What is a soft inquiry?

Soft inquiries typically occur when a person or company checks your credit report as part of a background check. Examples include employer background checks, getting pre-approved for credit card offers and checking your own credit score. Unlike hard inquiries, a soft inquiry may occur without your permission. However, they won’t affect your credit score. Soft inquiries may or may not be recorded in your credit report, depending on the credit bureau.

One of the biggest credit misconceptions is that checking your own credit score using companies like Credit Karma or Privacy Guard will hurt your credit score. This is not the case. You can check your credit scores at Credit Karma as often as you like without affecting your credit score.