Hard Inquiry vs Soft Inquiry: USA & Canada Guide
Hard and soft inquiries both involve a credit-file check, but only a hard inquiry can affect a credit score.
Last updated: August 16, 2026
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not financial or legal advice. Credit-reporting laws, lender procedures, bureau records, and scoring models differ between the United States and Canada and may change. Ask the company what type of check it will use before you authorize an application.
A company may check your credit when you apply for a credit card, loan, mortgage, rental home, or another service. You may also create a credit check when you review your own report. These checks are called credit inquiries, credit checks, or credit pulls.
The important question is whether the check is hard or soft. A hard inquiry can affect a credit score and can be visible to lenders. A soft inquiry does not affect the score.
Quick answer
Hard inquiry: usually connected to an application for new credit and may affect your score. Soft inquiry: often connected to checking your own report, reviewing an existing account, employment screening in the United States, or certain prequalification processes; it does not affect your score. “Pre-approved” does not automatically mean “soft inquiry,” so ask before
submitting personal information.
Hard inquiry vs soft inquiry: the main differences
A credit inquiry is only one part of a credit profile. Payment history, reported balances, account history, and other information may also matter. For the wider picture, read Credit Score 101 for beginners. If you are comparing score ranges, see what a good credit score means in the USA and Canada.
What is a hard inquiry?
A hard inquiry usually occurs when a lender checks your credit after you apply to borrow money. The lender uses the report and other application information to decide whether to approve the request and what terms to offer.
Common examples include:
applying for a credit card;
applying for a personal loan;
applying for an auto loan or vehicle financing;
applying for a mortgage;
refinancing an existing loan;
requesting some credit-limit increases; and
some rental, employment, utility, or cellphone applications, depending on the country, company, consent, and process.
A hard inquiry can affect a score because scoring models may consider how recently and how frequently you apply for new credit. It does not mean an application will be approved, and the inquiry can remain even if the lender denies the application.
What is a soft inquiry?
A soft inquiry is a review of credit information that does not affect your credit score.
Examples may include:
requesting your own credit report;
using a credit-monitoring service;
an existing lender reviewing an account;
a company checking information for a prescreened offer;
an employment credit screening in the United States; and
some prequalification tools that clearly state they use a soft check.
Checking your own report does not lower your score in either the United States or Canada. This is an important difference between monitoring your credit and formally applying for credit.
Do not rely on the label alone: “prequalified,” “pre-approved,” and “eligibility check” do not guarantee the same process at every company. A preliminary check may be soft, while a later formal application may create a hard inquiry. Ask what happens at each stage.
How much can a hard inquiry affect your score?
No responsible source can promise one exact point change for every person. The effect depends on the scoring model and the rest of the credit file, including how many recent applications are already present.
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says a single lender inquiry generally has little impact. The exact effect still depends on the scoring model and the information in the credit file.
A person with a short credit history or several recent applications may experience a different result from someone with a long, stable file. The score may also change for other reasons around the same time, such as a new account, a different reported balance, or a missed payment.
This is why it is misleading to say that every hard inquiry costs a fixed number of points. If you want to understand another score factor, see how credit utilization works.
How long do hard inquiries stay on credit reports?
United States
Experian states that hard inquiries remain on U.S. credit reports for two years and that their effect on FICO scores ends after 12 months. Other scoring models may use inquiry information differently. Other credit-report information also follows different time limits, so do not apply the two-year inquiry period to late payments, collections, or bankruptcies.
Canada
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) currently states that lender inquiries may remain for:
3 years with Equifax Canada; and
6 years with TransUnion Canada.
Those are report-retention periods. They do not mean that one inquiry has the same scoring effect for the entire period. Credit bureaus and scoring models determine how report information is used.
How rate shopping works
Applying to several lenders for the same kind of major loan is different from applying for several unrelated credit products. Scoring systems may group certain loan-shopping inquiries made within a short window.
United States rate-shopping window
CFPB guidance says inquiries for the same type of loan made within approximately 14 to 45 days are generally treated as one inquiry by scoring models. The exact window depends on the model.
This treatment is commonly associated with:
mortgage loans;
auto loans; and
student loans.
Do not assume separate credit card applications receive the same grouping. A mortgage inquiry and an auto-loan inquiry are also different loan types and are not grouped together as one.
Canada rate-shopping window
FCAC advises Canadian consumers who are shopping for a car loan or mortgage to obtain quotes from different lenders within a two-week period. Credit bureaus treat those inquiries as one inquiry.
The Canadian guidance does not say that every kind of credit application receives this treatment. Multiple credit card or unrelated loan applications should not be assumed to count as one.
A simple example
Jordan requests auto-loan quotes from three U.S. lenders within ten days. Because the inquiries concern the same type of loan and fall inside the CFPB's stated rate-shopping range, a scoring model will generally treat them as one inquiry.
If Jordan also applies for two credit cards during the same period, those card applications are separate credit decisions. They should not be assumed to join the auto-loan group.
For a Canadian example, Maya requests mortgage quotes from three lenders within 14 days. That follows FCAC's two-week guidance. If she continues sending applications over a longer period, the inquiries may no longer receive the same grouped treatment.
When should you ask whether a check is hard or soft?
