Paydex is a business credit score maintained by Dun & Bradstreet. It runs from 1 to 100, and unlike almost every other credit score you will encounter, it measures one thing only: whether you pay your suppliers before the due date, on the due date, or after it.
That single-mindedness is what makes it unusual, and it is also what most articles about it get wrong. Below is what the score actually measures, how a business gets one, and, stated plainly, because it matters to anyone reading this on our site, which parts of it we can and cannot help with.
Key Takeaways
- Paydex is a Dun & Bradstreet score from 1 to 100 that measures payment timing alone, where 80 means paying exactly on the due date.
- Scores above 80 are earned only by paying ahead of terms, which makes Paydex the one business score where early payment is rewarded.
- A DUNS number is required before a Paydex score can exist, and applying directly through Dun & Bradstreet is free.
- Several separate payment experiences are needed before a score is calculated, so one supplier account will not produce one.
- The CEO Creative reports monthly to Equifax Business, Creditsafe and FairFigure, and not to Dun & Bradstreet, so a tradeline here does not feed Paydex.
What the Paydex score measures
Paydex is calculated from payment experiences reported to Dun & Bradstreet by your suppliers. Each experience records what was owed, what terms applied, and how many days elapsed between the due date and the payment. The score is weighted by the size of the transaction, so a large invoice paid late moves the number further than a small one.
The scale is unusual in that the midpoint is not the target:
| Paydex | What it reflects |
|---|---|
| 100 | Paid 30 days before the due date |
| 90 | Paid 20 days before the due date |
| 80 | Paid on the due date |
| 70 | Paid 15 days beyond terms |
| 50 | Paid 30 days beyond terms |
| 20 | Paid 120 days beyond terms |
Read that table carefully, because it contains the one fact that separates Paydex from every other score you deal with. Paying on time gets you 80, not 100. The remaining twenty points are available only for paying early. A business that never misses a due date and never pays ahead of it will sit at 80 indefinitely, and 80 is generally regarded as a solid, low-risk score.
Why paying early is rewarded here and nowhere else
On a consumer credit file, or on most commercial files, early payment is invisible. The record says the obligation was met as agreed, and that is the end of it. Paydex is built differently because it was designed for suppliers deciding how much credit to extend and on what terms, and to a supplier the difference between money arriving on day 30 and money arriving on day 10 is real.
The practical consequence is that Paydex is the only score where a deliberate policy of paying early produces a measurably better number. If a lender or supplier you care about pulls Paydex specifically, that is worth knowing. If they do not, paying early buys you a discount where one is offered and nothing else.
You need a DUNS number first
No DUNS number, no Paydex score. A DUNS number is a nine-digit identifier Dun & Bradstreet assigns to a business, and it is the key their whole system matches payment experiences against.
Applying is free and done directly through Dun & Bradstreet. You will need your legal business name, address, telephone number, entity type and the year you started. Two points are worth care here, because they cause most of the problems people run into later:
- Use your registered details exactly. The name on your formation documents, not a trading name, and the address that appears on your filings. Every payment experience has to match this record to attach to it.
- Check whether you already have one. Dun & Bradstreet creates records from third-party data, so businesses frequently have a DUNS number they never applied for. Applying again can create a duplicate record, and a duplicate splits your history in two.
Paid services exist that promise faster issuance. The free route works; the fee buys speed, not a different outcome.
How a score actually appears
A Paydex score requires payment experiences from suppliers who report to Dun & Bradstreet. Dun & Bradstreet has historically needed several distinct experiences before it will calculate one, so a single account will not produce a score.
This is where most businesses stall, and the reason is simple: a supplier can extend you thirty-day terms and report nothing at all. Terms cost a supplier nothing to offer. Reporting costs them administrative effort and gives them no direct benefit. So the population of suppliers who grant terms is much larger than the population who report, and larger still than the population who report to Dun & Bradstreet specifically.
