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Does Checking Your Own Credit Score Lower It?

4 min read

Last Updated: March 21, 2025

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

Hard inquiries, which occur when you apply for new credit, can affect your credit score.
When you check your own credit score or credit report it creates a soft inquiry that doesn’t affect your credit score.
It’s important to check your credit report regularly to make sure the information is accurate.

Checking your own credit score can help you better understand your financial health and chances of being approved for a credit card. Since your credit score is based on your credit history, it may change frequently. And lenders run a credit check to assess the risk of taking you on as a borrower.

There’s a misconception that checking your own credit score will impact it. Don’t worry, it won’t. But other credit inquiries can. It’s important to understand which inquiries will affect your credit score (and how to check your own score) so you can make the right decisions for your financial goals.

Will checking my credit affect my credit score?

No, checking your own credit history, credit report, or credit score won’t affect your credit score. When you check your own credit report, it’s considered a soft inquiry (or soft check or soft pull). A soft inquiry is a credit check being done for a reason other than applying for new credit.

A potential employer, for example, might run a credit inquiry as part of a background check. Since you haven’t applied for credit, this counts as a soft inquiry.

A report of your own soft inquiry will be sent to at least one credit bureau, so it may appear in your credit file. However, a soft credit check won’t impact your score.

What are the benefits of regularly checking your credit score? Credit monitoring will help you ensure all the information on your record is accurate. A check of your credit score can also help you gauge your financial health and chances of approval for new credit applications.

If you’re learning how to build good credit, you can check your credit report and credit score to make sure you’re on the right path to good credit. A good credit score typically ranges from 670 to 739, indicating a reliable credit history.

If you see a sudden drop in your credit score, it’s a good idea to check your credit report. If anything looks suspicious, you can dispute credit report information with either the lender or the credit bureau.

How to check your credit report

The good news is that Federal law allows you to receive one free credit report every 12 months from each of the three major credit bureaus. The Federal Trade Commission reports that the three credit bureaus have permanently extended the program to include one free report per week.

You can request your free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com (the only website authorized by the federal government).

How to check your credit score without hurting it

You may be wondering, “How can I check my credit score without lowering it?” Your credit reports won’t always include your credit score. Fortunately, you can check your credit score using other tools. You might find your score on some credit card or loan statements. Each of the credit scoring agencies (a credit bureau) also provides access to your credit scores.

A financial institution or credit card issuer may likewise offer free credit score monitoring services. As a Discover cardmember, you’ll get your FICO^® Credit Score, plus see important details that help make up your score for free.²

What can affect credit scores?

A hard credit check—as opposed to soft credit inquiries—can influence your credit score. A hard inquiry is a credit check run by a lender when you apply for a new loan or credit account. A lender will report a new credit application to the major credit bureaus, so they will appear in your credit file.

Specifically, a hard credit inquiry might occur when you apply for a:

Credit card
Mortgage
Rental property
Car loan
Personal loan

Did you know?

A hard credit inquiry can affect your credit score by a few points (or more) if you make multiple hard inquiries within a short period of time.

Hard inquiries are also just one of many factors that can affect your credit score. In fact, hard inquiries account for only 10% of your credit score.

What other factors influence credit score changes?

Inconsistent payment history
High credit utilization ratio
A short credit history

Now that you know that checking your own credit score won’t impact it, and what factors can affect your credit score, learn how to stay on top of your credit score to improve your personal finance goals.

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