how can i improve my credit score?

i have some old bills on my credit history...some are over 5 years....others that are more recent i would like to pay off but in a way that makes my credit better...or anything that will get my credit better because i eventually want to buy a house and all that. so what can i do? i have no credit cards and most of my debt are hospital bills, one old phone bill, and a reader's digest bill of children's books that my ex took out in my name for our baby.

Public Comments

1. There is some useful advice here.
2. Pay your old bills and pay recent debts on time!
3. First: make sure you pay all of your bills on time. Second: start paying more than the minimum amount owed. Third: Pay off all debts. Fourth: Save money in easily accessable accounts: money markets, CD's, bank savings accounts.
4. talk to a lawyer
5. The best way to improve your score is to always pay everything on time, even if you are only able to make the minimum payment. Late payment history lowers your score more than anything else. Balances on revolving accounts also lower your score, especially if they are close to the credit limit. New credit is also detrimental, so avoid taking out new credit cards unless absolutely necessary. Avoid finance companies, as the are considered high risk. If you have adverse items that are more than 5 years old, paying them off will help somewhat, and they are less damaging than newer negative accounts. They will purge in a couple of years, and will no longer negatively affect your score.
6. Paying any outstanding bills wont automatically change your credit score immediately, You should, of course, pay them, but be sensible about your incomings and outgoings. Firstly, make a graph or table, with all your incoming finances and outgoing finances on, be sensible, don't for instance say to yourself I can manage with £50 worth of something when it normally costs £60, in fact put down £61!. Also don't forget 'emergency' money, keep back a little somewehere for emergencies, cover your options well. When you have sorted out your finances, work out how much available cash you have, and then work out how much you can afford to pay each of your creditors. Then TALK TO THEM. It's no good trying to skirt around the matter. At the end of the day they want their money, and they'd rather have a box half full than empty. Have a look at this superb website (mainly for the UK, although the advice may help anywehere I guess)http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/
7. I hope this info would help you: Step-by-Step Credit Repair Guide http://www.debt-loan-refinance-mortgage-credit.com/category/Step-by-Step-Credit-Repair-Guide.html
8. I suggest you try to understand how your credit score is calculated and how to improve it : http://financialbasics.blogspot.com/2006/11/credit-reports-and-credit-reporting.html This other article will tell you where you can get a free copy of your report, and what to look out for when analyzing it : http://financialbasics.blogspot.com/2006/11/its-your-credit-take-care-of-it.html Credit is a numbers game. The better educated you are about it, the better chance you have of doing a good job managing it.
9. Credit scores will require new accounts that are paid on time to improve. Anything over 5 years is usually not going to affect current credit but if current credit doesn't exist the scores will not improve. Here is some additional info. Hope this helps.
10. any bills that you pay off that are on your credit report will definatley bring your credit score up.Note: nothing can get reported to the credit bur.unless you are 30 days late.so if you have a credit card and it is due on the 15th and you pay it on the 25th( for example) the credit card co.can charge you a late fee but it does not effect your credit score.so try to pay before that 30 days.also note: utility bills that are late or not paid do not go on your credit,so if you want to pay past bills- pay the ones on your credit report and your score will go up.
11. Correct blatant mistakes. Your credit score is only as good as what shows up in your credit report. Review your reports from all three credit bureaus for accuracy once a year as well as several months before applying for a loan. Changing a mistake on your report - such as a payment that is wrongly labeled as late -- can take 30 days to three months, sometimes longer. Pay your bills on time. This is always a good practice, and it's especially critical that you make prompt payments close to the time you need a loan. That's because a late or missed payment in the last few months is likely to lower your score much more than an isolated late payment five years ago. Reduce your credit card balances. A heavily weighted factor in your FICO score is how much money you owe on your credit cards relative to your total credit limit. Generally, it's good to keep your balances at or below 25 percent of your credit card limit.
12. pay your bills. thats the only way to fix bad credit.