

How much of a change in your credit score will depend on your overall credit profile. Therefore, if you pay off a personal loan early, you could bring down your average credit history length and your credit score. Generally, the longer your credit history, the better your credit score will be. Your credit history length accounts for 15% of your FICO score and is calculated as the average age of all of your accounts. If you pay off the personal loan earlier than your loan term, your credit report will reflect a shorter account lifetime. Closed accounts aren't weighted as heavily as open accounts when calculating your FICO score, so once you pay off your personal loan, you'll have fewer open accounts on your credit report.

But when you pay off an installment loan, it appears as a closed account on your credit report. The loan can also improve your credit mix, which makes up 10% of your FICO score. When you take on a personal loan, you add to the number of open accounts on your credit report. When you're done repaying the loan, the account is closed. Installment debt is a form of credit that requires you to repay the amount in regular, equal amounts within a fixed period of time. Credit card debt, on the other hand, is revolving debt, which means there's no set repayment period and you can borrow more money up to your credit limit as you make payments. So shouldn't the same be true when paying off your personal loan?Īccording to Experian, personal loans don't operate the same way because they are installment debt.

This means your utilization rate, which makes up 30% of your credit score, is lowered and it can help you give your credit score a little boost. When you pay down your credit card balance, you lower the amount of credit card debt you have in relation to your total credit limit. Typically, you'll need good to excellent credit to qualify for the best personal loans with the best terms. If you'd prefer looking into a peer-to-peer lender, LendingClub is another option for loans with no prepayment fee. SoFi, for example, won't charge you a prepayment fee for paying off the loan early and there's also no origination fees or late payment fees. There are a number of lenders that don't charge a prepayment penalty. The calculation method will vary from lender to lender, but any prepayment penalties would be outlined in your loan agreement. The prepayment penalty might be calculated as a percentage of your loan balance, or as an amount that reflects how much the lender would lose in interest if you repay the balance before the end of the loan term. However, some lenders may charge a prepayment penalty fee for paying the loan off early. Making an extra payment each month or putting some, or all, of a cash windfall, toward your loans, could help you shave a few months off your repayment period. It is possible to pay off your personal loan early, but you may not want to. Car loans are generally six years long on average, while student loans typically have a 10-year timeline, but it could take longer if you're on an income-driven repayment plan. The repayment period for a personal loan can be anywhere from two to five years, but some are as long as seven years. Like a car loan or a student loan, you'll receive a lump sum of money that you need to repay in monthly installments over a fixed period of time (known as the loan's term) along with interest charges. While you may need to explain how you plan to use the money on your application, there generally isn't a hard and fast rule about how you use your personal loan.

Personal loans can be used for pretty much any expense - a wedding, a home renovation, a vacation and even debt consolidation. Car loans are meant for helping you purchase a vehicle. Student loans are used for paying tuition and other costs associated with an education. You'll want to consider things like interest rates, billing cycles, loan terms and any fees as you make your plan. And each is a little different, so it's practically impossible to have a one-size-fits-all approach to debt payoff. There are an abundance of financial products out there when you need money to pay for something.
