How to See Soft Inquiries on Your Credit Report
Understand your credit better. Learn practical methods to locate and track soft inquiries on your credit reports and through monitoring services.
Credit inquiries are a common aspect of managing personal finances. Understanding soft inquiries is helpful for monitoring your financial profile. This article explains what soft inquiries are, how they differ from other credit checks, and how to view them on your credit reports and through credit monitoring services.
What Soft Inquiries Are
A soft inquiry, also known as a soft credit pull or soft credit check, occurs when an individual or entity reviews your credit report without you formally applying for new credit. These inquiries do not affect your credit scores. They serve as a way for companies to pre-screen potential customers or for you to check your own credit standing.
Soft inquiries differ from hard inquiries, which occur when you apply for new credit, such as a loan or a credit card. Hard inquiries can temporarily lower your credit score by a few points and remain on your credit report for up to two years. Soft inquiries do not carry any scoring risk.
Common examples of situations that result in a soft inquiry include checking your own credit score or report, receiving pre-approved credit offers from lenders, or when existing creditors periodically review your account. Background checks for employment, renting an apartment, or obtaining insurance quotes also involve a soft inquiry.
Accessing Your Credit Reports
The most direct way to view soft inquiries is by obtaining copies of your credit reports from the three major nationwide credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report from each of these bureaus once every 12 months. This access is currently extended to weekly free reports through the official channel.
To access these reports, visit AnnualCreditReport.com, the only federally authorized website for free credit reports. You can request all three reports simultaneously or space them out throughout the year to monitor your credit more frequently. When ordering online, you receive immediate access after verifying your identity.
Once you have your credit report, navigate to the section detailing “inquiries” or “credit inquiries.” Here, you will find a list of all entities that have accessed your credit information. Soft inquiries will be clearly listed and distinguished from hard inquiries. Reviewing this section helps you identify who has viewed your credit profile.
Using Credit Monitoring Services
Beyond annual credit reports, various credit monitoring services track your credit activity, including soft inquiries. Many of these services, both free and paid, offer more frequent updates and alerts than the traditional annual report. These platforms help you stay informed about changes to your credit profile in near real-time.
Major credit bureaus offer free services that allow you to check your credit report and score from their specific bureau. Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax (through myEquifax) provide free access to their respective reports, which include soft inquiries they have recorded. Many third-party financial technology companies, like Credit Karma or Capital One CreditWise, also offer free access to credit information, drawing data from two of the three bureaus.
When using these services, you create an account and link it to your credit profile, allowing you to view your inquiries and other credit data through a dashboard or mobile application. While these services are valuable for ongoing monitoring and receiving alerts about new activity, AnnualCreditReport.Report.com remains the definitive source for your complete, official credit reports from all three bureaus.