House financial services watch
Credit Access and Inclusion Act Could Put Rent on Your Credit File
The Credit Access and Inclusion Act of 2025 would expand credit reporting to rent, utility, and telecom payments, potentially helping Americans with thin credit files build a stronger record. It would also let consumers opt out in writing, limit certain utility reporting, and block late-balance reporting for energy customers keeping up with approved payment plans.
Key takeaway
The bill would make on-time everyday bills more visible to credit bureaus, but it also adds opt-outs and restrictions on utility reporting.
A House bill moving through committee could change one of the biggest blind spots in consumer credit: whether paying rent, electricity, gas, phone, and internet bills on time helps you build a credit history. The Credit Access and Inclusion Act of 2025 would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to let certain lease and utility payment information be reported to credit bureaus, a shift that could matter most for people with thin or limited credit files.
The bill was ordered reported by the House on June 30, 2026, which keeps it active in the legislative process and puts it on the radar for lenders, landlords, utilities, and consumers who are judged by credit history. At a time when access to affordable credit can hinge on a limited record of borrowing, lawmakers are considering whether routine bills should count more directly in the system that shapes loans, rentals, and financial opportunities.
What the bill would change in credit reporting
The Credit Access and Inclusion Act of 2025 would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to allow certain full-file consumer credit information to be sent to consumer reporting agencies. The bill specifically reaches payment performance on lease agreements for dwellings and on utility or telecommunications service contracts, which means rent and recurring service bills could become part of a consumer's credit profile if the information is furnished.
For many households, that is a meaningful change because on-time rent and utility payments are common but often invisible to traditional credit scoring. The bill is aimed at making everyday payment behavior count when a consumer has little or no credit history, which could matter when applying for loans, housing, or other credit products that rely on a credit file.
The proposal does not force everyone into the same reporting system. It includes a written opt-out, allowing consumers to refuse furnishing of this information to a reporting agency, though the choice would have to be made with the furnisher in writing.
Who could benefit, and who would need to adjust
The clearest beneficiaries would be consumers with thin or limited credit files, especially renters and households that consistently pay utility and telecom bills on time but do not use much traditional credit. For them, a longer payment record from rent or monthly services could help establish credit visibility and possibly improve access to loans or better borrowing terms.
Landlords, utilities, telecom providers, and consumer reporting agencies would need to adapt their systems if the bill becomes law. They would have to decide how to furnish the new information, how to honor written opt-outs, and how to handle the data accurately enough to avoid disputes over payment status or account history.
The measure may also raise practical questions for consumers who move often, share service accounts, or manage household bills in more than one name. Because the bill depends on how payment performance is recorded and furnished, the details of implementation could shape whether the new reporting actually broadens access or simply adds another layer of credit-file complexity.
Limits on utility reporting are built into the bill
The bill does not give utilities a blank check to report whatever they want. Under the proposed changes, utility usage information could be furnished only to the extent it relates to payment, deposits, discounts, or service interruption or termination terms. That is meant to narrow the reporting to financial behavior rather than broad household utility activity.
It also contains a targeted protection for customers on payment plans. An energy utility firm could not report a consumer as late on an outstanding balance if the customer is successfully following an approved payment arrangement, such as a deferred payment agreement, arrearage management program, or debt forgiveness program. In other words, a customer keeping up with an approved plan would not be treated as delinquent simply because the underlying balance still exists.
Those protections matter because utility bills are basic household obligations, not discretionary spending. The bill tries to distinguish between consumers who are falling behind and those who are actively working through arrears, while still allowing certain payment information to be used in credit reporting.
What the GAO would have to study next
The bill would also require a Government Accountability Office report within two years. That study would examine consumer impact and the effect of reporting cash-flow data on credit scores, which means Congress would get an evidence check on whether the policy is working as intended.
That reporting requirement is important because the bill's core argument is about expanding visibility into ordinary payment behavior. The GAO review would help lawmakers assess whether the added data improves credit access, changes score outcomes, or creates unintended consequences for consumers whose rent and utility histories become part of a bureau file.
In legislative terms, the study also signals that Congress is not treating the policy as settled. It leaves room for follow-up changes if the data show that the reporting helps some consumers but creates uneven results, compliance burdens, or disputes about how household bills are scored and used.
Key takeaways
- The bill would let certain rent, utility, and telecom payments be reported to credit bureaus.
- Consumers could opt out in writing, but they would need to make that request to the furnisher.
- Energy utilities could not report a customer as late if the customer is current under an approved payment plan.
- A GAO report would be required within two years to study consumer effects and score impacts.
- The measure is most relevant for people with thin or limited credit files.
FAQ
What is the Credit Access and Inclusion Act of 2025 trying to do?
It would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act so certain rent, utility, and telecom payment performance can be furnished to consumer reporting agencies, potentially helping consumers build credit histories from everyday bills.
Would everyone be automatically included in the new reporting?
No. The bill includes a written opt-out, so consumers could refuse to have this information furnished if they submit the request in writing to the furnisher.
Does the bill let utilities report anything they want?
No. It narrows utility reporting to information tied to payment, deposits, discounts, and service interruption or termination terms, rather than broad utility usage data.
What happens to customers on utility payment plans?
If an energy utility has an approved payment plan with a customer and the customer is following it, the bill would bar the utility from reporting the balance as late.