Ask before submitting an application when:
you are using a prequalification or preapproval tool;
you are requesting a credit-limit increase;
a landlord, employer, utility, or cellphone company wants permission to check credit;
a dealership plans to send your information to several lenders;
you are comparing financing offers; or
the application language only says “credit check” without explaining the type.
Use a direct question:
“Will this step create a hard inquiry that can affect my credit score, or is it a soft inquiry? If I continue to a formal application later, at what point will the hard inquiry happen?”
Ask for the answer in writing when possible. If the company cannot explain the process, pause before submitting sensitive information.
How to compare credit without creating unnecessary inquiries
Check your own reports first. This is a soft inquiry and does not affect your score.
Compare public terms before applying. Review APR, fees, loan length, total cost, and eligibility requirements.
Use clearly identified soft-check tools. Read what information the company will access and whether a formal application follows.
Submit a full application only when ready. Do not apply merely to test whether approval is possible.
Group eligible loan shopping. Use the applicable U.S. 14-to-45-day range or Canada's two-week car-loan and mortgage guidance.
Avoid unrelated applications during a major loan process. A mortgage lender may check credit at application and again before closing, so ask the lender before opening other credit.
U.S. readers can use USAGov's official credit-report instructions, which identify AnnualCreditReport.com as the federally authorized website. Canadian readers can use FCAC's instructions for obtaining reports from Equifax and TransUnion. Requesting your own report is a soft inquiry.
There is no evidence-based universal rule requiring everyone to “freeze applications for 30 days” or “wait a few months.” The right timing depends on the product, scoring model, and active loan process. Use the official shopping windows above and follow instructions from the lender handling your application.
For habits that matter beyond inquiries, use this guide to improve a credit score without relying on quick fixes.
What to do about an inquiry you do not recognize
An unfamiliar name is not automatically fraud. A store card, dealership, or online lender may use a partner bank whose name appears on the report. Start by checking the inquiry date and the company's contact information.
Contact the listed company. Ask what application or permissible purpose created the inquiry.
Review all credit reports. Look for an unfamiliar account, address, or other activity.
Dispute inaccurate information. Contact the credit bureau and the company that supplied or requested the information.
Respond to possible identity theft. Use IdentityTheft.gov in the United States. In Canada, contact Equifax and TransUnion, consider a fraud alert, and report suspected fraud through the official system.
Keep records. Save confirmations, letters, screenshots, dates, and reference numbers.
A legitimate hard inquiry connected to an application you made normally cannot be removed simply because you changed your mind or the application was denied. Disputes are for information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or connected to fraud.
Common hard and soft inquiry mistakes
Believing that checking your own report lowers your score. It is a soft inquiry in both countries.
Assuming every preapproval is soft. The method can change between the preliminary and formal stages.
Expecting a fixed point loss. Score effects depend on the model and credit file.
Applying for several credit cards to compare them. Credit card applications are not generally grouped like eligible mortgage, auto-loan, or student-loan shopping.
Stretching rate shopping over too much time. Use the relevant official window.
Mixing different loan types. A mortgage and auto loan are separate inquiry groups.
Ignoring an unfamiliar inquiry. Verify the company and check for other signs of fraud.
Disputing a legitimate inquiry as a shortcut. Accurate application inquiries are not errors.
Frequently asked questions
Does checking my own credit score create a hard inquiry?
No. Requesting your own report or checking through a monitoring service is a soft inquiry and does not affect your score.
How many points does a hard inquiry lower a score?
There is no universal number. A single lender inquiry generally has little impact according to the CFPB, but the result depends on the score model and the complete credit file.
How long does a hard inquiry stay in the United States?
Experian says hard inquiries remain on U.S. credit reports for two years and affect FICO scores for 12 months. Other scoring models may treat inquiry information differently.
How long does a hard inquiry stay in Canada?
FCAC says lender inquiries may remain for three years with Equifax Canada and six years with TransUnion Canada.
Do multiple mortgage or auto-loan inquiries count as one?
They generally can when they are for the same loan type and fall within the applicable rate-shopping period. U.S. guidance describes a model-dependent window of 14 to 45 days. Canadian guidance recommends a two-week period for car-loan or mortgage quotes.
Do multiple credit card applications count as one inquiry?
Do not assume so. The special rate-shopping treatment is generally associated with certain installment loans, not a group of separate credit card applications.
Is a rental or employment credit check always soft?
No universal answer applies across both countries and every provider. CFPB describes U.S. employment screening as a soft inquiry, while FCAC lists some Canadian rental and employment applications as possible hard inquiries. Ask before giving consent.
Can I remove a hard inquiry after an application is denied?
A denial does not make the inquiry inaccurate. You may dispute an inquiry that you did not authorize, that does not belong to you, or that resulted from fraud, but a legitimate inquiry normally remains for the applicable period.
Official and primary sources
Sources reviewed August 16, 2026. Links open in a new tab.
CFPB: Credit inquiries, score effects, and U.S. rate-shopping windows
USAGov: Getting credit reports through the federally authorized source
Experian USA: How long hard inquiries remain and affect FICO scores
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Hard and soft inquiries and two-week rate shopping
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: How long lender inquiries remain
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Checking reports for errors and fraud
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Getting your credit reports and scores
A hard inquiry is a normal part of applying for credit. The practical goal is not to avoid every inquiry; it is to understand when one will happen, apply only when ready, use legitimate rate-shopping windows, and review your reports for anything you do not recognize.
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