---
title: "Hard vs soft credit inquiry: definition | Desert Rock Capital"
url: "https://www.desertrockcapital.com/glossary/hard-vs-soft-credit-inquiry"
description: "A hard inquiry is a credit check tied to a credit application that can temporarily lower a credit score, while a soft inquiry, such as checking one's own."
---

Credit & approval

# Hard vs soft credit inquiry
All lending terms
Definition

A hard inquiry is a credit check tied to a credit application that can temporarily lower a credit score, while a soft inquiry, such as checking one's own credit, does not affect the score. The two appear differently on a credit file.

A hard inquiry, or hard pull, occurs when you formally apply for credit and a lender reviews the credit report to make a decision. Hard inquiries are recorded on the credit report and can lower the credit score by a small amount for a limited time, and many scoring models group similar inquiries made within a short shopping window so that rate comparison has less effect. A soft inquiry, or soft pull, occurs without a credit application, such as checking one's own credit, a prequalification, or a background review, and does not affect the score. Knowing which type a lender performs explains whether applying will appear as a hard inquiry.

Source: [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-inquiry-en-1317/). This definition is general educational information, not legal or financial advice.
Related

- [No credit check loans](/services/no-credit-check-loans)
- [Credit check](/glossary/credit-check)
- [Loan FAQs](/faqs)
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