Many people wonder if checking their credit score hurts their credit? And because of the uncertainty, many people choose not to. I’m not sure where this myth came from. The fact is that when you check your credit, it does not hurt your credit score. I encourage checking it often because it’s your first defense against incorrect items being on your credit report and hurting your score.
Further, there are two types of inquiries. Hard and soft. Both stay on your credit report for 24 months. Hard inquiries affect your score for 12 months and soft inquiries do not affect your score.
Different Types of Inquiries:
HARD: Hard inquiries are usually done by lenders and financial institutions to approve or deny a line of credit.
- Applying for Mortgage Loans - Applying for Student Loans - Applying for Auto Loans - Applying Personal Loans - Applying for New Credit Cards - Applying for Credit Card Increases
SOFT: Soft inquiries are usually part of a background check of some sort. - When Credit Card Companies Check Your Credit to Offer You Offers - When an employer is Screening You - When a landlord is Screening You to Rent
Bottom Line!
Just remember, you checking your credit score doesn’t hurt your score and you should be checking it on a regular basis or using a service that monitors it for you. If you are asking for money from a lender, it is most likely a hard inquiry that affects you score for 12 months. Keep these inquiries between 0 and 2 in a 12-month period.