What is the difference between a soft pull and a hard pull on your credit?

A soft pull does not affect your credit score and is not visible to lenders. A hard pull requires your authorization, appears on your credit report, and can lower your score by a few points. Checking your own credit is always a soft pull.

Soft pulls: what they are and when they happen

A soft inquiry — also called a soft pull — occurs when your credit is reviewed for a reason other than a new credit application. Soft pulls do not affect your credit score and are only visible to you on your own credit report; lenders cannot see them. Common examples include checking your own credit score, employer background checks, and pre-approval screening by credit card issuers.

Checking your own credit score — always a soft pull, never hurts your score
Pre-qualification offers — when a lender checks your file before you apply
Employer background checks — with your permission; not visible to creditors
Existing account reviews — when your current lender periodically reviews your file

Hard pulls: what they are and when they happen

A hard inquiry occurs when a lender formally reviews your credit as part of an application decision. According to the CFPB, you must typically authorize a hard pull. Hard inquiries appear on your credit report, are visible to lenders, and can lower your score by a small number of points. They remain on your report for two years but generally stop affecting scores after 12 months.

Credit card applications — each application triggers a hard pull
Auto loan, mortgage, or personal loan applications — lender reviews your report to make a credit decision
Apartment rental applications — landlords often run a hard pull with your permission
Rate shopping — FICO treats multiple mortgage, auto, or student loan inquiries within 14–45 days as a single inquiry

Does checking your own credit score lower it?

No. Checking your own credit score — through AnnualCreditReport.com, your bank, or a credit monitoring service — is always classified as a soft inquiry. It has zero impact on your score. This is one of the most persistent credit myths; the CFPB explicitly addresses it.

Soft pull vs. hard pull: key facts

Soft inquiries do not affect your credit score and are only visible to you on your own credit report — lenders cannot see them. — CFPB
Hard inquiries can lower your FICO Score by fewer than five points for most people, and their impact typically fades within 12 months. — myFICO
For mortgage, auto, and student loan rate shopping, FICO groups multiple hard inquiries made within 14–45 days into a single inquiry so shopping around does not multiply the impact. — CFPB

Key takeaways

Checking your own score is always a soft pull — it never lowers your score.
Hard pulls require your authorization and lower your score by fewer than five points for most people.
Hard inquiry impact fades after 12 months; the inquiry itself falls off your report at 24 months.
Rate shopping for a mortgage, auto loan, or student loan within a short window counts as one inquiry, not many.