Soft pull vs hard pull: which check happens when
A soft inquiry is visible only to you and has no effect on your score; a hard inquiry is recorded for about two years. When each happens, how much one really costs, and how to shop for credit safely.
Applying5 min readUpdated 15 September 2026By the MDG Lending Team
The short version
- A soft inquiry has no effect on your score and only you can see it. A hard inquiry is recorded and visible to lenders for about two years.
- Checking your rate should be soft. A hard inquiry belongs after you have accepted an offer.
- One hard inquiry costs a few points. A cluster of them is what actually damages a file.
- Checking your own credit report is always soft, so do it as often as you like.
Two words that decide whether checking costs you anything
Both are inquiries into your credit file and both return real information. The difference is in how they are recorded and who can see them, and that difference is the whole reason you can compare loan offers without damaging your file.
A soft inquiry is a look. A hard inquiry is a look that leaves a footprint, and lenders read those footprints as a signal about how actively you are seeking credit.
Quick test
If you are checking what you might get, it should be soft. If you have accepted an offer and are proceeding, expect hard. Any lender running a hard inquiry before you have accepted anything should be telling you so first.
Side by side
Where each one shows up in ordinary life.
| Soft inquiry | Hard inquiry | |
|---|---|---|
| Effect on your score | None | Usually small, often a few points |
| Who can see it | Only you | Other lenders, for about two years |
| How long it is listed | Typically two years on your own copy | Typically two years, scored for about one |
| Needs your permission | Not always | Yes, always |
| Typical examples | Rate checks, prequalification, your own score app, existing lenders reviewing accounts, some employers | Loan applications you accepted, credit cards, mortgages, car finance, some rentals and utilities |
How much does a hard inquiry actually cost you?
Less than most people fear individually, and more than most people expect in bulk.
One inquiry
Typically a small number of points, recovering within months. Inquiries are among the least weighted factors in a score, well behind payment history and utilisation. One application will not meaningfully change your position.
Several in a short window
This is what does damage, because a cluster of applications reads as financial stress. It is also the real reason not to reapply the day after a decline, rather than any rule about waiting.
Rate shopping for a mortgage or car loan is usually treated differently, with multiple inquiries of the same type inside a short window counted as one. That allowance does not reliably extend to personal loans, which is why soft-inquiry rate checks matter more here.
Shopping for credit without damaging your file
Four habits that let you compare properly.
Use soft-inquiry rate checks
Prequalify with each lender that offers it and compare real numbers before anyone runs a hard inquiry.
Compare totals, not payments
Line up the APR and the total of payments on each offer. A lower monthly payment usually means a longer term and more interest.
Proceed with one
Accept the best offer and let that single hard inquiry happen. There is no benefit to applying formally to several at once.
Check your own report freely
Looking at your own credit report is always a soft inquiry. Do it as often as you like at annualcreditreport.com.
Questions on this topic
What is the difference between a soft and a hard credit check?
A soft inquiry is visible only to you and has no effect on your score. A hard inquiry is recorded on your file, visible to other lenders for about two years, and can lower your score slightly.
Does checking my own credit score hurt it?
No. Checking your own report or score is always a soft inquiry, however often you do it.
How much does a hard inquiry lower my score?
Typically a small number of points, recovering within months. Inquiries are among the least weighted factors in a score. Several inquiries in a short window matter far more than one.
When does MDG run a hard inquiry?
Only after you accept an offer and move to final verification, and we tell you before it happens. Checking your rate uses a soft inquiry.
Does rate shopping count as one inquiry?
For mortgages and car loans, multiple inquiries of the same type inside a short window are usually treated as one. That allowance does not reliably extend to personal loans, which is why soft-inquiry rate checks matter here.
How long do inquiries stay on my report?
Around two years, though they generally stop affecting your score after about one.
Keep reading
Related guides and the pages that carry the underlying numbers.
See your own numbers
Two minutes, a soft credit inquiry, no fee and no obligation. Nothing is binding until you sign a loan agreement.