What Reddit's CQS is and why your posts get removed
Updated · LuxOnly Creators
In this guide
Quick answer: CQS (Contributor Quality Score) is a hidden rating Reddit gives every account to estimate how trustworthy it is. It's not on your profile, but plenty of mods filter by it, so with a low score your posts just quietly disappear. You can check it for free, and it goes up the boring way: time, real participation and zero shortcuts.
What CQS is (and what it isn't)
Think of CQS as your account's background reputation. Everyone can see your karma; nobody can see your CQS. From what creators and mods report, Reddit builds it from signals like account age, whether your email is verified, how much of what you post gets removed, and how people react to you. Reddit doesn't publish the formula, so be skeptical of anyone who swears they know exactly how it works.
Here's the part that matters: mods can set up an automatic filter that removes posts from low-CQS accounts. That's why you can follow every visible rule in a subreddit and still watch your post vanish. If you're still setting up your account, the full Reddit playbook for creators walks you through the order of things; this page is just about this one score.
| CQS | Karma | Verification | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who can see it? | Nobody on your profile; you can look it up | Everyone | The subreddit that verified you |
| Who sets it? | Reddit, automatically | Other people's votes | Each sub's mods |
| What do subs use it for? | Filtering out sketchy accounts | Setting a minimum to post | Confirming you're the person in the photos |
| How does it go up? | Time and good behavior | Participating | Following each sub's process |
The CQS levels and what they mean for you
By most accounts, the score comes back as one of five levels: lowest, low, moderate, high and highest. Here's what people consistently report about each one:
| Level | What usually happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest | Almost everything you post in big communities gets filtered | Stop promoting. Just comment in communities you actually like, for a few weeks |
| Low | The strictest subs filter you; smaller ones sometimes let you through | More link-free participation, and track what gets removed and why |
| Moderate | Usually the minimum strict communities look for | Post less and better, and keep commenting at the same pace |
| High or highest | A CQS filter rarely gets in your way | Don't get comfortable: a couple of spammy weeks can drag it back down |
How to check your CQS for free
- Go to r/WhatIsMyCQS on the account you want to check.
- Read the pinned rules: they tell you what to use as a post title (usually anything works).
- Submit the post and wait for the automatic reply, which tells you your level within a few minutes.
- Write it down with the date in your tracker. The trend is what matters, not one random day.
Once a week, max, is plenty. That's the advice you'll hear over and over, and it makes sense: CQS moves slowly, and checking it daily just stresses you out. If a brand-new account comes back as "lowest," that's normal. There's no history to score yet.
Posts getting removed? How to tell if it's your CQS
A removed post can come from a lot of things, and CQS is only one of them. Rule out the rest before you blame it:
| What you see | Likely cause | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| Your post vanishes in one sub but not others | That sub's filter: minimum karma, account age, CQS or title format | Reread its rules and sidebar; if you still can't tell, ask via modmail |
| It gets removed in every strict sub at once | Low CQS | Check it on r/WhatIsMyCQS |
| You're asked to get verified | The sub only accepts verified accounts | Follow the step-by-step verification process |
| Nothing of yours shows up anywhere, not even your profile | Your account may be flagged for spam | See how to check for a Reddit shadowban |
One useful tell: if other creators your size post in the same sub with no trouble and you get filtered every single time, the problem is usually the account (CQS or karma), not the content.
How to raise your CQS without cheating
There's no magic button. What works, by most accounts (and by plain common sense, since the system rewards trust), is looking like what you are: a real person who actually uses Reddit.
- Verify your email and lock down the account. It's the quickest, easiest win. Check it in your account settings.
- Fill out your profile with a photo, display name and a short bio. An empty account looks disposable.
- Comment in communities that have nothing to do with your content: your shows, your city, your hobbies. Comments with substance, not "lol."
- Get as little removed as possible. Every removed post costs you trust, so read the rules first, and when in doubt, don't post.
- Save links for later. An account dropping links in its first week looks a lot like spam.
- Be consistent. A little every day for weeks beats one afternoon of a hundred comments.
- Check again after two or three weeks. If it hasn't moved, look at how much of your stuff is getting removed.
And if your score was fine and suddenly drops, think about what changed: more posts per day, the same photo everywhere, links in comments… The answer is almost always in there.
Template: your four-week CQS tracker
Week: __ · CQS (r/WhatIsMyCQS): lowest / low / moderate / high / highest · Comments this week: __ · Posts submitted: __ · Posts removed: __ (which subs: ____) · Links posted: __ · What I'm changing: ____
Four rows and you'll see a pattern. If removals go down and comments go up, your CQS follows. If removals are what's climbing, the score isn't the problem; it's where and how you're posting. In that case, go back and pick your subreddits more carefully.
Mistakes we see most
| Mistake | Why it costs you | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Checking CQS every day | It moves slowly; you just stress yourself out | Once a week, in your tracker |
| Mixing up CQS and karma | You can have high karma and low CQS if a lot gets removed | Work on both separately |
| Posting through a wave of removals | Every removal pushes the score lower | Pause promo and go back to commenting for a few weeks |
| Opening a new account "to start fresh" | If the old one is restricted, that's ban evasion and breaks Rule 2 | Fix the account you have |
| Falling for "raise your CQS in 24 hours" hacks | They don't exist, and they usually mean buying votes | Time and real participation |
Tools that actually help
- r/WhatIsMyCQS, to check your level every so often.
- Your account settings, to verify your email and turn on two-factor authentication.
- Each sub's pinned rules and sidebar: many say whether they filter by CQS, karma or account age.
- Modmail, to politely ask why something was removed.
- Reddit's Rules (reviewed November 9, 2026): Rule 2 asks you to participate authentically and bans spam and content manipulation. That's basically what CQS is measuring.
What we'd skip: services selling karma or votes, secondhand "high-CQS" accounts, or apps that comment for you. On top of breaking the rules, they're the fastest way to get your account flagged. For how this fits with every other platform, the promote without getting banned hub breaks it down one platform at a time.
Frequently asked questions
What does CQS mean on Reddit?
Contributor Quality Score: a hidden rating Reddit uses to estimate how trustworthy an account is. It's not on your profile, but mods can filter posts by it.
How do I check my Reddit CQS?
Post in r/WhatIsMyCQS the way its pinned rules describe. An automatic reply tells you your level. Checking once a week is plenty.
What CQS do I need to post?
Each subreddit decides. Most people treat moderate as a reasonable minimum for strict communities; smaller subs usually ask for less.
How long does it take to raise your CQS?
Weeks, not days. It depends on how much you participate, how little gets removed and how old the account is. Be wary of anyone promising results in hours.
To create on these platforms you must be 18 or older and verify your identity with the platform.
LuxOnly is not affiliated with OnlyFans, Fansly or Reddit. CQS is an internal Reddit system: what we describe is what creators commonly report, and it can change.