Your CIBIL score is one of the most powerful numbers in your financial life. It determines whether you get a loan, what interest rate you pay, and how much credit a bank is willing to extend to you. If your score is currently sitting at 600, you’re in a challenging zone — most banks and NBFCs require a minimum score of 700 to 750 for loan approvals, and anything below that often results in rejection or unfavorably high interest rates.
The encouraging news is that moving from a 600 to a 750 CIBIL score is entirely achievable. It requires discipline, the right strategy, and consistent financial behavior over time. This guide breaks down exactly how to do it — step by step — so you can unlock better loan offers, lower interest rates, and greater financial freedom.
Understanding Why Your CIBIL Score Is at 600
Before fixing your score, it’s important to understand what’s pulling it down. A score of 600 typically indicates one or more of the following issues:
Missed or delayed EMI payments are the single biggest reason for a low CIBIL score. Even one 30-day late payment can cause a significant drop. High credit utilization — using more than 30% to 40% of your total credit card limit — signals financial stress to lenders and negatively impacts your score.
Multiple loan inquiries in a short period create multiple hard inquiries on your credit report, each of which slightly lowers your score. Loan settlements or write-offs in your history are serious red flags. When a bank settles a loan for less than the full outstanding amount, it gets recorded as “settled” rather than “closed” — which significantly damages your credit profile.
Short or thin credit history — having very few credit accounts or a recent credit start — can also result in a lower score due to insufficient data for risk assessment.
Get your free CIBIL report from the official CIBIL website or through RBI-authorised platforms and carefully review every entry before planning your recovery strategy.
Step 1: Pay All EMIs and Bills on Time — Without Exception
Payment history is the single most important factor in your CIBIL score, accounting for approximately 35% of the overall score calculation. If you have any current loans, credit cards, or EMIs — make every single payment on time, every month.
Set up auto-debit mandates for all your EMIs so that payments are never missed due to forgetfulness. Even if you’re facing a cash crunch, prioritize loan repayments above discretionary expenses. A single missed payment can undo months of score-building progress.
Going forward, maintain a zero-late-payment record. Over 12 to 18 months of consistent on-time payments, your score will begin climbing steadily. This is the foundation of any credit score recovery plan.
Step 2: Reduce Your Credit Card Utilization Below 30%
Credit utilization ratio — the percentage of your available credit limit that you’re currently using — is the second most influential factor in your CIBIL score. Ideally, you should keep this below 30%, and for faster score improvement, aim for under 20%.
If your credit card limit is ₹1 lakh and you’re regularly spending ₹60,000 to ₹70,000 on it, that 60–70% utilization is hurting your score significantly. You can fix this in two ways: either reduce your spending on the card, or request a credit limit increase from your bank without increasing your actual spending.
Paying your credit card bill in full every month — rather than paying only the minimum due — is the single best habit for long-term score improvement. Carrying a revolving balance signals financial stress and adds interest costs on top of the credit score damage.
Step 3: Do Not Apply for Multiple Loans or Cards Simultaneously
Every time you apply for a new loan or credit card, the lender performs a hard inquiry on your CIBIL report. Each hard inquiry temporarily reduces your score by a few points. If you’re applying to multiple lenders at the same time — in desperation after rejections — you could be making your score significantly worse.
During your score recovery phase, avoid applying for any new credit unless absolutely necessary. If you must compare loan offers, use soft inquiry platforms or loan aggregators that check eligibility without triggering a hard inquiry on your credit report.
Space out any credit applications by at least 6 months to allow your score to stabilize between inquiries.
Step 4: Resolve Any Settled or Defaulted Accounts
If you have any accounts marked as “settled,” “written off,” or “defaulted” on your CIBIL report, these are anchor weights dragging your score down. Resolving these should be a priority.
Contact the original lender and negotiate to repay the remaining outstanding balance in full. Once you pay the complete amount, request the lender to update the status from “settled” to “closed” with CIBIL. This process can take 30 to 90 days but can meaningfully improve your score once updated.
If there are any errors or incorrect entries on your CIBIL report — such as a loan you never took, a payment marked late that was actually on time, or an account that should be closed but shows as open — raise a CIBIL dispute immediately. Incorrect negative entries are surprisingly common and removing them can produce quick score gains.
Step 4: Resolve Any Settled or Defaulted Accounts
If you have any accounts marked as “settled,” “written off,” or “defaulted” on your CIBIL report, these are anchor weights dragging your score down. Resolving these should be a priority.
Contact the original lender and negotiate to repay the remaining outstanding balance in full. Once you pay the complete amount, request the lender to update the status from “settled” to “closed” with CIBIL. This process can take 30 to 90 days but can meaningfully improve your score once updated.
If there are any errors or incorrect entries on your CIBIL report — such as a loan you never took, a payment marked late that was actually on time, or an account that should be closed but shows as open — raise a CIBIL dispute immediately. Incorrect negative entries are surprisingly common and removing them can produce quick score gains.
Step 5: Build a Healthy Credit Mix
Lenders like to see that you can responsibly manage different types of credit. A healthy credit mix — consisting of both secured loans (like a home loan or car loan) and unsecured credit (like a credit card or personal loan) — positively influences your score over time.
If you currently have no active credit accounts, consider applying for a secured credit card — one backed by a fixed deposit. Banks like SBI, HDFC, Axis, and ICICI offer secured credit cards with limits equal to a percentage of your FD amount. Using this card for small purchases and paying the bill in full every month is one of the fastest ways to build a positive credit history with minimal risk.
A credit builder loan — offered by some NBFCs and fintech platforms — is another tool specifically designed to help people with low or no credit history establish a track record.
Step 6: Keep Old Credit Accounts Open
Many people make the mistake of closing old credit cards they no longer use, thinking it will clean up their credit profile. In reality, closing old accounts reduces your total available credit limit and can increase your utilization ratio — both of which hurt your score.
Keep your oldest credit accounts open and occasionally use them for small transactions to keep them active. The length of your credit history contributes positively to your CIBIL score, and older accounts carry more weight.
How Long Does It Take to Go from 600 to 750?
With consistent implementation of the above strategies, most individuals can expect to see meaningful improvement within 12 to 24 months. Here’s a realistic timeline:
Within the first 3 months, clearing outstanding dues, disputing errors, and reducing credit utilization can show early gains of 20 to 40 points. From month 6 to month 12, consistent on-time payments and reduced utilization can push your score into the 650 to 680 range. Between month 12 and month 24, a clean repayment track record across all accounts, combined with a resolved credit history, can take you well past the 720 to 750 mark.
Patience is key. Credit scores don’t recover overnight, but each positive financial decision compounds over time.
What Changes When You Hit 750?
Crossing the 750 threshold opens up a dramatically different world of financial opportunities. You become eligible for pre-approved personal loans and credit cards from top banks. Home loan and car loan interest rates drop by 0.25% to 1.00% — saving you lakhs over the loan tenure. Credit card companies offer premium cards with higher limits, cashback, and rewards. NBFCs and banks process your applications faster with minimal documentation.
A 750+ CIBIL score is essentially your financial passport — it tells every lender in India that you are a low-risk, trustworthy borrower.
Final Thoughts
Improving your CIBIL score from 600 to 750 is not a quick fix — it is a financial transformation. It requires you to build better money habits, resolve past credit mistakes, and stay consistent over 12 to 24 months. The payoff, however, is enormous: lower interest rates, faster approvals, higher loan amounts, and long-term financial confidence.
Start today by pulling your free CIBIL report, identifying the issues, and taking the first step toward a stronger credit future.
Disclaimer: CIBIL score improvement timelines vary based on individual credit history. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.