A tax lien is considered a severe derogatory mark (similar to bankruptcies, collections, charge-offs, judgments, and repossessions), but they affect consumers in different ways. The lien may not affect you as seriously if you already had strong credit, but if you were already struggling with a low credit score, then the negative impact could drastically damage your score even more. Now that tax liens are being removed, individuals may see a modest increase -- up to 30 points -- in their score. However, even the smallest improvement to your credit score can mean the difference in receiving approval for a loan or credit card, or receiving a lower interest rate on a loan. Even though tax liens are being taken off your credit reports, the lien itself will not go away. Lenders are looking for reliable borrowers with positive credit history, but they will still consider tax liens -- even if does not impact your credit score. Lenders -- mortgage lenders in particular -- may look for this information on their own in order to make an informed decision on whether or not they want to lend to you.