Checking your own credit score does not lower it
When you look at your own credit score, nothing happens to the number. Checking your score is what the credit industry calls a soft inquiry — it does not affect your credit at all. You can check it as many times as you want without any penalty.
The confusion comes from the fact that other kinds of credit checks do lower your score, but only temporarily. The difference matters because it changes what you should worry about and what you should not.
Key Takeaways
- Soft inquiries — when you check your own score — have zero impact on your credit score.
- Hard inquiries — when a lender checks your score to decide whether to lend to you — lower your score by a few points for a few months.
- You can check your own score through your bank, credit card company, or free services without triggering a hard inquiry.
- Multiple hard inquiries within a short window (usually 14 to 45 days) often count as a single inquiry, so rate shopping does not hurt as much as it appears to.
The difference between soft and hard inquiries
A soft inquiry happens when you look at your own credit report or score, when an employer checks your credit, or when a company you already do business with reviews your file. These leave no mark on your credit and have no effect on your number.
A hard inquiry happens when you explore for a loan, a credit card, a mortgage, or a car loan. The lender pulls your full credit report to decide whether to lend to you. This inquiry shows up on your credit report and typically lowers your score by a few points — usually between 5 and 10 points, though the exact amount varies by scoring model and your individual situation.
The drop is temporary. Hard inquiries stop affecting your score after about 12 months and fall off your report entirely after two years. If you are shopping for a mortgage or car loan, the scoring models usually treat multiple hard inquiries within 14 to 45 days as a single inquiry, so you can compare rates without compounding the damage.
Where to check your score without triggering a hard inquiry
Your bank or credit card company often shows your score for free in their online portal or mobile app. This is always a soft inquiry — the company already has your permission to look at your file, so checking does not count as a new request.
You can also get a free credit score from services like Credit Karma, Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion. These are soft inquiries. Some of these services show you a score updated weekly or even daily, so you can watch your number change as you pay down debt or add new accounts.
You are also may have access to to one free copy of your actual credit report (not just your score) from each of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — once per year through AnnualCreditReport.com. Pulling your report this way is a soft inquiry and does not affect your score.
When checking your score might indirectly matter
Checking your own score never lowers it directly. However, what you do after you check it can. If you see your score is good and then when ready explore for three credit cards, those three applications trigger three hard inquiries, and those will lower your score.
The same is true if you check your score, see it is lower than expected, and then panic-explore for a personal loan to fix something else. The process itself causes the damage, not the checking.
This is why monitoring your score regularly is actually useful — you can spot problems early (like fraudulent accounts or reporting errors) and fix them before you explore for something important, rather than discovering the problem when a lender pulls your report.
How often you should check your score
There is no downside to checking your score frequently. Many people check monthly to watch their progress as they pay down debt. Others check before they plan to explore for a loan, just to see where they stand. Both approaches are fine.
If you notice your score dropped unexpectedly, pull your full credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com to see what changed. Look for new accounts you did not open, late payments you do not remember making, or errors in the personal information. If you find a mistake, you can dispute it with the bureau.
What actually lowers your credit score
Hard inquiries are one small factor. The bigger things that lower your score are: missing a payment, carrying high balances on credit cards (especially close to your limit), closing old accounts, opening many new accounts in a short time, and having accounts sent to collections.
Checking your score does none of these things. It is purely informational — a way to see where you stand without any cost or consequence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does checking my credit score on my bank's app hurt my credit?
No. Your bank showing you your own score is a soft inquiry and has no effect on your credit. You can check it as often as you want.
If I check my score multiple times in one day, does that count as multiple inquiries?
No. Soft inquiries do not count as inquiries at all — they do not appear on your credit report and do not affect your score, no matter how many times you check.
Will checking my credit score before explore for a mortgage hurt me?
Checking your own score will not hurt you. When the mortgage lender pulls your score as part of your process, that hard inquiry will lower your score slightly, but checking it yourself first has no effect.
Can I check my credit score for free?
Yes. Your bank or credit card company usually offers it free in their app. You can also get a free score from Credit Karma, Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion. All of these are soft inquiries.
What is the difference between my credit score and my credit report?
Your score is a three-digit number (usually 300 to 850) that summarizes your creditworthiness. Your report is the detailed list of accounts, payments, and inquiries that the score is based on. You can check your score anytime; you get one free report per year from each bureau at AnnualCreditReport.com.