Significance

• Creditors will report your account as a slow pay when you are 30 or more days late. Payments made late but less than 30 days late can only be viewed internally by the creditor; they don't appear on your credit file.
  
  

Considerations

• According to CreditCards.com, a payment which is 30 days late can lower a credit score of 680 by 60 to 80 points. A credit score of 780 can be decreased anywhere from 90 to 110 points.
  
  

Effects

• Credit scores are used by lenders to determine your level of risk. Scores range from 300 to 850. The higher your score, the better chance you have of receiving credit products with favorable terms.
  
  

Warning

• The later your payments are, the more it hurts your credit score. A payment which is 60 days past due will have a significant impact on your score.
  
  

Time Frame

• According to Experian.com, payments which are late by 30 to 180 days can remain on your credit file for seven years.