A hard credit pull usually occurs when you are seeking some form of credit. These pulls are visible to other people who want to look at your credit. A common red flag is someone with many recent credit check requests, which suggests that they might be overextending their credit.

As a result, every time you have a “hard pull” on your credit history you will take (at least) a minor ding to your overall credit score. It’s hard to predict the EXACT affect both of these examinations (hard and soft pull) have on your overall score, however realizing the difference between the two should give you some insight.

A hard pull should only occur when you give express written consent for it to happen. This type of credit pull will have a (slight) negative effect on your overall score. These usually occur when you are seeking some form of credit (think – insurance, loan app, new credit card, etc). Records of these inquiries will remain with you for 1 or 2 years and should be used primarily when obtaining new lines of credit. Sometimes companies may require these reports be pulled before you purchase a certain product or service (satellite television, utility companies, etc).

Unlike a hard credit pull, a soft credit pull will not affect your credit score.

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