# Soft Pull vs. Hard Pull: What Each One Does to a Credit Score

> Both kinds of credit check read the same file. What changes is why it was opened, who can see that it happened, and whether the score moves. Plus the rate-shopping rule that trips up most mortgage borrowers.

Source: https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/soft-pull-vs-hard-pull  
Author: Jordan Avery, Head of Content  
Published: 2023-03-27  
Topic: Credit Scores  
Publisher: Phone Number Credit Score (https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/)

A soft pull lets someone look at a credit file without affecting the score. A hard pull happens when a person applies for credit, it's visible to other lenders, and it can shave a few points off a FICO Score for up to a year. Both read the same credit file. In the soft pull vs hard pull question, what really differs is the reason the file was opened and who gets to see that it happened.

If you're about to shop for a mortgage or a car loan, the details are worth a few minutes. The score mortgage lenders use treats rate shopping differently than most people expect.

## It's the same file. The paperwork is different.

A credit inquiry is a log entry. Every time someone requests your report, the bureau records who asked and, in general terms, why. That's it. A lender doing a hard pull doesn't see "more" credit than a company doing a soft pull. The bureau just labels the request differently and treats it differently afterward.

A **hard inquiry** gets logged when you apply for new credit: a card, a mortgage, an auto loan, a personal loan. Other lenders can see it, and scoring models count it, because a burst of applications can mean someone is stretching for credit.

A **soft inquiry** covers nearly everything else. You checking your own report. A card issuer you already have reviewing your account. A company screening you for a prescreened offer. A business checking your credit with your permission through a soft-pull product. Soft inquiries appear only on the copy of your report you request for yourself. Lenders don't see them, and they never touch your score.

One thing people get wrong: "soft" and "hard" aren't legal categories. The Fair Credit Reporting Act doesn't care how the bureau labels the inquiry. Under [section 604 of the FCRA](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681b), anyone pulling a consumer's credit report needs a permissible purpose, full stop. A soft pull changes what shows up afterward. It doesn't change the rules about who may look.

## Soft pull vs hard pull, side by side

| | Soft pull | Hard pull |
|---|---|---|
| Typical trigger | Checking your own credit, account reviews, prescreened offers, prequalification | Applying for a card, loan, mortgage or financing |
| Affects the score | No | Usually a little, for up to 12 months |
| Who sees it | Only you, on your own copy | Anyone who pulls your report |
| Needs a permissible purpose | Yes, when someone else is pulling it | Yes |
| How long it's listed | Varies by bureau, visible only to you | Up to two years |

The CFPB has a short explainer on [what a credit inquiry is](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-inquiry-en-1317/) if you want the regulator's plain-language version.

## What a hard pull actually costs

Less than people fear, usually. FICO's own guidance is that one additional credit inquiry takes [less than five points off for most people](https://www.myfico.com/credit-education/credit-reports/credit-checks-and-inquiries). Hard inquiries stay on the report for up to two years, but FICO Scores only count the ones from the last 12 months. The whole "new credit" category, which includes inquiries and recently opened accounts, makes up about 10% of a FICO Score.

Five points sounds trivial. It isn't always, because credit decisions run on cutoffs. Mortgage pricing, for example, often moves in 20-point bands, like 720 to 739 and 740 to 759. Someone sitting at 742 who picks up two quick inquiries for a store card and a new phone financing plan can drop into the lower band right before their loan locks. Same person, same habits, slightly worse rate for 30 years. Five points is nothing until it's the five points that matter.

The effect also tends to be heavier on a thin file. If someone has two accounts and a two-year history, an inquiry is a bigger share of what the model has to work with than it would be for someone with 15 accounts and two decades of on-time payments. (We cover what makes a file "thin" in our post on [thin credit files](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/thin-credit-file).)

## The 14-day rule mortgage shoppers miss

Scoring models know that smart borrowers shop around. So for mortgages, auto loans and student loans, FICO groups multiple hard inquiries made within a short window into one. The catch, and almost nobody mentions it, is that the window depends on which version of the score the lender uses.

FICO says newer versions of its score use any 45-day span, while older versions use any 14-day span. The scores mortgage lenders pull are the older "Classic" versions, and that includes FICO® Score 4, the TransUnion score in that set. (Our explainer on [FICO Score 4](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/fico-score-4-explained) and the companion post on [mortgage scores FICO 2, 4 and 5](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/mortgage-credit-scores-fico-2-4-5) go deeper.) FICO also ignores mortgage, auto and student loan inquiries made in the 30 days before the score is calculated, which helps people who are mid-shop.

VantageScore uses a 14-day window too (more on how the two models differ in [FICO vs. VantageScore](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/fico-vs-vantagescore)), and it [treats all hard inquiries in that period as a single inquiry](https://www.vantagescore.com/consumers/blog/the-complete-guide-to-your-vantagescore), regardless of type.

