Does Checking Your Credit Score Hurt It?

Does checking your credit score hurt it?

The answer depends on the type of inquiry — and the difference matters more than most people realize.

The short answer: checking your own credit score does not hurt it. The longer answer involves understanding why — and how hard inquiries from lenders work differently. Your credit score is affected by what type of inquiry is being made, not by whether your report is being reviewed.

Understanding this distinction also matters when it comes to what’s already on a credit report. Unauthorized hard inquiries, or hard inquiries reported with inaccurate information, may be eligible for challenge under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Credit Saint reviews reports across all three bureaus and, with your authorization, may challenge inquiries and other entries that don’t accurately reflect your credit history. We’ve helped more than 250,000 Americans work toward more accurate credit reports since 2007. We’ve got this.

Hard inquiries are visible to other lenders and may temporarily lower a credit score by a small number of points. The impact is typically minor and tends to diminish over the following months, though the inquiry itself may remain on the report for up to two years.

Why Hard Inquiries Affect a Score

Credit scoring models, including FICO and VantageScore, treat hard inquiries as an indicator that a consumer may be seeking to take on additional debt. One or two hard inquiries over a year are generally not considered a significant risk signal. A higher number of hard inquiries in a short period may be interpreted by scoring models as an indication of elevated credit risk — though the impact of any individual inquiry is typically small.

One exception to note: when shopping for the best rate on a mortgage, auto loan, or student loan, multiple hard inquiries for the same loan type within a defined window — typically 14 to 45 days depending on the scoring model — are often treated as a single inquiry. This rate-shopping window allows comparison without compounding inquiry penalties.

Unauthorized or Inaccurate Hard Inquiries

Not all hard inquiries on a credit report are legitimate. Hard inquiries that were not authorized by the consumer — for example, resulting from identity theft or a creditor checking credit without a permissible purpose — may be eligible for challenge under the FCRA. An inquiry that is inaccurately dated or attributed may also be disputable.

Credit Saint reviews hard inquiry entries across all three bureaus and, with client authorization, may challenge those that appear unauthorized or inaccurately reported. For a detailed overview of how inquiry disputes work, see our guide on how to address inquiries on your credit report.

How Credit Saint Reviews Inquiry-Related Entries

Inquiries are one of the five factors in FICO scoring, and unauthorized or inaccurately reported ones may be suppressing a score beyond what is warranted. That’s where Credit Saint’s review process applies.

Our specialists review your reports across Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. We identify hard inquiries and other entries that may be inaccurate, unauthorized, or unverifiable. With your authorization, we prepare and submit disputes and pursue follow-up disputes as appropriate. You review the findings. You authorize each challenge. We handle every step from there.

Depending on the complexity of your situation, our team works with you through the appropriate service level:

• Credit Polish — for those beginning to address credit challenges
• Credit Remodel — for moderate situations with multiple reporting concerns
• Clean Slate — for complex, comprehensive situations requiring the most thorough approach

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