What Is a Soft Credit Check? Complete Guide (2025)

A soft credit check (also called a soft inquiry or soft pull) is when someone looks at your credit report WITHOUT affecting your credit score. Unlike hard inquiries that happen when you apply for credit, soft checks are invisible to lenders and never hurt your creditworthiness.

Understanding Soft Credit Checks

Think of a soft credit check as someone peeking through a window rather than walking through your front door (Horrible analogy) but that’s basically what it is.

Lightweight reviews of your credit profile happen almost all the time. Whether it be yourself, credit companies, these inquiries are soft and have zero damage to your credit score. In fact,

But in short, it’s a lightweight review of your credit profile that happens all the time. In fact, you could have 100 soft inquiries on your rapport, and your score wouldn’t budget a single point.

Soft Check vs Hard Check: The Differences

Here’s exactly what separates soft credit checks from hard credit checks:

But wait.. “How and why does a hard check negatively impact my credit score?”

So, let’s get one thing clear. Hard inquiries don’t hurt your score because they’re just “bad” for you. They hurt your score because of what they signal to lenders.

When you apply for new credit, it triggers a hard inquiry. To credit scoring models, this raises a question “why do you suddenly need more credit?”

Credit bureaus have analyzed millions of credit files over decades and found a pattern: people who apply for multiple credit accounts in a short period are statistically more likely to default on their debts. The reasons vary, maybe they’re experiencing financial stress, living beyond their means, or planning to max out credit cards before filing bankruptcy.

The score drop isn’t a punishment. It’s a risk factor. It tells future lends “This person is actively seeking credit, which historically correlates with higher default risk.”

Okay, but why do soft checks not trigger this response?

Fair question. But the difference is in the action you’re taking. For soft credit checks, you’re just inquiring about your score. For hard credit checks, it’s not you checking your score, it’s you applying for new credit and the company inquiring about you.

So when you apply for new credit, a single hard inquiry will usually take fewer than five points off your FICO score. However, multiple hard pulls that occur in a short period can have a compounding effect on your score.

When Do Soft Credit Checks Happen?

Soft credit checks happen more often than you think. Here are the most common scenarios:

1. Checking Your Own Credit
2. Pre-Approved Credit Offers
3. Background Checks
4. Existing Account Reviews
5. Insurance Quotes

What Information Shows Up in a Soft Credit Check?

Soft inquiries provide a snapshot of your credit profile, but not the full picture hard inquiries reveal. Here’s what companies can see:

1. Your credit score
2. Current credit accounts (credit cards, loans, mortgages)
3. Account balances and credit limits
4. Payment history overview (whether you pay on time)
5. Credit utilization ratio (how much credit you’re using)
6. Public records (bankruptcies, liens, judgments)

What they can’t see: Your full credit history details, exact account ages, or the detailed information that appears in hard inquiries when you’re actively applying for credit.

When to Leverage Soft Credit Checks?

Smart consumers use soft credit checks strategically. Here’s how to make them for you:

Before Applying for Credit

Check you credit score 30 days before applying for a major loan or credit card. This gives you time to spot errors and dispute them before a lender runs a hard inquiry. If you find inaccuracies, contact the credit bureaus immediately.

Pre-Qualification Shopping

Many lenders offer pre=qualification tools that use soft pulls Use these to compare offers before committing to a formal application. You can check rates from 10 different lenders with soft inquiries, then only trigger one hard inquiry when you actually apply.

What Information is Needed for a Soft Credit Check?

When a company runs a soft credit check, they typically need:

1. Full legal name (exactly as it appears on official documents)
2. Social Secutiry Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
3. Date of birth
4. Current address (proof of residency may be required)

Some companies may ask for additional verification, like a government-issues photo ID, but this varies depending on the purpose of the check.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do soft credit checks affect my credit score?

No. Soft credit checks have absolutely zero impact on your credit score. You can have unlimited soft inquiries without any effect on your creditworthiness.

How long do soft inquiries stay on my credit report?

Soft inquiries typically remain on your credit report for 12-24 months. However, they're only visible to you—other lenders and creditors cannot see them when evaluating your credit application.

Can I stop companies from doing soft credit checks?

You can't completely prevent soft inquiries, but you can opt out of pre-screened credit offers by calling 1-888-567-8688 or visiting OptOutPrescreen.com. This reduces soft checks from credit card companies marketing to you.

Will pre-qualification hurt my credit?

No. Pre-qualification and pre-approval processes typically use soft inquiries, so they won't hurt your credit. However, once you formally apply for the credit product, that will trigger a hard inquiry.

Bottom Line

Soft credit checks are your friend. They let you monitor your credit health, explore pre-qualified offers, and allow companies to assess your creditworthiness—all without hurting your score.

Key takeaways:

1. Soft inquiries have zero impact on your credit score
2. They're invisible to lenders—only you can see them
3. You can check your own credit as often as you want
4. Use pre-qualification tools to compare offers before applying
5. Monitor your credit reports regularly for suspicious activity

The real danger to your credit isn't soft inquiries—it's hard inquiries from too many credit applications, missed payments, high credit utilization, and fraudulent activity. Stay vigilant, check your credit regularly, and dispute any errors you find.