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The Daily Insight Hub

Can my son build credit by being an authorized user?

Author

Rachel Davis

Updated on January 20, 2026

Adding a child as an authorized user on your credit card can help those with limited or no credit history start building a credit file. This allows them to get better credit offers (loans, mortgages, car leases and more) once they are older.

Can authorized users build credit?

Being added as an authorized user on another person’s card may help you establish a credit history or build your credit. Yet cardholders and authorized users’ on-time, late or missed payments will be added to both parties’ credit reports, so it’s important that cardholders and authorized users see eye to eye.

Do authorized users inherit credit history?

When you are added as an authorized user to an account, you will inherit the credit history of that account (good or bad). If you have limited or no credit history, your credit score could quickly and dramatically improve with this method.

How much can being an authorized user help your credit?

Most credit bureaus track any authorized user activity in their annual credit reports, where you’ll find your credit score. Your credit history makes up 15 percent of your overall credit score. By piggybacking off of someone with established credit, you can bulk up your own report and earn a higher credit score.

Can I add my 7 year old to my credit card?

Your ability to add your child as an authorized user on your credit card depends on their age and your bank’s rules. Children who are 18 and older can be added as an authorized user without issue. But some banks may not allow children under a certain age to be added as an authorized user.

Does being removed as an authorized user hurt your credit?

The account will no longer appear on your credit report, and its activity will not be factored into your credit scores. That also means that your length of credit history, which constitutes 15% of your FICO® Score, will be affected.

What is a 5 24 rule?

What is the 5/24 rule? Many card issuers have criteria for who can qualify for new accounts, but Chase is perhaps the most strict. Chase’s 5/24 rule means that you can’t be approved for most Chase cards if you’ve opened five or more personal credit cards (from any card issuer) within the past 24 months.

Do you need a Social Security number to add an authorized user?

Some credit card companies let you add an authorized user without providing that individual’s Social Security Number (SSN). You only need their name, birthday and address in some cases. But requirements vary by credit card company, and not all of them will allow you to add an authorized user with no SSN.

Can a child be an authorized user on a credit card?

Adding a child as an authorized user on your credit card can help kids who have limited or no credit history start building a credit file. This allows them to get better credit offers (loans, mortgages, car leases and more) once they are older.

Can you add your daughter to your credit card?

You can add your daughter to your credit card account as an authorized user. If you have a good credit record, adding her to the account can help boost her credit score. But, if you have a bad credit history, it would reflect poorly on her too. Also, you will owe the amount that she charges.

Can a child open a credit card in their own name?

When it’s time for your children to open a credit card account in their own names, they can do so even if they are authorized users on your account for the same type of card.

How old does a child have to be to get a credit card?

Whether your child will develop a credit history of their own by adding them to your account as an authorized user depends on whether the credit card issuer reports information on authorized users to at least one credit bureau. TransUnion only creates a credit history if the reported user is 16 or older, a company spokesperson said.