Personal Finance
Hard Inquiry vs Soft Inquiry 2026
A hard inquiry is a full credit pull that lenders do when you apply for credit — it temporarily lowers your FICO by 5–10 points. A soft inquiry is a background check that doesn't affect your score at all. Understanding the difference helps you protect your credit when shopping for rates.
Head-to-head, line by line
| Spec | Hard Inquiry (Hard Pull) | Soft Inquiry (Soft Pull) |
|---|---|---|
| Min credit score | -5 to -10 points (temporary) | Zero — no score impact |
| FICO impact | -5 to -10 points (temporary) | Zero — no score impact |
◈ marks the stronger option for that row.
Which should you pick?
Pick Hard Inquiry (Hard Pull) if:Understanding when to expect a hard inquiry and how to minimize score impact when rate-shopping.
Pick Soft Inquiry (Soft Pull) if:Understanding which credit checks are safe and which scenarios allow you to shop for rates without score impact.
Keep comparing
More Personal Finance comparisons
Related guides
Frequently asked
Hard Inquiry (Hard Pull) vs Soft Inquiry (Soft Pull) — common questions
What is the difference between a hard inquiry and a soft inquiry?+
A hard inquiry is a full credit pull that a lender initiates when you apply for credit — it temporarily lowers your FICO score by roughly 5–10 points and stays visible on your credit report for two years. A soft inquiry is a background check that does not affect your credit score at all and is not visible to lenders. Checking your own score, pre-qualification tools, and employer background checks are all soft pulls. Source: CFPB at consumerfinance.gov.
Does checking your own credit score cause a hard inquiry?+
No. Checking your own credit score — through your bank, a credit monitoring app, or directly at AnnualCreditReport.com — is always a soft inquiry and has zero impact on your FICO score. Only formal applications for new credit (credit cards, loans, mortgages) trigger hard inquiries. Source: CFPB at consumerfinance.gov.
How many points does a hard inquiry lower your credit score?+
Most hard inquiries lower a FICO score by roughly 5–10 points temporarily. The impact fades over 12 months and the inquiry stops affecting your score entirely after that, though it remains visible on your credit report for two years. If you're rate-shopping for a mortgage, auto loan, or student loan, FICO treats multiple inquiries for the same loan type within a 14–45 day window as a single inquiry — so shopping multiple lenders in a short period does not compound the impact. Source: CFPB at consumerfinance.gov.
Independent editorial comparison. ClearValue Lending is not the issuer of any product compared here; affiliate links may pay a referral commission at no cost to you — selection is independent of compensation.
https://clearvaluelending.com/compare/hard-inquiry-vs-soft-inquiry