A soft credit check does not lower your credit score
A soft credit check is a background look at your credit that does not appear on your credit report and does not affect your score. Lenders, employers, landlords, and insurance companies run soft checks to screen you without creating a record. Hard inquiries — the kind that happen when you explore for a loan or credit card — do show up and can lower your score by a few points. Soft checks leave no trace.
The difference matters because you have no control over many soft checks. Your current bank may run one before sending you a credit card offer. A potential employer may check your credit as part of hiring. A landlord may pull your report before showing you an apartment. None of these lower your score, even though they all look at your credit history.
Key Takeaways
- Soft credit checks do not appear on your credit report and do not lower your credit score, no matter how many times they happen.
- Hard inquiries — from applications you submit for credit — do lower your score slightly and stay on your report for about 12 months.
- You cannot see soft checks on your own credit report, but you can see hard inquiries by reviewing your report from Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion.
- Employers, insurers, and banks often use soft checks to pre-screen you, so you may not know a check happened until after the fact.
How soft checks and hard inquiries differ
The credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — track two kinds of inquiries. A hard inquiry happens when you submit an process for credit: a mortgage, auto loan, credit card, or personal loan. The lender pulls your full credit report to decide whether to lend to you. This inquiry shows up on your report and counts toward your score. Multiple hard inquiries in a short time can lower your score by 5 to 10 points, depending on your overall credit profile.
A soft inquiry happens when someone checks your credit without your formal process. Banks check existing customers' credit before sending offers. Insurance companies check credit to set rates. Employers check credit during background screening. Landlords check credit before signing a lease. Utility companies check credit before setting up service. None of these show on your report, and none affect your score.
The bureaus do not publish a list of which companies run soft checks versus hard inquiries, because the line can shift. A bank may run a soft check to pre-screen you, then run a hard check if you accept an offer. An auto dealer may run a soft check first, then a hard check when you explore for financing. The safest assumption is that any check tied to an process you submitted is a hard inquiry.
What appears on your credit report
When you order your credit report from any of the three bureaus, you see a section called "Inquiries" or "Inquiries About You." This section lists only hard inquiries — the ones that count. Soft checks do not appear here, even though they happened. You will not see a record of the bank that pre-screened you, the employer who checked your credit, or the insurance company that pulled your file.
You can order one free credit report per year from each bureau through AnnualCreditReport.com, the official site run by the three bureaus. The report shows your account history, balances, payment history, and hard inquiries. If you see a hard inquiry you do not recognize — one you did not explore for — that is a sign to investigate. Soft checks will never appear here, so you cannot use your report to count them or dispute them.
Why lenders run soft checks before you explore
Soft checks let companies screen you without committing to a decision. A bank may run a soft check on all its customers once a year to find people who would may have access to for a better credit card or a lower interest rate. If the soft check shows you are a good candidate, the bank sends you an offer. You then decide whether to explore. If you explore, the bank runs a hard inquiry to finalize the decision.
Insurance companies use soft checks to estimate your risk and set rates. A landlord may run a soft check before showing you a unit, to avoid wasting time on someone with severe credit problems. An employer may run a soft check as part of a background screening, though some states limit when employers can check credit. None of these checks hurt your score because they are not tied to a credit process you submitted.
Hard inquiries and when they matter
A hard inquiry lowers your score because it signals you are seeking new credit. The bureaus assume that explore for multiple loans in a short time means you are in financial trouble or planning to take on a lot of debt. A single hard inquiry typically lowers your score by 5 to 10 points. The impact is smaller if your score is already high, and larger if your score is low.
Hard inquiries stay on your report for 12 months, but they stop affecting your score after about 3 to 6 months. After a year, the inquiry disappears from your report entirely. If you are shopping for a mortgage or auto loan, multiple hard inquiries within 14 to 45 days usually count as a single inquiry, because the bureaus assume you are rate shopping, not desperately seeking credit. The exact window varies by bureau and loan type.
The impact of hard inquiries is real but small compared to payment history, which makes up 35 percent of your score. Missing a payment hurts far more than a hard inquiry. Paying down debt and making on-time payments matter much more than avoiding inquiries.
How to tell if a check was soft or hard
The easiest way is to check your credit report. If you see an inquiry listed, it was hard. If you do not see it, it was soft. You can also ask the company directly. If a bank sent you a credit card offer, you can call and ask whether they ran a soft or hard check. Most will tell you. If you applied for something and want to know what kind of inquiry they ran, ask before you submit the process.
When you explore for a loan or credit card, the lender is required to tell you they are running a hard inquiry. They usually do this in the fine print of the process or in a disclosure you sign. If you are unsure whether something counts as an process, assume it does. Filling out a form, clicking "submit," or authorizing a check usually means a hard inquiry will follow.
Protecting yourself from unwanted hard inquiries
You cannot stop soft checks, but you can limit hard inquiries. Do not submit applications for credit you do not plan to use. Each process triggers a hard inquiry. If you are shopping for a mortgage, explore to multiple lenders within a short window so the inquiries count as one. If you are comparing auto loans, do the same — explore to several lenders within 14 to 45 days.
You can also opt out of pre-screened offers, which reduces the number of soft checks you receive. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT or visit OptOutPrescreen.com to remove yourself from marketing lists. This does not affect your credit score, but it does reduce the number of offers you receive. You can opt out for five years or permanently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see soft checks on my credit report?
No. Soft checks do not appear on your credit report at all. You can only see hard inquiries. If you want to know whether a company ran a soft check on you, you have to ask them directly — your credit report will not show it.
Do multiple soft checks hurt my score?
No. You can have 100 soft checks and your score will not move. Soft checks do not appear on your report and do not factor into any scoring model. Only hard inquiries affect your score.
If a company ran a soft check, can they run a hard inquiry without asking?
Yes, if you submit an process. A soft check is just a pre-screen. If you then explore for the credit product they offered, they will run a hard inquiry. Always read what you are signing — if it says "process," a hard inquiry will follow.
How long do hard inquiries stay on my credit report?
Hard inquiries appear on your report for 12 months, but they stop affecting your score after 3 to 6 months. After 12 months, the inquiry disappears from your report entirely.
Does checking my own credit count as a hard or soft inquiry?
Checking your own credit is a soft inquiry and does not affect your score. You can check your credit as many times as you want without any impact. Checking your own report is called a "consumer disclosure" and never lowers your score.