If I check my credit score does it affect my FICO?

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January 16th, 2009 - Posted by Joe

The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.

Q:  If I check my credit score does it affect my FICO?

A: No.  Personally checking your credit report is what is known as a "soft pull" and will not negatively impact your credit score in any way.  You can check your own credit report and score as frequently as you like without consequences.  We recommend that most consumers check their credit report and credit score at least once per quarter and even more frequently if you are shopping for some sort of credit like a home or auto loan.

When you authorize a lender to check your credit it is called a "hard pull".  This can impact your credit score, so it is a good idea only to apply for credit cards and loans that you really need.  That being said, the credit reporting agencies can see when you are shopping for a loan and will typically treat multiple credit inquires from lenders for the same type of loan as a single inquiry.

We believe the best way to keep tabs on your credit file is to sign up for a credit report service that provides three bureau credit monitoring along with access to your credit reports and credit scores.  You can read our comparison and reviews of credit report services by visiting NextAdvisor.com.