Do NOT pay collection accounts thinking it will help your credit - it won't. See below.
Paying off a collection balance of $1,000 dropped a 630 FICO score to a 590
Unfortunately this is an all too common occurrence as any of you with
collections have probably experienced. There’s a deficiency in the credit reporting system that shows recent activity on a collection account, if you were to make a payment. This recent activity makes the collection look younger and can result in a score drop. In my simulation the “recency” of the collection went from “greater than three years old” to less than 12 months. When you make a payment on a collection the collection agency will report the new balance to the credit reporting agencies. The “date reported” on the collection account will be the then current date, which can lead to the score drop.