Checking your own credit score does not lower it
Pulling your own credit report or checking your score through a free service does not damage your credit. These are called soft inquiries, and they do not appear on the version of your credit report that lenders see. You can check your score as often as you want without penalty.
What does hurt your score is a hard inquiry — when a lender, landlord, or creditor pulls your report because you have asked them to consider you for credit. Hard inquiries stay on your report for about a year and can lower your score by a few points, though the damage fades over time.
The confusion exists because both actions involve someone looking at your credit file. But the credit bureaus treat them differently, and lenders do too. Understanding which is which matters because it changes how often you should check and when you should be cautious about who pulls your report.
Key Takeaways
- Soft inquiries — when you check your own score or a lender pre-screens you — do not lower your credit score and do not show up on reports lenders see.
- Hard inquiries happen when you apply for credit and do lower your score slightly, but the damage is temporary and fades after several months.
- 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 hurt as much as applying to many lenders separately.
- You have the right to one free credit report per year from each of the three major bureaus through AnnualCreditReport.com, and checking it does not affect your score.
The difference between soft and hard inquiries
A soft inquiry happens when you check your own credit score, when a company pre-screens you for an offer, or when an employer or landlord checks your credit with your permission for non-lending purposes. Soft inquiries do not lower your score. They appear only on the version of your report that you see, not on the version lenders pull.
A hard inquiry happens when you apply for a credit card, mortgage, auto loan, or other credit product and the lender pulls your full report to decide whether to lend to you. Hard inquiries do appear on the report that lenders see, and they can lower your score by a few points — usually between 5 and 10 points per inquiry, though the effect varies by scoring model and your overall credit profile.
The reason lenders care about hard inquiries is that they signal you are actively seeking new credit. Many applications in a short time can suggest financial distress or risky behavior, so lenders penalize it. But the penalty is small and temporary. After a few months, the impact shrinks, and after a year, the inquiry stops appearing on your report entirely.
Why multiple applications for the same type of credit do not multiply the damage
If you are shopping for a mortgage, auto loan, or other installment credit, you can apply to multiple lenders within a short window without multiplying the hit to your score. Most scoring models treat multiple inquiries for the same type of credit as a single inquiry if they happen within 14 to 45 days of each other (the exact window depends on which scoring model the lender uses).
This protection exists because lenders know that rate shopping is normal and rational. You should compare offers from several banks or mortgage brokers without fear that each application will tank your score. The key is speed: apply to all of them within the same short period, not spread across weeks or months.
Credit card applications do not get the same courtesy. Each card application counts as a separate hard inquiry, and they do not get bundled together. If you apply for three credit cards in one month, that is three hard inquiries, each with its own small penalty.
When you should check your credit and when you should not
Check your credit report at least once a year through AnnualCreditReport.com, which is the only site authorized by federal law to provide free reports from all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). Checking it yourself costs nothing and does not lower your score. You can also check your score for free through many banks, credit card issuers, and credit monitoring services — these are all soft inquiries.
Be cautious about who you give permission to pull your report. Before you apply for credit, understand that the lender will do a hard inquiry. If you are not serious about taking the credit, do not apply. Similarly, if you are shopping for a specific type of credit (a car loan, a mortgage), do your shopping quickly and apply to multiple lenders within a short window rather than spreading applications over time.
Avoid services that claim to "remove" hard inquiries or that charge money to monitor your credit. Hard inquiries cannot be removed unless they were placed without your permission, which is a violation you can dispute. Legitimate credit monitoring is free through many sources, and paying for it does not improve your score.
What actually damages your credit score
Hard inquiries are a minor factor in your credit score. The real damage comes from payment history (35 percent of your score), amounts owed (30 percent), length of credit history (15 percent), credit mix (10 percent), and new credit (10 percent). Missing a payment, carrying high balances, or closing old accounts hurts far more than a hard inquiry ever will.
If your score has dropped significantly, the cause is almost certainly not checking it. Look instead at whether you have missed a payment, whether your credit card balances have risen, or whether you have recently applied for multiple new accounts. These are the levers that move your score meaningfully.
How to dispute an unauthorized hard inquiry
If a lender pulled your report without your permission, that is a violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. You have the right to dispute it. Contact the credit bureau that shows the inquiry (you can see which bureau pulled it on your credit report) and file a dispute stating that you did not authorize the inquiry. Include any evidence that you did not apply — for example, if a car dealership pulled your report without your consent.
The bureau must investigate within 30 days and remove the inquiry if it cannot verify that you authorized it. Unauthorized inquiries are different from authorized ones: an authorized hard inquiry lowers your score, but an unauthorized one should not be there at all. If you find unauthorized inquiries, report them to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does checking my credit score on my bank's app lower it?
No. When your bank, credit card company, or credit monitoring service shows you your score, that is a soft inquiry. It does not lower your score and does not appear on reports lenders see. You can check it as often as you want.
If I apply for a credit card and get denied, does the hard inquiry still count against me?
Yes. The hard inquiry counts whether you are approved or denied. The lender still pulled your report to make the decision, so it still appears on your credit file and still has a small impact on your score. This is why it is worth thinking carefully before applying.
How long does a hard inquiry stay on my credit report?
Hard inquiries stay on your report for about one year, but their impact on your score fades much faster — usually within a few months. After a year, the inquiry disappears from your report entirely and has no effect on your score.
Can I remove a hard inquiry from my credit report?
Only if it was placed without your permission. If you authorized the inquiry, it cannot be removed, though its impact will fade over time. If you believe an inquiry was unauthorized, dispute it with the credit bureau that shows it.
Does rate shopping for a mortgage hurt my score more than applying for one credit card?
No. Multiple mortgage applications within 14 to 45 days usually count as one inquiry. Multiple credit card applications each count separately. So rate shopping for a mortgage is safer for your score than applying for several credit cards in the same period.