How Chase Calculates 24 Months: Exact Date Math for Open Slots

The short answer: Chase counts 24 calendar months backward from the date you apply. A card opened on June 15, 2023 falls off your count on June 15, 2025, not July 1, 2025 or any other rounded date. The account does not need to be closed. Only the opening date matters for the 5/24 calculation.

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What exactly does "24 months" mean to Chase's system?

Chase uses the calendar month of the account opening date, measured back exactly 24 months from your application date. If you apply on June 20, 2025, any card opened on or before June 20, 2023 is outside the window and does not count toward your 5/24 total.

This is not a rolling 730-day calculation. It is month-and-day specific. A card opened June 21, 2023 would still count on an application submitted June 20, 2025, because it sits inside the 24-month lookback. Wait one more day, apply June 21, 2025, and that card disappears from your count. That single day is the difference between 4/24 and 5/24 for a lot of people.

The practical implication: your "drop date" is the same calendar date, two years later. Set a reminder for the exact date, not the first of the following month.

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Does the account have to be closed before it drops off?

No, the account does not need to be closed for it to drop off the 5/24 calculation. Chase looks at when the account was opened, not its current status or closure date. Keeping a card open past 24 months doesn't extend how long it counts.

No. Account status is irrelevant. Chase is looking at when the account was opened, not whether it is still open, and not when it was closed.

This surprises a lot of people who assume closing a card early will accelerate their drop below 5/24. It will not. Conversely, keeping a card open past the 24-month mark does not extend how long it counts against you. The opening date is the only variable Chase's automated system reads for this calculation. Data points shared consistently across communities like r/churning confirm that closed accounts still count until the 24-month window passes.

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Which accounts actually count toward 5/24?

Personal credit cards from any issuer typically count towards the 5/24 rule. Business cards usually do not, as they rarely appear on your personal credit report. Only new accounts visible on your personal report are considered.

Most personal credit cards from any issuer count. Business cards from most major issuers do not, because they typically do not appear on your personal credit report.

Specifically, the cards that count are those that show up as new accounts on your personal credit report. Chase's own reconsideration data points and community-tracked approvals consistently show that the following count:

• Personal cards from Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, Discover, and most other issuers
• Store cards that report to personal credit bureaus
• Authorized user accounts (more on this below)

The following generally do not count:

• Business cards from Chase Ink, Amex Business, Citi Business, Capital One Spark, and most other major business issuers
• Charge cards that do not report to personal bureaus (rare edge case)

Capital One is a notable exception on the business side: Capital One Spark business cards do report to personal credit bureaus and therefore do count toward 5/24. This catches people off guard regularly.

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Do authorized user accounts count, and can I remove them?

Authorized user (AU) accounts do count toward 5/24 if they appear on your personal credit report, but Chase has historically allowed reconsideration representatives to manually remove them from the count when you explain the situation.

The standard approach many people take: call the reconsideration line after a denial, explain that the account is an authorized user card you do not control, and ask the representative to exclude it. This is not guaranteed, but it is a documented and widely reported path. The r/churning wiki on Chase covers this reconsideration process in detail.

If you want to be proactive, removing yourself as an authorized user from the account before applying can cause the tradeline to drop off your credit report, which removes it from the count entirely. Allow 30 to 60 days for the bureau to update before applying.

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How do I figure out my exact 5/24 count and drop dates?

Pull your full credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com and look at the "date opened" field for every personal credit card account opened in the last 24 months.

Here is the process many people use:

1. List every personal card account with an open date in the last 24 months
2. Note the exact date opened for each
3. Count them. That is your current 5/24 number
4. For each card, the drop date is the same month and day, two years after the open date
5. Sort by drop date to see which card falls off soonest

For example: if you have five cards opened on August 3, 2023 / November 12, 2023 / February 28, 2024 / May 10, 2024 / September 1, 2024, you are currently at 5/24. The August 3, 2023 card drops off August 3, 2025. Apply August 4, 2025 and you are at 4/24 and eligible for most Chase cards.

Tools like Credit Karma or your card issuer's credit monitoring feature can show open dates, but always verify against your actual credit report. Discrepancies exist, and the bureau data is what Chase's system reads.

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Does the application date or approval date determine my 5/24 position?

Your 5/24 position is evaluated at the moment Chase pulls your credit report, which happens at application. The approval date, the date the card arrives in the mail, and the date you activate it are all irrelevant to the calculation.

This also means that if you apply for two Chase cards on the same day, the second application is evaluated on the same credit pull data as the first. A common approach is to apply for both cards within minutes of each other so that neither new Chase account appears on the report Chase is reading. Apply days apart and the first card may have already posted to your bureau, potentially pushing you over 5/24 before the second application is reviewed.

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The bottom line on date math

The calculation is simpler than most people expect once you see it clearly: same date, two years later, based on account open date, regardless of whether the account is open or closed. Knowing your exact drop dates down to the day lets you time applications precisely instead of waiting an extra unnecessary month because of fuzzy math.

Frequently asked questions

How does Chase calculate the 24 months for the 5/24 rule?

Chase counts exactly 24 calendar months back from your application date, not rolling 12-month periods. If you opened a card on March 15, 2023, it falls off your 5/24 count on April 1, 2025 — the first day of the month following the 24-month anniversary. Chase uses the month an account was opened, so the precise day matters less than the month and year reported on your credit report.

When exactly does a card drop off my 5/24 count?

A card drops off your 5/24 count on the first day of the month that is 25 months after the account opening month. For example, a card opened in January 2023 stops counting against you on February 1, 2025. This is because Chase looks at whether the open date falls within the past 24 complete months, making the 25th-month mark your true "safe" application window.

Does Chase count authorized user cards toward 5/24?

Yes, authorized user accounts typically appear on your credit report and count toward your 5/24 total, though Chase sometimes overlooks them. If an authorized user card is pushing you over 5/24, you can ask the primary cardholder to remove you, then request a manual reconsideration with a Chase representative who can manually exclude it from the count during your application review.

How do I find out my current 5/24 status before applying?

Pull your credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com and count every new card account opened in the past 24 months, including authorized user cards and store cards. Tools like 524tracker.com let you enter your card opening dates to automatically calculate your exact count and show you the precise date your oldest qualifying card will drop off, giving you a clear application timeline.

Can I apply for a Chase card the same day I hit under 5/24?

Yes, you can apply on the exact day you drop below 5/24, which is the first of the month 25 months after your oldest qualifying card's opening month. Chase pulls your credit report in real time, so if that card no longer appears within the 24-month window at the moment of application, it will not count against you. Applying early in the morning on that date is generally safe.