Does Checking Your Credit Score Lower It?
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Does checking your credit score lower it? This is one of the most common credit questions Canadians ask. The short answer: no, checking your own credit score does not lower it. When you check your credit yourself, it counts as a soft inquiry, which has zero impact on your score.
Understanding the difference between soft and hard credit inquiries can save you stress and help you monitor your credit health confidently. Related guides: how to get a free credit score, how to check your score in Canada, and the TransUnion scoring guide. Let’s break down exactly what happens when you-or a lender-checks your credit.
Ratesopedia’s Take
You can check your credit score as often as you want without any penalty. Only lender-initiated hard inquiries, like when you apply for one of the best credit cards in Canada or a loan, can temporarily lower your score by a few points. The impact is small, short-lived, and far outweighed by the benefits of staying informed about your credit health.
What Happens When You Check
When you check your own credit score through your bank app, a credit monitoring service, or directly from a credit bureau, the inquiry is classified as a soft pull. Soft pulls appear on your credit report but are visible only to you-not to lenders.
These self-checks have no impact on your credit score calculation. You could check your score daily for a year, and it would not change your score by even a single point. This is true whether you use free tools from your bank or paid monitoring services.
In Canada, both Equifax and TransUnion-the two major credit bureaus-treat personal credit checks the same way. They understand that consumers need to review their credit information regularly to spot errors, track progress, and protect against fraud.
Soft vs Hard Inquiries
Credit inquiries fall into two categories: soft and hard. The distinction determines whether your credit score is affected. Understanding which type applies in different situations helps you make informed decisions about when to authorize credit checks.
Soft Inquiries
Soft inquiries occur when you or a company checks your credit for informational purposes, not for a lending decision. These inquiries do not affect your credit score and include:
- Personal credit checks: When you check your own score through your bank, Credit Karma, Borrowell, or directly from Equifax or TransUnion
- Pre-approval offers: When credit card companies or lenders screen you for promotional offers without your active application
- Employment background checks: When employers review your credit as part of the hiring process for certain positions
- Rental applications: When landlords check your credit to evaluate you as a tenant (in some provinces)
- Account reviews: When your existing creditors periodically review your credit to manage your current accounts
Hard Inquiries
Hard inquiries happen when you actively apply for credit and authorize a lender to review your full credit report as part of their approval process. These inquiries can temporarily lower your credit score.
- Credit card applications: Submitting a new application for a personal or business credit card
- Mortgage applications: Applying for a mortgage or home equity line of credit
- Auto loans: Financing a vehicle purchase through a dealership or lender
- Personal loans: Applying for unsecured or secured personal loans
- Line of credit applications: Opening a new personal or business line of credit
| Inquiry Type | Score Impact | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Soft | None | Checking your own score, pre-approvals, employer checks |
| Hard | May drop 5-10 points | Credit card, mortgage, auto loan, personal loan applications |
Hard Inquiry Impact
As of 2026, when you apply for credit, the hard inquiry typically causes a small, temporary decrease in your credit score. For most Canadians with established credit, the drop ranges from 5 to 10 points, though the exact impact depends on your overall credit profile.
If you have a long credit history, strong payment record, and few recent inquiries, a single hard pull may barely register. However, if your credit file is newer or you’ve applied for multiple credit products recently, the impact could be more noticeable.
Duration on Your Report
Hard inquiries remain visible on your credit report for three years with Equifax and six years with TransUnion, according to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. However, their influence on your credit score calculation typically lasts only about 12 months. After the first year, the inquiry still appears on your report but stops affecting your score.
This means the visible record of the inquiry outlasts its actual scoring impact. Lenders who review your credit can see inquiries going back three years at Equifax and six years at TransUnion, even if those inquiries no longer influence your score.
Rate Shopping Protection
Credit scoring models in Canada recognize that consumers shop around for the best rates on mortgages, auto loans, and student loans. To prevent penalizing smart comparison shopping, multiple hard inquiries for the same type of loan within a short window are typically treated as a single inquiry.
The rate-shopping window varies by scoring model but generally ranges from 14 to 45 days. To be safe, complete your mortgage or auto loan applications within a two-week period. This protection applies specifically to mortgage, auto, and student loan inquiries-not to credit card applications.
Free Credit Check Options
Canadian consumers have multiple free options for checking their credit scores and reports. These services use soft inquiries, so you can check as frequently as you want without any score impact.
Bank and Card Issuer Apps
Most major Canadian banks now offer free credit score access through their mobile apps or online banking platforms. TD, BMO, RBC, CIBC, and Scotiabank all provide this service to their customers, typically powered by TransUnion or Equifax data.
Several credit card issuers also include free score access as a cardholder benefit. You can check your score directly in the TD app, BMO Credit Coach, or through your online banking dashboard without any impact on your credit.
