Your credit score is calculated using a formula with a ton of inputs. But while the companies behind your score don't make the exact calculation public, we do know the most important factors in our credit.

You may hear a lot of theories about tricks to quickly fix your credit, but there are two things you should focus on above anything else: Always pay on time, and keep your rotating account balances low. If you can do those two things and resist the urge to tinker with your credit report, much of the rest of your credit will take care of itself.

 

Here are the two most important strategies you can use to build an excellent credit score in the short and long term.

 

While we don't know exactly how your credit score is calculated, the big credit-scoring agencies have given us a lot of insight into the high-level factors. These are the top five inputs in your credit score:

If you add up the bottom three factors, you get 35% of your credit score. That means the top factor alone is worth as much as the bottom three combined.

 

While you should certainly not ignore your average age of credit, pursuit of new credit, and credit mix, those factors don't deserve much attention. Unless you are planning to apply for a new mortgage or auto loan in the next six to 12 months, there are two clear places to put most of your efforts: payment history, and debt balances.

Payment history makes up 35% of your credit score, and your current debt balances make up 30%. Combined, that's 65% of your score. If you put your efforts here, the rest should fall into place.

Also, consider how your credit-score factors come together. If you pay your credit card on time for years, your length of credit history will increase over time. If you don't sign up for new credit accounts while doing it, your new-credit factor won't drag down your score.

 

Now that you know where to focus, let's take a look at what you should do to get a perfect score in the payment-history and debt-balances portions of your credit score.

The most important factor in your credit score is your payment history, so this deserves the most focus. Further, a late payment stays on your credit report for seven years, so it takes a long time to fix a mistake in this area.

Contrary to a popular myth, you don't need to carry a balance to build an on-time-payment history. If you don't have to make a payment, it's considered similar to an on-time payment. Just make sure you use your cards at least every once in a while to avoid having them closed for inactivity.

The easiest way to avoid late payments is to set up automatic payments. I have a few old credit cards that get a small charge every month — one gets Netflix, one gets Spotify, and one gets Hulu. I generally don't use those cards for anything else, so I have autopay set up, and I never have to worry about paying late or overdrafting.

 

I generally pay off my more active accounts in full a few times a month. This helps me avoid having to make one big payment at the end of the month. There is no penalty for making extra payments, only for missing a payment.

If there is any one thing you should do for your credit, it is always pay on time. No exceptions.

The second-biggest factor is your credit balances, which make up 30% of your score. If you have bad credit and high credit-card or credit-line balances, paying them off in full is often the fastest way to improve your score.

 

Paying off your credit cards may be easier said than done, but the best strategy for your balances is keeping them at $0, or paying them off in full each month. If you pay off your card in full by the due date, you never have to pay interest.

Paying on time and keeping your balances low saves you money and builds your credit. If you have credit-card balances, paying them off is the biggest win-win you can find. Sticking with a debt-avalanche plan may help you get those balances paid off for good.

I have ultra-frugal friends who obsess over things like saving $0.10 on a tube of toothpaste or a nickel on shampoo. While a penny saved may be a penny earned, focusing on big budget wins can put hundreds or thousands of dollars back in your pocket. Your credit works the same way.

 

A new credit inquiry typically dings your score by just a few points, where carrying a large balance on your credit cards can drag it down by dozens of points. A single late payment is a lot worse than a few inquiries. Focus on the big things, not the little things.

For your credit, the two big things are paying on time and keeping balances low. If you can do that, you'll be on track for short-term and long-term credit success.