Process & terms

What's the difference between a soft pull and a hard pull?

Short answer

A soft pull (soft inquiry) is a credit check that doesn't affect your score and isn't visible to other lenders. Used for pre-qualification, account monitoring, and checking your own score. A hard pull (hard inquiry) happens when a lender pulls full credit for an actual application decision, lowering your score by 3-7 points temporarily.

Context

Soft pulls include: checking your own score, pre-qualification at most marketplaces, lender account monitoring (existing accounts pulling your credit for risk management), and pre-screened credit-card offers in the mail.

Hard pulls happen when you formally apply for credit and the lender pulls your full report to decide. They stay on your report for 24 months but only meaningfully affect your score for the first 12. Multiple hard inquiries for the same loan type within 14-45 days (depending on scoring model) count as one inquiry under FICO's rate-shopping window.

Editorial

Reviewed by: Compliance Review
Last reviewed: May 22, 2026

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