Checking your own credit score does not lower it
When you check your own credit score, it counts as a soft inquiry and has no effect on your rating. Soft inquiries do not appear on the credit report that lenders see, and credit scoring models ignore them entirely. You can check your score as often as you want without any penalty.
The confusion comes from hard inquiries, which do affect your score. A hard inquiry happens when a lender, landlord, or creditor pulls your report to make a lending decision — like when you apply for a mortgage, car loan, credit card, or apartment. These show up on your credit report and typically lower your score by a few points, though the impact fades over time.
The key difference is who is doing the checking and why. When you pull your own report to monitor your finances, that is a soft inquiry. When a business pulls it to decide whether to lend you money, that is a hard inquiry.
Key Takeaways
- Checking your own credit score is a soft inquiry and does not lower your rating or appear on reports that lenders see.
- Hard inquiries from lenders, landlords, or creditors do lower your score slightly, but the impact decreases over time and disappears after about 12 months.
- You can check your credit 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, depending on the scoring model) often count as a single inquiry, so rate shopping does not multiply the damage.
How soft inquiries work
A soft inquiry is a credit report pull that does not affect your score. This includes checking your own score, a creditor reviewing your account, or a business doing a background check. Soft inquiries are visible only to you on your credit report — lenders and other creditors cannot see them.
You can request your credit report for free once per year from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) through AnnualCreditReport.com. Checking through that site, through your bank's app, or through a credit monitoring service all count as soft inquiries. The same applies if you check your score through a credit card company or loan servicer that you already do business with.
Because soft inquiries carry no cost to your score, there is no reason to limit how often you check. Some people monitor their score monthly or even weekly to catch errors or track progress after paying down debt.
How hard inquiries lower your score
A hard inquiry typically lowers your score by a few points — often between 5 and 10 points, though the exact amount depends on your overall credit profile and which scoring model is used. The impact is temporary. After about 12 months, the hard inquiry stops affecting your score, and after two years it disappears from your credit report entirely.
Hard inquiries happen when you apply for credit: a mortgage, auto loan, personal loan, credit card, or apartment lease. The business pulls your full credit report to assess the risk of lending to you or renting to you. Each application generates one hard inquiry.
The damage from a single hard inquiry is small, especially if your score is already strong. The real risk comes from multiple hard inquiries in a short time, which can signal to lenders that you are desperate for credit or taking on too much debt at once.
Why multiple applications do not multiply the damage
If you are rate shopping — applying for a mortgage, auto loan, or credit card with several lenders to compare offers — the scoring models treat multiple inquiries within a short window as a single inquiry. This window is typically 14 to 45 days, depending on whether you are using the FICO Score or VantageScore model and which version of the score.
This rule exists because lenders know that shopping around is normal and responsible. Without it, consumers would be penalized for comparing rates. So if you apply for three mortgages within two weeks, those three hard inquiries may count as one for scoring purposes, limiting the damage to a few points instead of 15 or more.
The window does not apply to different types of credit. Applying for a mortgage and a credit card in the same week will generate two separate hard inquiries that do not combine, because the scoring models treat mortgage shopping and credit card shopping as different behaviors.
What shows up on your credit report
Your credit report lists all hard inquiries from the past two years, along with the date and the name of the business that pulled it. You can see this list when you request your free annual report from AnnualCreditReport.com or when you pull your report through a credit monitoring service.
Soft inquiries do not appear on this list at all. Only you can see them, and only if the credit bureau includes them in your report (many do not). Lenders, landlords, and other creditors cannot see soft inquiries when they pull your report.
If you see a hard inquiry on your report from a business you did not apply with, that is a sign of potential fraud. You can dispute unauthorized inquiries with the credit bureau, though the process takes time and the inquiry may not be removed if the business can prove you authorized it.
When to worry about hard inquiries
A single hard inquiry is not worth worrying about. The score impact is small and temporary, and most lenders expect to see a few inquiries on an active credit report. The concern arises when you have many hard inquiries in a short time — say, five or more within a few months — which can signal financial distress or reckless borrowing.
If you are planning to apply for a major loan like a mortgage or auto loan, it makes sense to avoid other credit applications for a few months before and after. This keeps your hard inquiry count low and shows lenders you are not desperately seeking credit. But if you have already applied for several things, the damage is done; the best strategy at that point is to wait for the inquiries to age and focus on paying down existing balances.
Hard inquiries also matter less if your credit score is already high. A score of 750 or above can absorb a few inquiries without dropping below the threshold for good rates. A score in the 600s is more vulnerable, so someone rebuilding credit should be more cautious about applications.
How to check your score safely
You can check your credit score through several free channels without triggering a hard inquiry. Your bank or credit card company often provides a free score through their app or website. Credit monitoring services like Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, and Experian also offer free scores updated regularly.
These services use soft inquiries, so checking through them has no impact on your rating. Some offer additional features like alerts when your score changes or when new accounts appear on your report — useful tools for catching fraud or tracking your progress.
For the most official version, request your free credit report once per year from AnnualCreditReport.com. This gives you the actual data the credit bureaus have on file, not just a score. You can stagger your requests — one bureau every four months — to monitor your report throughout the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does checking my credit score on my bank's app lower it?
No. Checking your score through your bank, credit card company, or any credit monitoring service is a soft inquiry and does not affect your rating. You can check as often as you want without penalty.
What if a lender checks my credit without my permission?
That is a hard inquiry and it does lower your score slightly. However, lenders are required to have a legitimate business reason to pull your report — usually a credit application you submitted. If you see a hard inquiry from a business you did not apply with, you can dispute it with the credit bureau.
How long does a hard inquiry stay on my report?
Hard inquiries remain on your credit report for two years, but they stop affecting your score after about 12 months. The older the inquiry, the less impact it has on your rating.
If I apply for a credit card and a car loan in the same week, do I get two hard inquiries?
Yes. The combined inquiry rule only applies when you are shopping for the same type of credit — multiple mortgages, multiple auto loans, or multiple credit cards. Applying for different types of credit generates separate hard inquiries that do not combine.
Can I remove a hard inquiry from my credit report?
Hard inquiries stay on your report for two years. You can dispute an unauthorized inquiry with the credit bureau, but removal is only possible if the business cannot prove you authorized it. Most authorized inquiries cannot be removed early, though they stop affecting your score after about 12 months.