The only reliable way to know is to ask, in writing, before you open the account: which bureaus do you report to, and how often?
Where The CEO Creative fits, stated plainly
We report monthly to Equifax Business, Creditsafe and FairFigure. We do not report to Dun & Bradstreet.
That means a tradeline with us does not feed a Paydex score. We would rather say so directly than let the impression stand, because a business specifically trying to build Paydex needs suppliers who report to D&B, and we are not one of them.
What a tradeline with us does build is a payment record on three commercial bureaus that lenders, insurers and other suppliers do pull. Those files work on the more conventional basis: what matters is that credit was extended and met as agreed, and on-time is the standard being measured.
The terms, so you can compare them against anyone: net 30, meaning the balance falls due 30 calendar days from the invoice date. Applications are assessed on your EIN, with no personal guarantee and no personal credit check, and a decision is returned within one business day. Orders start at a $60 minimum, and approved accounts carry credit lines up to $5,500. We are BBB Accredited and hold an A+ rating.
A realistic way to think about it
If your goal is a Paydex score specifically, because a particular customer, insurer or contract requires one, then get a DUNS number, find suppliers who confirm in writing that they report to Dun & Bradstreet, and pay them early rather than merely on time.
If your goal is the broader one of having a business credit file at all, Paydex is one score among several, and building a record on the bureaus that lenders actually pull is the more direct route. Most businesses are in the second category and discover the distinction late, usually after months of orders with a supplier that never reported anywhere.
Either way, the questions are the same three: which bureaus, how often, and will you put it in writing.
Questions people ask about Paydex
What is a Paydex score?
A Paydex score is a business credit rating maintained by Dun & Bradstreet on a scale of 1 to 100, based solely on whether a company pays its suppliers early, on time, or late. A score of 80 means paying exactly on the due date. Scores above 80 are earned only by paying ahead of terms.
How do I find out which suppliers report to Dun & Bradstreet?
Ask the supplier directly, in writing, before opening the account. There is no reliable public list, because reporting relationships change and no vendor is obliged to maintain one. The question to ask is specific: which business credit bureaus do you submit payment data to, and how often. A supplier that reports will answer plainly; one that avoids the question is usually avoiding it for a reason.
You can also verify after the fact. Open the account, place and settle one order, then check your Dun & Bradstreet file after two reporting cycles. If nothing has appeared, either the supplier does not report there or your business details did not match their record.
Is 80 a good Paydex score?
Yes. A Paydex of 80 means every invoice was paid on the due date as agreed, and it is widely treated as a low-risk rating. Scores above 80 signal early payment rather than better reliability, so 80 is a normal target for a business paying correctly rather than a sign of anything lacking.
How long does it take to get a Paydex score?
Dun & Bradstreet needs several separate payment experiences from suppliers before it will calculate a score, so a single account will not produce one. Realistically this is measured in months rather than weeks, because each experience has to be reported on the supplier’s own cycle and then matched to your DUNS record.
Does a DUNS number cost anything?
No. Applying for a DUNS number directly through Dun & Bradstreet is free. Paid services exist that offer faster issuance, but they buy speed rather than a different result. Check whether your business already has a number before applying, because Dun & Bradstreet creates records from third-party data and a duplicate application splits your history.
Does The CEO Creative report to Dun & Bradstreet?
No. The CEO Creative reports monthly to Equifax Business, Creditsafe and FairFigure. A tradeline with us builds a record on those three bureaus and does not contribute to a Paydex score. If Paydex specifically is what you need, you will want suppliers who confirm in writing that they report to Dun & Bradstreet.
Open a net 30 account with The CEO Creative, EIN only, no personal guarantee, a decision within one business day, and monthly reporting to Equifax Business, Creditsafe and FairFigure.
This article is general information about how business credit scoring works and is not financial or legal advice. Paydex and DUNS are products of Dun & Bradstreet, with which The CEO Creative has no affiliation. Scoring criteria are set by the bureaus and can change.
