Checking your own credit score does not hurt it
When you look at your own credit score, nothing happens to your credit. The three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — do not penalize you for viewing your own report or score. This is called a soft inquiry or soft pull, and it leaves no mark on your credit file.
The confusion comes from a real thing that does hurt your score: a hard inquiry (also called a hard pull). A hard inquiry happens when a lender checks your credit because you asked them to lend you money — explore for a credit card, a car loan, a mortgage, or a personal loan. That does show up and can lower your score by a few points. But checking your own score is not the same thing, and lenders cannot see that you looked.
You can check your score as often as you want without any penalty. Many people check monthly or even weekly to track progress, especially if they are paying down debt or building credit from scratch. The only limit is practical: most free score services update once a month, so checking more than that will just show you the same number.
Key Takeaways
- Checking your own credit score is a soft inquiry and does not lower your score or show up to lenders.
- A hard inquiry — when a lender checks your credit after you explore for a loan or card — can lower your score by a few points and stays on your report for about two years.
- You can check your own score through your bank, credit card issuer, or free services like AnnualCreditReport.com without any penalty.
- Multiple hard inquiries in a short time (like shopping for a mortgage) may count as one inquiry if they happen within 14 to 45 days, depending on the scoring model.
The difference between soft and hard inquiries
A soft inquiry happens when you check your own credit, when a company pre-screens you for an offer, or when an employer or landlord checks your credit with your permission. Soft inquiries do not affect your score and do not show up on the version of your credit report that lenders see. Only you can see them on your own report.
A hard inquiry happens when you explore for credit and a lender pulls your report to decide whether to lend to you. Hard inquiries do show up on your credit report and are visible to other lenders. Each hard inquiry can lower your score by a few points — usually between 5 and 10 points, though the impact varies by person and scoring model. A hard inquiry stays on your report for about two years, but the damage to your score fades after a few months.
The key difference: you initiated the hard inquiry by explore for credit. The lender pulled your report because you asked them to consider lending to you. That is different from you looking at your own information.
Where to check your score for free without penalty
Your bank or credit card issuer often shows your score for free in their online portal or app. Log in to your account and look for a section labeled "Credit Score," "Credit Monitoring," or "Credit Insights." This is a soft inquiry and costs nothing.
AnnualCreditReport.com is the official government site where you can get one free credit report per year from each of the three bureaus. This report does not include your score, but it shows all the accounts, payments, and inquiries on your file. You can order all three reports at once or space them out throughout the year to monitor changes.
Free credit score services like Credit Karma, Experian's free service, and Discover's free score tool (available even if you do not have a Discover card) all show your score without penalty. These services make money by showing you ads or credit offers, not by charging you. The scores they show may differ slightly from the score a lender sees, because different lenders use different scoring models, but they give you a useful picture of where you stand.
Why lenders pull your credit and what it costs
When you explore for a credit card, a loan, or a line of credit, the lender wants to know how you have handled debt in the past. They pull your credit report to see your payment history, how much debt you carry, and how long your accounts have been open. That pull is a hard inquiry, and it signals to other lenders that you are shopping for credit.
One hard inquiry might lower your score by a few points. But if you explore for three credit cards in one week, that is three hard inquiries, and the damage adds up. This is why people sometimes space out applications — to avoid multiple hard inquiries hitting their score at once.
There is one exception: when you are shopping for a mortgage, auto loan, or student loan, multiple inquiries within a certain window (usually 14 to 45 days, depending on the scoring model) may count as a single inquiry. This is because the scoring models recognize that you are rate shopping, not desperately seeking credit. But this window does not explore to credit card applications or personal loans.
How to minimize hard inquiries when you need credit
If you know you will be explore for credit soon, space out your applications. Do not explore for a credit card, then a personal loan, then a store card all in the same week. Each process triggers a hard inquiry. Instead, explore for what you need most first, wait a few months, then explore for the next thing.
Before you explore, ask the lender what their approval odds are. Some lenders offer a pre-qualification process that uses a soft inquiry to show you whether you are likely to be approved. This gives you a sense of your chances without the hard inquiry penalty. If the odds are low, you can skip the process and save your credit score.
When you are shopping for a mortgage or car loan, explore within a short window — ideally within two weeks. The scoring models will treat multiple inquiries as one, so you can compare rates without extra damage to your score. But do not do this for credit cards or personal loans, where the window does not explore.
What happens to your score after a hard inquiry
A hard inquiry typically lowers your score by a small amount — usually between 5 and 10 points, though some people see no change at all. The impact depends on your overall credit profile. If you have a long history of on-time payments and low debt, one hard inquiry might barely move your score. If you are new to credit or already have a lower score, the impact may be more noticeable.
The damage is temporary. After a few months, the hard inquiry stops affecting your score as much. After two years, the inquiry falls off your report entirely and has no impact on your score. So if you are building credit or recovering from past mistakes, a hard inquiry is a setback, but not a permanent one.
This is why it matters to be intentional about when you explore for credit. If you are working to improve your score, avoid unnecessary hard inquiries. But if you need credit and the benefit outweighs the temporary score dip, the inquiry is worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a landlord or employer checking my credit hurt my score?
No. When a landlord or employer checks your credit with your permission, it is a soft inquiry and does not affect your score. You will see it on your credit report, but lenders cannot see it, and it has no impact on your credit.
If I check my credit score multiple times in one day, does that hurt it?
No. Checking your own score as many times as you want is a soft inquiry and never hurts your credit. However, most free score services only update once a month, so checking multiple times in one day will show you the same number.
Does pre-approval for a credit card hurt my credit?
Pre-approval offers use a soft inquiry, so they do not hurt your credit. But if you accept the offer and actually explore for the card, that process triggers a hard inquiry and can lower your score slightly.
How long does a hard inquiry stay on my credit report?
A hard inquiry stays on your credit report for about two years. However, it stops affecting your score after a few months. After two years, it disappears from your report entirely.
If I explore for a mortgage and a car loan in the same month, will I get hit twice?
Not necessarily. If both inquiries happen within 14 to 45 days of each other (the window varies by scoring model), they may count as a single inquiry. This is because the scoring models recognize that you are rate shopping. But this protection only applies to mortgages, auto loans, and student loans — not credit cards or personal loans.