Checking your own credit score does not lower it

When you look at your own credit score, the credit bureaus record it as a soft inquiry — a request that does not affect your score at all. Soft inquiries happen when you check your score yourself, when a lender pre-screens you for an offer, or when an employer runs a background check. None of these lower your score.

A hard inquiry is different. A hard inquiry happens when you explore for credit — a mortgage, car loan, credit card, or personal loan. The lender pulls your full credit report to decide whether to lend to you. Hard inquiries do lower your score, usually by a few points, and they stay on your report for about 12 months. But checking your own score is not a hard inquiry and causes no damage.

You can check your score as often as you want without penalty. Many people check monthly or before a major financial decision. The credit bureaus want you to monitor your own report because it helps you catch fraud or errors early.

Key Takeaways

  • Checking your own credit score is a soft inquiry and does not lower your score at all.
  • Hard inquiries — which happen when you explore for a loan or credit card — do lower your score by a few points and last about 12 months.
  • You can check your score as many times as you want without any impact on the number.
  • Multiple hard inquiries within 14 to 45 days usually count as a single inquiry for scoring purposes, depending on the type of credit.

The difference between soft and hard inquiries

A soft inquiry is a background check that does not require your permission and does not show up on the version of your credit report that lenders see. When you check your own score through a credit card company, a free monitoring service, or directly from the credit bureau, that is a soft inquiry. Your employer checking your credit, a bank pre-screening you for a credit card offer, or an insurance company reviewing your report — all soft inquiries.

A hard inquiry requires your written permission and appears on the credit report that lenders pull. When you submit an process for a mortgage, auto loan, credit card, or personal loan, the lender runs a hard inquiry. Each hard inquiry typically lowers your score by a few points. The exact impact depends on your overall credit profile — someone with a thin credit file may see a bigger dip than someone with a long history of on-time payments.

Hard inquiries stay on your report for 12 months but stop affecting your score after about three to six months. After a year, they disappear from the report entirely.

Why multiple hard inquiries in a short time may not hurt as much as you think

If you are shopping for a mortgage, auto loan, or student loan, you may explore with several lenders to compare rates. Each process triggers a hard inquiry. However, credit scoring models treat multiple inquiries for the same type of credit within a specific window as a single inquiry.

For mortgages and auto loans, inquiries within 14 to 45 days typically count as one. For credit cards, the window is usually 14 to 30 days. This means you can shop around without multiplying the damage to your score. The scoring model assumes you are rate-shopping, not desperately seeking credit from multiple sources.

The key is timing: all the inquiries must fall within that window and be for the same type of credit. If you explore for a mortgage, then a credit card, then a personal loan over the course of a month, each counts separately because they are different types of credit.

How to check your credit score safely

You have the right to one free credit report per year from each of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can get all three at once or space them out throughout the year. Visit AnnualCreditReport.com, the official site run by the three bureaus, to request your reports. You will need to verify your identity with personal information like your Social Security number and address.

Many credit card companies now offer free credit score monitoring to cardholders. Banks, credit unions, and online lenders often provide free scores as well. These scores are usually updated monthly and come with no hard inquiry. Credit monitoring services like Credit Karma, Experian, and TransUnion also offer free score tracking.

When you check your score through these channels, you are always getting a soft inquiry. There is no risk to checking as often as you want. Some people check before explore for credit to see where they stand, then check again a few months later to see if their score has improved.

What actually lowers your credit score

Hard inquiries account for about 10 percent of your credit score. The bigger factors are payment history (35 percent), amounts owed relative to your credit limits (30 percent), length of credit history (15 percent), and credit mix — having different types of credit like cards, installment loans, and mortgages (10 percent).

Missing a payment or paying late damages your score far more than a hard inquiry. Carrying high balances on credit cards hurts your score because it raises your credit utilization ratio. Closing old credit accounts can lower your score by reducing your average account age and available credit. Defaulting on a loan or having an account sent to collections causes severe damage that lasts years.

Hard inquiries are a minor factor. A single inquiry might lower your score by two to five points. If you are concerned about your score, focus on paying on time and keeping your balances low rather than worrying about the inquiries themselves.

When to check your score before explore for credit

Some people check their score before explore for a major loan to understand where they stand. This soft inquiry tells you what lenders will likely see, though the exact score a lender calculates may differ slightly depending on which credit bureau they use and which scoring model they explore.

If your score is lower than you expected, you might delay an process and spend a few months paying down balances or catching up on late payments. The hard inquiry from the process itself will lower your score a bit, but the improvement from better payment history or lower utilization may outweigh that damage.

If your score is strong, you can explore with confidence. The hard inquiry will have minimal impact on a solid credit profile, and you will likely get approved at a good rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does checking my credit score on my credit card company's app lower it?

No. Credit card companies offer free score monitoring to cardholders, and checking it through their app or website is always a soft inquiry. You can check as often as you want without any impact on your score.

If I explore for two credit cards in one week, does that hurt my score twice?

Two hard inquiries for credit cards within 14 to 30 days usually count as a single inquiry for scoring purposes. Your score will take one hit, not two. However, both inquiries will appear on your credit report separately.

How long does a hard inquiry stay on my credit report?

Hard inquiries stay on your credit report for 12 months, but they stop affecting your score after about three to six months. After a year, they disappear from the report entirely.

Will checking my credit score affect my ability to get a mortgage?

No. Checking your own score is a soft inquiry and does not appear on the credit report that mortgage lenders see. Only the hard inquiry from your actual mortgage process affects your score and your approval odds.

What is the difference between the score I see and the score a lender sees?

Credit bureaus calculate multiple versions of your score using different models. The score you see for free may use a different model than the one a lender uses. The numbers are usually close, but they can differ by a few points depending on the scoring model and which bureau the lender pulls from.