for an EIN or D-U-N-S Number usually brings in the business file. D&B also says personal credit matters more for sole proprietors and when a personal guarantee is involved.

For comparison, myFICO says base FICO Scores run from 300 to 850 and are built from five factors: payment history at 35%, amounts owed at 30%, length of history at 15%, new credit at 10% and credit mix at 10%. D&B publishes no equivalent weighting table on the pages I loaded, so I will not invent one. D&B also describes the PAYDEX as roughly comparable to an individual’s FICO score, but the scales, the data sources and the people who read them are different.

If you are still deciding how to set the company up, my guide to business formation for high-ticket dropshipping covers the LLC and EIN steps that come before any of this. D&B’s own checklist for building business credit starts the same way: a separate legal entity, a free EIN from the IRS, a business bank account and a free D-U-N-S Number.

The PAYDEX Score Explained

D&B calls the PAYDEX a dollar-weighted indicator of how a company has paid its bills, based on trade experiences. Trade experiences are payment records submitted by suppliers and vendors, and D&B reviews, verifies and approves them before they count. D&B says the records can include overdue debts, accounts sent to collections, and on-time or early payments.

What the bands mean

D&B’s score overview groups the PAYDEX into three bands: 0 to 49 means a high risk of late payment, 50 to 79 means moderate risk, and 80 to 100 means low risk. One small inconsistency worth knowing: D&B’s PAYDEX page describes the scale as 1 to 100, while the band labels start at 0. That is why you will see both “0 to 100” and “1 to 100” online. The practical takeaway is the same, and 80 is the line D&B uses to separate moderate from low risk.

Why “dollar-weighted” matters

Dollar-weighted means a payment record on a large invoice moves the score more than one on a small invoice. As an example, if a store owes one supplier $8,000, that account is likely to count for more than several $200 accounts. I would not read more into the weighting than D&B states, because the formula is not published on the pages I loaded.

What a rising or falling score signals

D&B says a rising PAYDEX suggests the business may be better positioned to pay on time, and a falling one may point to a higher risk of delinquency or default for business partners. That is how a supplier is likely to read it too, which is why a sudden drop matters more than a steady middling number.

The Delinquency Predictor Score and the Failure Score

These two scores do not measure how you have paid in the past. They estimate what might happen over the next 12 months, and you will see them when a supplier or lender pulls a fuller D&B report on you.

Delinquency Predictor Score

D&B defines it as the likelihood that a company will pay in a severely delinquent manner, seek legal relief from creditors, or stop operating without paying all creditors in full. D&B defines severe delinquency as at least 10% of a company’s dollars more than 90 days past due. The score runs from 101 (highest probability of severe delinquency) to 670 (lowest). The percentile runs from 1 (highest probability) to 100 (lowest), and the risk class runs from 1 (lowest probability) to 5 (highest). A confusing detail: a rising class number is a negative change even though a rising score is a positive one.

Failure Score

D&B describes the Failure Score as the likelihood, over the next 12 months, that a business will seek legal relief from creditors or cease operations without paying all creditors in full. The score runs from 1,001 (highest probability of failure) to 1,875 (lowest). Like the Delinquency Predictor, it also carries a 1 to 100 percentile and a class from 1 to 5, with class 1 the lowest probability of failure. D&B’s page also announces a version 8 update released October 30, 2026, which it says predicts about 30% more bankruptcies on average than the prior version and may move about 70% of scored U.S. businesses to a different risk class, with a gradual rollout. If your class shifts this winter without any change in how you pay, that is the first thing I would check.

Other D&B ratings you may run into

D&B’s score overview also names the Supplier Evaluation Risk (SER) Rating, which uses low, medium and high labels and which D&B says some large corporations require to be low before they work with a supplier. It names the D&B Rating (size and credibility), the Maximum Credit Recommendation, a Cyber Risk Rating and CreditSignal, which D&B says shows four of your scores for 14 days and then gives directional changes only. If you sell to big retailers or to corporate buyers, the SER Rating is the one that can come up in vendor onboarding.

How to Get a D-U-N-S Number (Free)

D&B states on its D-U-N-S request page that there is no cost to request and receive a D-U-N-S Number, and standard processing takes up to 30 business days. A paid expedited option is available, which D&B says can deliver the number within eight business days, but it is optional. Here is the process D&B describes.

