{"id":1322,"date":"2021-05-19T15:33:37","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T15:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.veteransloans.com\/?p=1322"},"modified":"2025-12-19T15:24:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T21:24:57","slug":"credit-101-hard-pulls-vs-soft-pulls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.veteransloans.com\/resources\/credit-101-hard-pulls-vs-soft-pulls\/","title":{"rendered":"Credit Score 101: Hard Pulls vs. Soft Pulls"},"content":{"rendered":"[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”BODY” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”0px|auto||auto|false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” link_font=”||||on||||” custom_margin=”0px|100px||100px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px|||||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]\n

Credit scores are an important benchmark of your financial health. It’s also one of the first things your lender will determine when you start the VA Home Loan process. At VeteransLoans.com, we’ll soft pull <\/em>your credit score when we work to get you pre-qualified, and then we’ll hard pull\u00a0<\/em>your credit score to get you pre-approved. Not all lenders are the same, though. What is the difference between a hard pull and a soft pull, what do they mean, and will they affect your credit score? Let’s break it down.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hard Inquiries:<\/h2>\n

Generally speaking, a hard inquiry happens when a financial institution checks your credit for a new loan or line of credit. You’ll also generally have to authorize these hard inquiries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Depending on your overall credit health, the effect of a single hard inquiry could range from zero to a couple points. FICO, for example, says, “For most people, one additional credit inquiry will take less than five points off their FICO Scores.” Your score will typically recover from this inquiry after a couple months. <\/span><\/p>\n

There’s strength in numbers, however, and subjecting your credit to multiple hard inquiries in a short amount of time can have a more damaging effect. Because hard inquiries show the application for a new line of credit, having many hard inquiries can show financial distress. Having several inquiries can also indicate the addition of new debt or credit, and your credit score will need time to reflect whether or not you’ve handled the new debt or credit responsibly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Soft Inquiries:<\/h2>\n

Soft inquiries happen any time your credit is pulled for a reason not associated with taking on a new loan or line of credit. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n