Free Monitoring Services
- Borrowell (Equifax score, updated weekly)
- Credit Karma Canada (TransUnion score, updated weekly)
- Mogo (Equifax score, free credit monitoring)
Direct from Credit Bureaus
You can request a free copy of your credit report directly from Equifax and TransUnion once every 12 months. This is your legal right under Canadian consumer protection laws. The free report includes all your credit information but may not include your numerical credit score unless you pay a fee.
To get your free report, you can order by mail, phone, or online through each bureau’s website. The request is processed as a soft inquiry and does not affect your credit score in any way.
When to Monitor Your Credit
Regular credit monitoring serves multiple practical purposes beyond just knowing your score. It helps you catch errors, detect fraud early, and track your progress toward financial goals. Since checking has no negative impact, you can review your credit as often as makes sense for your situation.
- Before major applications: Check your score 3-6 months before applying for a mortgage, auto loan, or premium credit card to identify and fix issues
- After paying down debt: Monitor monthly to see how reduced credit utilization improves your score over time
- Following missed payments: Track recovery progress as negative marks age and positive behaviour rebuilds your score
- During fraud concerns: Check immediately if you suspect identity theft or notice unfamiliar account activity
- Annual credit health review: Review your full credit report at least once yearly to verify accuracy and spot potential problems
What Affects Your Score More
While many Canadians worry about checking their credit, the factors that actually influence your score matter far more than inquiries. Payment history accounts for 35% of your score, while credit inquiries represent only about 10%.
- Late or missed payments: Even one payment 30 days late can drop your score by 60-110 points and remain on your report for six years
- High credit utilization: Using more than 30% of your available credit limit signals risk to lenders and lowers your score
- Accounts in collections: Unpaid debts sent to collections cause significant, long-lasting score damage
- Bankruptcy or consumer proposal: These stay on your report for 6-7 years and severely impact your score
A single hard inquiry that drops your score by 5 points is far less impactful than maxing out a credit card or missing a payment. Focus your energy on maintaining consistent on-time payments and keeping your credit utilization below 30%.
Bottom Line
Checking your own credit score is one of the smartest financial habits you can develop, and it comes with zero risk to your score. Soft inquiries from personal checks, bank apps, and free monitoring services have no impact whatsoever on your credit rating.
Hard inquiries from credit applications can cause a small, temporary score drop-typically 5 to 10 points-but this impact fades within 12 months. The key is understanding when hard inquiries occur and spacing out credit applications appropriately, especially for cash back credit cards and other consumer credit products.
Rather than worrying about checking your credit, focus on the factors that truly drive your score: paying bills on time, keeping credit utilization low, maintaining older accounts, and avoiding collections. Regular monitoring helps you track these factors and catch errors before they cause problems. Stay informed about your credit health by signing up for our newsletter to receive expert tips and updates on the best financial products in Canada.
Does checking your credit score lower it – FAQ
Does checking my own credit score lower it?
No, checking your own credit score does not lower it. When you check your credit yourself, it counts as a soft inquiry, which has zero impact on your credit score. You can check as often as you want through bank apps, free services, or directly from credit bureaus without any penalty.
How much does a hard inquiry lower your credit score in Canada?
A hard inquiry typically lowers your credit score by 5 to 10 points, though the exact impact depends on your overall credit profile. The effect is temporary and usually diminishes within 12 months, even though the inquiry remains visible on your report for three years at Equifax and six years at TransUnion.
What’s the difference between a soft and hard credit check?
A soft credit check occurs when you check your own score or when companies pre-screen you for offers, and it does not affect your score. A hard credit check happens when you apply for credit and authorize a lender to review your full credit report, which can temporarily lower your score by a few points.
How long do hard inquiries stay on your credit report?
In Canada, hard inquiries remain on your credit report for three years with Equifax and six years with TransUnion, according to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. However, they typically only affect your credit score for the first 12 months. After one year, the inquiry still appears on your report but stops influencing your score calculation.
Can I check my credit score for free in Canada?
Yes, you can check your credit score for free through several sources in Canada. Most major banks offer free score access through their apps, and free services like Borrowell, Credit Karma Canada, and Mogo provide regular score updates. You can also request a free credit report from Equifax and TransUnion once per year.
Does applying for multiple credit cards hurt your credit score?
Yes, each credit card application generates a separate hard inquiry that can lower your score. Unlike mortgage or auto loan shopping, credit card applications do not benefit from rate-shopping windows. Space out your credit card applications by at least three to six months to minimize score impact.
Will checking my credit before applying for a mortgage hurt my score?
No, checking your own credit before a mortgage application does not hurt your score at all. In fact, it’s recommended to review your credit 3-6 months before applying so you can identify and fix any errors. Only the mortgage application itself-when the lender performs a hard inquiry-can affect your score.
How often should I check my credit score?
You can check your credit score as often as you like since it’s a soft inquiry with no impact. Most Canadians benefit from checking monthly or quarterly to track progress, spot errors, and detect fraud early. At minimum, review your full credit report from both Equifax and TransUnion at least once per year.
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