How To Identify Soft Inquiries On Your Credit Report: Part 1

Credit is an interesting paradox. Your score is comprised of so many factors, not just your pay back history. For instance, each time you try to apply for credit that’s considered an inquiry. Inquiries allow lenders to see when and where you’ve searched for credit in the past. There are two main kinds of inquiries: hard inquiries and soft inquiries. Soft inquires will not hit your report as hard as a hard inquiry will. To help keep you informed, here is a list of things that can likely show up as a soft inquiry on your credit report:

Checking your own credit score: Any time you check your own credit score, it shows up as a soft inquiry on your credit report.
Pre-approved credit card and loan offers: Those little offers you get in the mail won’t harm your credit score.
Background checks: Whenever you have a background check done, such as for employment it may likely show up as a soft credit inquiry.

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