Take Priya, a fictional borrower shopping for a mortgage:

- **June 1:** Lender A pulls her credit.
- **June 9:** Lender B pulls her credit.
- **June 24:** Lender C pulls her credit.

Under a newer FICO version with a 45-day window, all three count as one inquiry. Under FICO Score 4, June 1 and June 9 fall inside one 14-day span and count as one, but June 24 is outside it, so she ends up with two. Not a disaster. But if she'd bunched all three applications into the same two weeks, she'd have had one.

So do your rate shopping in a tight burst. Two weeks, not two months. And remember that credit card applications never get grouped this way under FICO. Each one is its own inquiry.

![An older couple sits on a sofa reviewing paperwork and bills at a coffee table](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/media/blog/01a13666-e81b-74ba-8b02-b105fadb3581-1200.webp)

## Usually soft, usually hard, and the ones that depend

**Usually soft:**

- Checking your own credit, on any site or app
- Prescreened "you're preapproved" offers in the mail
- Your existing card issuer or lender reviewing your account
- Employer background checks you authorized in writing
- Many "see if you prequalify" tools for cards, personal loans and auto financing

**Usually hard:**

- Applying for a credit card, including the store card at checkout
- A mortgage application or a full mortgage preapproval
- Auto financing at the dealership once you sign the credit application
- Personal loans and most private student loans

**It depends:**

- **Apartment applications.** Some landlords and screening companies use soft pulls, some don't. Ask.
- **Phone plans and utilities.** Some carriers and utilities run a hard inquiry for a new account. Many don't.
- **"Check your rate" buttons.** Often soft at first, then hard once you accept and formally apply.
- **Dealerships.** A soft pull to [prequalify you on the lot](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/auto-dealer-soft-pull-prequalification) is common now, but a signed credit application may go to several lenders as hard inquiries. That's usually fine thanks to the shopping window, but it's good to know it's coming.

## How to know which one you're getting

Ask, plainly: "Is this a hard or soft inquiry?" A legitimate lender or landlord will answer in one sentence. If the person on the other end doesn't know, that's useful information too.

Then look at the wording. Soft-pull flows almost always say something like "this won't affect your credit score" right next to the button. Hard-pull applications usually include a line authorizing the lender to obtain your credit report in connection with an application for credit. The CFPB's page on [prequalification vs. preapproval letters](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/whats-the-difference-between-a-prequalification-letter-and-a-preapproval-letter-en-127/) is useful here, because mortgage terminology is especially muddy.

## A hard inquiry you don't recognize

Pull your own reports for free at [AnnualCreditReport.com](https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action) every so often and read the inquiry section. Most mystery inquiries have boring explanations: a dealership that sent your application to a bank you've never heard of, or a lender that uses a different legal name than its brand.

If you really can't place it, treat it as possible identity theft. Call the company listed and ask what account it's tied to, dispute it with the bureau, and consider a freeze. Our guides on [finding out who checked your credit](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/who-checked-my-credit) and [freezing vs. locking your credit](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/credit-freeze-vs-credit-lock) walk through each step.

## Where a phone number credit lookup fits

Every lookup on Phone Number Credit Score is a soft pull. The person isn't notified, their score doesn't move, and other lenders won't see it. You get their name, current address, FICO Score 4 from TransUnion data and a summary of their credit profile, plus details about the phone line. [Here's how a lookup works](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/how-it-works) from start to finish.

Soft doesn't mean anything goes, though. Landlords, lenders and businesses still need a permissible purpose for every lookup, and the easiest one is the person's written OK. A text that says "sure, go ahead and check my credit" counts. We keep the rules short and readable on our [compliance page](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/compliance), and the post on [permissible purpose under the FCRA](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/permissible-purpose-fcra) covers the edge cases.

If you're the one being checked, the takeaway is simpler: soft pulls are free to say yes to. They won't cost you a point. Save your caution for the applications that will.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can a soft pull ever turn into a hard pull?

Not on its own. A soft inquiry stays soft. But many prequalification flows end with an offer to apply, and if you accept, the lender runs a separate hard inquiry at that point. Read the screen before you click the final button.

### Do soft inquiries show up on my credit report?

Yes, on the copy you request for yourself. They aren't shown to lenders or anyone else who pulls your report, and they don't factor into your credit scores.

### Does checking my own credit count as a hard inquiry?

No. Checking your own report or score is always a soft inquiry, whether you use AnnualCreditReport.com, a bank app or a free credit monitoring site. You can check as often as you like without costing yourself a point.

### Does checking someone else's credit with a soft pull require their permission?

It requires a permissible purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the simplest one is the person's written OK. A soft pull changes what shows up on their report, not whether the law applies.