1. Use D&B’s lookup tool first to see whether your company already has a number.
2. Pick the category that fits (U.S.-based, Canada-based or international, plus a few special categories).
3. Enter your legal business name, address, phone number, the owner, president or CEO name, legal structure, year created, primary industry and total employee count.
4. Decide at checkout whether to pay for expedited processing (not required).
5. D&B may contact you to validate the details, and after verification the number is emailed to you.

A separate number is needed for each business location, so a one-site online store needs one. D&B also lets U.S.-based, non-public companies view and request updates to their information, and dispute late payments, for free through D-U-N-S Manager. Use the same legal name and address that appear on your state filing and IRS paperwork so D&B can validate them. If you would rather have help with the store side, see my done-for-you option.

How Trade References Report to D&B

A trade reference is a source that gives D&B commercial payment information, and the record it creates is called a payment experience. D&B says some providers report automatically, while customers can also submit references manually for review. D&B lists seven variables for a reference: the reporting date, manner of payment, rolling 12-month high credit, current amount owing, current past due, selling terms and date of last sale.

D&B is clear that nothing is guaranteed. A reference is added only after D&B review, verification and acceptance, and D&B says accepted references may or may not change your file. It lists these reasons a reference can be rejected:

• The vendor does not respond to D&B or cannot be reached.
• The vendor already reports payments automatically.
• The vendor appears untrustworthy.
• D&B lacks enough information to verify the vendor.
• The vendor’s policies prohibit sharing payment data.
• The vendor is not located in the United States.

D&B also says anticipated payments do not qualify, and you can resubmit a reference at any time. For a store that buys inventory on terms, this is the practical lever: you need vendors who extend credit, get paid on time and are willing to confirm that to D&B. My list of Net 30 vendors covers where new companies often start with trade credit. The sequence itself is in my guide to building business credit for ecommerce, linked in the related articles below.

If you are earlier in the chain and still choosing suppliers, start with my guide to finding suppliers for high-ticket products. Then come back to this page once you have vendors who can report.

What D&B Credit Products Cost (as of November 2026)

D&B’s small business pricing page and its Credit Insights product page list these tiers. The free tier is the only one that costs nothing; the paid tiers renew automatically.

Monthly versus annual, with the arithmetic

These are my calculations from the list prices above, shown as examples. Twelve months of Basic at $49 is $588, versus $499 billed annually, a difference of $89. Plus is 12 x $149 = $1,788 monthly versus $1,499 annually, a difference of $289. Premium is 12 x $199 = $2,388 monthly versus $1,999 annually, a difference of $389. Annual billing is cheaper on paper, but it commits you for the year, so I would only choose it after you have used a month and know you need the features.

Renewal, cancellation and add-ons

D&B’s pricing page says products renew automatically at the list price in effect at renewal, which may be higher than today’s price. It says you can cancel from your MyDNB account (Profile menu, Cancel Renewal) or by phone before the term ends, and that D&B sends a notice before renewal. The same page lists one-off Business Information Reports, with an On Demand single report at $189.99 and a Snapshot single report at $139.99. Those are for researching another company, such as a supplier, and you do not need them to monitor your own file. D&B’s pricing page also lists a Score View tier at $15 a month or $149 a year that does not appear on the Credit Insights product page, so confirm which tiers you are actually offered before you pay.

D&B also sells a Concierge Service, which its Build My Business Credit page says can help you establish or affect your PAYDEX within 30 days or refund 100% of the purchase, subject to terms. The promotion applies to new Concierge customers who submit eligible documents for three unique payment experience accounts through the Provide Documentation feature in Credit Insights Plus. I did not see a Concierge price on the pages I loaded, so ask D&B before you buy. The pricing page also lists the older CreditBuilder product under legacy products that are no longer active, so treat any third-party page that still sells “CreditBuilder” at an old price with caution.

You can start with the free tier through my link at D&B Credit Insights, which goes to the Credit Insights page. For a longer look at the platform, I wrote a full Dun & Bradstreet review.

Where Nav Fits Alongside D&B

Nav is a separate company that shows business credit data from several bureaus in one dashboard. According to Nav’s pricing page, as of November 2026 the plans are Free at $0, Track at $39.99 a month, Build at $49.99 a month and Expand at $74.99 a month. The Free plan shows basic business credit ranges from D&B, Creditsafe, Experian and Equifax. The Track and Build plans list 7 scores and report data across D&B, Creditsafe, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, and Expand lists 8, adding the FICO SBSS score.

