HR 5402: Credit Access and Inclusion Act of 2026

HR 5402 in plain English: This bill allows landlords, utility companies, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to report on-time rent, utility, and telecommunications payments to credit bureaus, potentially helping consumers build credit history. It also prevents energy utilities from reporting a consumer as late on payments if that consumer is actively following an agreed-upon payment plan. The Government Accountability Office would be required to study the effects of this reporting on consumers.

Stated purpose

The bill aims to allow landlords, utility companies, telecommunications providers, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to report consumers' on-time payment histories for rent, utilities, and telecom services to credit bureaus, in order to help consumers with little or no traditional credit history build a credit record.

Key points

• Permits reporting of on-time rent and utility payments to consumer credit reporting agencies
• Allows HUD to report consumer payment performance under lease agreements
• Bars energy utilities from marking a consumer late if they are meeting an active payment plan
• Limits civil liability for those who furnish this new payment data to credit bureaus
• Requires the GAO to study the consumer impact of reporting rent and utility payment data

Arguments supporters make

• Millions of people who reliably pay rent and utilities every month get no credit score benefit from doing so; this bill gives them a way to build credit history using bills they already pay.
• Expanding credit access can help lower-income and younger consumers qualify for loans, housing, and jobs that require a credit check, reducing financial inequality.
• Consumers on utility payment plans are shielded from being marked late, so the bill includes protections that balance the new reporting with fairness for struggling households.

Arguments opponents make

• Reporting is permitted but not required, so landlords and utilities that serve higher-income customers may be more likely to participate, potentially benefiting wealthier renters more than low-income ones.
• Negative payment information — such as a missed utility bill — could also reach credit bureaus under this framework, potentially harming the credit scores of the very people the bill intends to help.
• Civil liability protections are removed for violations of this provision, meaning consumers may have weaker legal recourse if their payment data is reported inaccurately by a landlord or utility.

Tradeoffs

Giving consumers a new path to build credit through rent and utility payments also creates a new channel through which negative payment data can affect their credit scores; the bill expands opportunity while potentially increasing financial risk for those who fall behind.

Current status in Congress: In committee.

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