Does Checking Your Credit Score Lower It?
Does checking your credit score lower it? No—checking your own score creates a soft inquiry with zero impact. Learn how soft vs. hard inquiries work.
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No â checking your own credit score does not lower it. When you look at your own score through an app like CreditVana, your bank, or a credit bureau, it counts as a soft inquiry, which has zero effect on your credit. Only a hard inquiry â when a lender checks your credit because you applied for new credit â can lower your score, and usually by just a few points.
Soft inquiries vs. hard inquiries
Every time someone looks at your credit, it's recorded as one of two types of inquiry. The difference is everything:
- Soft inquiry (soft pull): Checking your own score, a lender pre-approving you for an offer, or an employer background check. Soft inquiries are visible only to you and never affect your score.
- Hard inquiry (hard pull): A lender checks your credit because you applied for a credit card, loan, or mortgage. A hard inquiry can lower your score by roughly 5 points and stays on your report for two years (though it stops affecting your score after about 12 months).
Why checking your own score is always safe
The myth that "checking hurts your credit" confuses these two. Federal rules and the scoring models (FICO and VantageScore) treat consumers reviewing their own credit as a soft inquiry on purpose â you're encouraged to monitor it. You can check your score every single day if you want, and it will never cost you a point.
CreditVana lets you check your core credit score without a hard inquiry. Optional Premium access adds a wider three-bureau view for ongoing monitoring.
When inquiries actually matter
Hard inquiries make up only about 10% of your FICO score, under "new credit." A single hard pull is minor. The risk is many hard inquiries in a short window, which can signal to lenders that you're taking on a lot of new debt. One exception: when you're rate-shopping for a single mortgage, auto, or student loan, multiple hard inquiries of the same type within a focused window (typically 14â45 days) are bundled and counted as one.
How to check your score the safe way
Use a service that performs a soft pull â which includes every legitimate free-score app and your own bank. You should never have to take a hard inquiry just to see your number. With CreditVana, you see your Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion scores free, with no credit card required and no impact on your credit.
How to read inquiries on your credit report
When people ask does checking your credit score lower it, they are often looking at the "Inquiries" section of their bureau file for the first time. Your report separates inquiries into two distinct lists: "Inquiries that may impact your credit rating" (hard pulls) and "Inquiries that do not impact your credit rating" (account review and consumer-initiated soft pulls).
- Account review inquiries: Current credit card issuers and lenders periodically review your file to manage your credit line or send you pre-selected offers. These are soft pulls and never affect your score.
- Pre-qualification and pre-approval checks: When you use a soft-pull qualification tool to check your approval odds before applying, it records a promotional or consumer soft inquiry with zero score impact.
- Consumer disclosure inquiries: Every time you check your own report through CreditVana or AnnualCreditReport.com, only you can see that entry. Lenders reviewing your application never see how many times you checked your own score.
Smart habits for minimizing hard inquiry impact
Before submitting a formal application that triggers a hard pull, check your current credit tier and review pre-qualified offers first. Space out credit card applications by at least three to six months, and group auto or mortgage rate-shopping comparisons inside a single two-week window so FICO treats those lender checks as a single shopping event. Monitoring your own credit reports regularly also lets you spot unauthorized hard inquiries immediately, giving you an early warning if someone attempts to apply for credit in your name.
Frequently asked questions
Does checking my credit score lower it?
No. Checking your own credit score is a soft inquiry, which never affects your score. Only a hard inquiry from applying for new credit can lower it, usually by a few points.
How many points does a hard inquiry take off?
A single hard inquiry typically lowers your score by about 5 points or less, and its effect fades within about 12 months even though it stays on your report for two years.
How often can I check my own credit score?
As often as you like. Checking your own score is a soft inquiry with no impact, so daily checks are completely safe. CreditVana refreshes your three-bureau scores every 14 days.