Two caveats from that page. First, it says D&B data is included but does not name the PAYDEX specifically, so check what the plan shows before you rely on it for that number. Second, the Nav Credit Builder Card is described as designed to report business payment history to business credit bureaus, is issued by Column N.A., requires an active Build or Expand plan and is noted as in beta, with the page saying it is not included at signup. Nav does not say which specific bureaus receive the tradeline in the content I could load. Eligibility depends on your business. You can look at the plans through my Nav link. My Nav pricing breakdown compares the tiers in more detail. If Nav has changed its plan names since I checked, trust Nav’s page over mine.

What D&B Means for Running an Online Store

A D&B file matters most when you buy inventory on terms or sell to larger buyers. D&B says organizations may use a D-U-N-S Number to evaluate your business credit profile or onboard your company, so some suppliers may ask for one before opening a credit line, and some large buyers may check the SER Rating before onboarding you as a vendor. If you are still choosing a product category, my high-ticket niches list helps you see where supplier terms matter, since bigger tickets mean bigger vendor invoices and bigger PAYDEX weight.

If you are new to the model, start with what high-ticket dropshipping is and treat D&B as one tool in the back office, not the first thing to buy. In my experience, the order that works for most new stores is simple: form the entity, get the EIN, open the business bank account, request the free D-U-N-S Number, then pay vendors on time and confirm they are reporting. Paid monitoring can wait until you have vendors reporting and a reason to watch the file.

A Simple Checklist Before You Spend Anything

1. Confirm your legal name, address and entity type match across your state filing, IRS paperwork and bank account.
2. Look up whether a D-U-N-S Number already exists for your company, then request one if not.
3. Open the free Credit Insights tier and see what D&B shows for your file.
4. Ask your current suppliers whether they report to D&B, and whether they will confirm a reference.
5. Only then compare Basic, Plus or Premium against what you will actually use, and calendar the renewal date.

What I Could Not Verify

These items were not shown on the D&B pages I could load, so I am leaving them out rather than repeating third-party claims. I could not find a minimum number of trade experiences required to generate a PAYDEX, the data window used, how often scores update, or D&B’s day-by-day mapping of payment timing to PAYDEX points. D&B’s score overview also gave no description of the scales for every named rating. I also did not see a Concierge Service price. To confirm any of these, check D&B’s score pages or call the small business line shown on D&B’s business credit page.

FAQ

What is a good Dun & Bradstreet business credit score?
For the PAYDEX, D&B’s own bands put 80 to 100 in the low-risk range, 50 to 79 in moderate and 0 to 49 in high risk of late payment. What a specific supplier or lender wants varies, so ask them what they look for.

Is a D-U-N-S Number free?
Yes. D&B states there is no cost to request and receive one. Standard processing takes up to 30 business days, and expedited processing is a paid option that D&B says can take eight business days.

How do I check my D&B PAYDEX Score?
You can look at your file through D&B Credit Insights, which has a free tier at $0. D&B says its free tier excludes the Maximum Credit Recommendation and D&B Rating, and its free-tier page lists risk range indicators (low, moderate or high) for the PAYDEX, Delinquency, Failure and Supplier Evaluation Risk scores. It does not say whether the exact PAYDEX number is shown at the free tier, so check the tier description before you pay.

Does my D&B score affect my personal credit?
D&B says business scores rarely have much effect on your personal credit, and checks on only the business file do not affect it. It also says personal credit may still be reviewed when an application asks for your Social Security number or involves a personal guarantee.

Can I pay D&B to raise my score?
Not directly. D&B says submitted data is reviewed and may not be accepted or improve your scores. Its Concierge Service offers a refund promotion tied to documentation for three payment experience accounts, subject to terms, so read the terms first.

Not financial advice. D&B and Nav can change prices, plan names and score definitions at any time, so check the provider’s own pages before you buy or rely on any figure here.

Related Articles

These are the posts I would read next if you are building credit and supplier terms for a store.

• Dun & Bradstreet Review 2026
• Nav vs Dun & Bradstreet
• How to Build Business Credit for Your Ecommerce Store
• Business Credit Card With EIN Only
• How to Open a Business Bank Account for Your LLC

Trevor Fenner

Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and world traveler from Seattle, Washington, and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.

He maintains homes in Seattle and Bali, spends most of the year overseas, and usually returns to Seattle for about a month each summer.

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