You can check your own credit score as many times as you want without damage
Checking your own credit score does not lower it. When you look at your own credit report or score — whether through your bank, a credit card issuer, or a free service — the credit bureaus record this as a soft inquiry. Soft inquiries do not affect your score at all.
The score damage people worry about comes from hard inquiries, which happen when a lender checks your credit because you have asked to borrow money. A mortgage lender, car loan company, or credit card company pulling your report to decide whether to lend to you creates a hard inquiry. That can lower your score by a few points, usually for three to six months. But when you check your own score, nothing happens to it.
This means you can monitor your credit as often as you want without any penalty. Many people check monthly or after major financial events — paying off a card, disputing an error, or explore for new credit — to watch how their actions affect the number.
Key Takeaways
- Checking your own credit score is a soft inquiry and does not lower your score, no matter how many times you do it.
- Hard inquiries from lenders do lower your score slightly, but only when you have actually asked them to consider you for a loan or credit card.
- You can see your credit score free through your bank, credit card issuer, or services like AnnualCreditReport.com, which is the official government site for free credit reports.
- Your credit score and your credit report are different things — the score is a number, the report is the detailed history that the score is based on.
- Checking your score regularly helps you catch errors, monitor progress, and know what lenders will see before you explore for credit.
Where to check your score for free
Most credit card issuers and banks now show your credit score for free in their online account or mobile app. If you have a Chase, Capital One, American Express, or Discover card, log into your account and look for a section labeled "Credit Score," "Credit Tracker," or "Credit Insights." The score updates monthly and costs you nothing.
If you do not have a credit card or want a second opinion, visit AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the official government site where you can order your free credit report from all three bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — once per year. The report itself is free; the score may cost a small fee on that site, but many other free services offer the score without charge.
Other free score services include Credit Karma, Experian's own free service, and NerdWallet's credit score tool. These pull your score from one or more of the three bureaus and update it regularly. None of these checks hurt your score.
The difference between a soft inquiry and a hard inquiry
A soft inquiry happens when you check your own credit, when a company you already do business with reviews your account, or when a potential employer or landlord checks your credit with your permission. Soft inquiries are invisible to lenders — they do not show up on the version of your credit report that other people see, and they have zero impact on your score.
A hard inquiry happens when you submit an process for credit. You explore for a mortgage, a car loan, a personal loan, or a new credit card, and the lender pulls your full credit report to decide whether to lend to you. That hard inquiry appears on your credit report and can lower your score by a few points. The damage is usually small — often three to five points — but it is real and it lasts.
Hard inquiries stay on your report for two years, but their impact on your score fades after about three to six months. If you explore for multiple loans within a short window — say, shopping for a mortgage or car loan within two weeks — most scoring models count those as a single inquiry rather than multiple ones, so the damage is not multiplied.
Why your score and your report are not the same thing
Your credit score is a three-digit number (usually between 300 and 850) that summarizes your creditworthiness. It is calculated from the information in your credit report using a formula. The most common formula is FICO, though VantageScore is also used. Your score changes as the information in your report changes.
Your credit report is the detailed record itself: every account you have opened, every payment you have made or missed, every hard inquiry, and any negative marks like collections or late payments. You have three credit reports — one from each bureau — and they may contain slightly different information because not all creditors report to all three bureaus.
When you check your score through your bank or a free service, you are seeing a calculated number based on your report. When you order your free report from AnnualCreditReport.com, you are seeing the raw data. Both are worth checking. The score tells you how lenders will view you; the report tells you what information is actually in the system and whether any of it is wrong.
How to spot errors in your credit report
Checking your report regularly is the best way to catch mistakes before they damage your score. Look for accounts you do not recognize, payments marked late that you know you made on time, duplicate entries, or accounts that should be closed but still show as open.
If you find an error, contact the bureau that is reporting it. You can dispute directly through Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion's website, by mail, or by phone. Include a clear description of the error and any documents that prove it — a bank statement showing you paid on time, a letter from the creditor, or a copy of a closed account statement. The bureau has 30 days to investigate and must correct or remove the information if it is wrong.
You can also contact the creditor that reported the error and ask them to correct it with the bureaus. Sometimes this is faster because the creditor can update the information directly rather than waiting for a bureau investigation.
When checking your score might reveal a problem
If you check your score and it has dropped unexpectedly, the cause is usually one of these: a missed or late payment was reported, a hard inquiry from a lender appeared, you paid down a large balance (which can temporarily lower your score because your credit utilization changed), or an error appeared on your report.
A sudden drop is worth investigating. Log into your credit report and look for new accounts, new hard inquiries, or new negative marks. If you did not explore for credit recently, a hard inquiry you do not recognize could signal fraud. If you see an account you did not open, that is a red flag for identity theft.
If you find fraud or identity theft, contact the creditor and the credit bureaus when ready. You can place a fraud alert on your credit file, which tells lenders to verify your identity before opening new accounts in your name. This is free and takes a few minutes.
How often you should check your score
There is no penalty for checking frequently, so the right frequency depends on your situation. If you are working to improve your score, checking monthly gives you feedback on whether your actions are working. If your credit is stable and you are not planning to borrow soon, checking once or twice a year is enough to catch errors.
Many people check before major financial events: before explore for a mortgage or car loan, before asking for a credit limit increase, or after paying off a large debt. This gives you a sense of what lenders will see and whether any errors need fixing first.
If you have been a victim of fraud or identity theft, checking more frequently — even weekly — is reasonable while you are monitoring for suspicious activity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does checking my credit score on my bank's app hurt my score?
No. Your bank checking your own credit score is a soft inquiry and does not affect your score. You can check as many times as you want without any impact.
What happens if I explore for multiple credit cards in one month?
Each process creates a hard inquiry, but most scoring models treat multiple inquiries within 14 to 45 days as a single inquiry. The damage is usually a few points per inquiry. Shopping for the best rate on a mortgage or car loan within a short window is treated the same way — multiple inquiries count as one.
Can I see my credit score without giving my Social Security number?
Most free services require your Social Security number to pull your actual score because they need to verify your identity and access your real credit file. If a service does not ask for it, you are probably not seeing your real score. AnnualCreditReport.com requires your SSN but is the official government source.
If I dispute an error on my report, does that hurt my score?
No. Disputing an error is free and does not lower your score. In fact, if the error is removed, your score may go up. Disputing is the right move if you find something wrong.
How long does a hard inquiry stay on my credit report?
Hard inquiries stay on your report for two years, but they stop affecting your score after about three to six months. By the time a year has passed, the impact is usually minimal.