Hard and soft credit searches explained

Every time a company looks at your credit file, it leaves one of two kinds of mark: a soft search or a hard search. A soft search is recorded on your report but only you can see it, and it does not affect your credit score no matter how many there are¹. A hard search happens when a company makes a complete search of your credit report, usually because you have applied for credit, and each one is recorded so that any company searching your file can see you have applied¹.

The distinction matters because hard searches are visible to lenders and can affect your credit score, while soft searches are not and cannot². Most hard searches stay on your report for 12 months¹, and several applications close together can lower your score more than a single one does³. Knowing which kind of search a company is about to run, and using soft-search eligibility checks before applying, is one of the simplest ways to avoid unnecessary damage to your file.

Soft and hard searches side by side

The two kinds of search do different jobs. A soft credit check occurs when you check your own credit report, or when a lender checks your eligibility for specific products or interest rates². A hard credit check occurs when you apply for finance, such as a credit card, loan or mortgage². Lloyds describes the same split: a soft check is often used to provide insurance or credit quotations, a mortgage agreement in principle, credit card eligibility checks and price comparison websites, while a hard check is completed when you submit a full application for credit, or to use some services such as a mobile phone contract, utility supply or rental property⁵.

The practical difference is visibility and impact. Soft credit checks are recorded on your credit report, but other lenders cannot see them⁶. Hard checks are visible and can affect your credit score². Experian puts it plainly: only you can see soft checks on your report and it does not matter how many there are, and there is no limit to how many soft checks you can have, even close together¹.

Soft and hard searches differ in what they are used for and who can see the result.

A soft search is visible only to you

A soft search is noted on your report, but lenders generally cannot see it⁸. Experian states the same from the other direction: soft searches are not visible to companies¹, and although a soft credit check is recorded on your credit report, it cannot be seen by lenders⁴. HSBC adds that soft credit checks do not leave a visible footprint on your credit file, meaning other lenders will not see them, though they are recorded and you can view them on your report yourself².

This is why soft searches are used for the early, exploratory stages of borrowing. Halifax lists the situations where a soft check is used: insurance or credit quotations, a mortgage agreement in principle, credit card eligibility checks and price comparison websites³. first direct makes the same point about its agreement in principle process: soft checks will not impact your credit rating, but a hard search can, so it is worth checking which one applies⁹. When you open a basic bank account, the bank asks permission for a soft search of your credit file purely to check your identity, which does not affect your credit score¹⁰.

Because soft searches are invisible to lenders, they carry no cost in score terms. Experian's eligibility checking for credit cards and personal loans records only a soft search, meaning your score will not be affected unless you actually apply¹. An eligibility checker conducts a soft search to rate your chances of being accepted for borrowing or credit, without leaving any trace on your credit history¹¹. The number of soft searches on your file is irrelevant to any lender's decision, because no lender sees them.

Every lender who checks your file sees a hard search

A hard credit check happens when a company makes a complete search of your credit report¹. Each hard check is recorded on your report, so any company searching it will be able to see that you have applied for credit¹. HSBC describes the same mechanism: a hard credit check will appear on your credit report, and other lenders will be able to see that you applied for credit⁶. Experian notes that each time you apply for a credit card, the lender carries out a hard search of your credit file¹², and each time you apply for credit more generally, a hard credit search is recorded on your credit report¹³.

The footprint is left by the application, not by the outcome. Halifax states that whether or not you are accepted, hard credit searches could affect your credit score, especially if you make a number of full applications in a short period of time⁷. Which? makes the same point about applying for a credit card: when you apply it will leave a mark on your credit file, so if you apply and are rejected, that rejection is visible alongside the search¹⁴.

Hard searches are not limited to obvious borrowing. A hard check is completed when you submit a full application for credit, or to use some services, which will include lending for a mortgage, loan or credit card, or providing a service such as a mobile phone contract, utility supply or rental property⁵. Car finance works the same way: most lenders run a soft search when you ask for a quote, which does not affect your score, and a hard check when you formally apply¹⁵. Some loan products leave the choice to the process itself: The Money Co-op states that in some cases its loan applications involve a soft credit search, but some require a hard credit search which will be recorded on your credit file and may be visible to other lenders¹⁶.

How long a hard search stays: usually 12 months

Most hard searches stay on your credit report for 12 months¹. Which? describes the same footprint: hard checks leave a mark on your credit file that is visible to other lenders for at least 12 months¹⁷. HSBC states a hard credit check can stay on your credit report for around 12 months⁶. The retention period is set by each credit reference agency, and the debt advice charities that track this report the same pattern across agencies: Experian and Equifax hold search entries for 12 months, and TransUnion for up to 24 months¹⁸. Advice NI gives the same figures for Northern Ireland¹⁹, and the Mental Health and Money Advice service describes credit report searches by a creditor staying for one or two years depending on the agency²⁰. The Information Commissioner's Office, the data protection regulator, records that Experian and Equifax keep most search information for one year, and record debt-collection searches for up to two years²¹.

Two sources give longer figures in specific contexts. Which? reported in November 2024 that a hard search stays on your report for two years²², and UK Finance, the banking industry body, stated in a 2024 report that hard searches on joint loan applications will normally stay on the respective credit files for two years²³. The weight of guidance, including the credit reference agencies' own stated retention periods, is 12 months at Experian and Equifax and up to 24 months at TransUnion¹⁸, so treat two years as the outer limit rather than the norm.

A hard search is recorded on the day you apply and removed after 12 months at Experian and Equifax, or up to 24 months at TransUnion.

The impact of a search is not spread evenly across its life. Which? notes that each application, whether successful or not, shows for 12 months, but generally only has an impact in the first three months²⁴. Associate searches, which record a financial link between two people, remain on the report for 12 months and are then removed²⁶. The dedicated guide to how long information stays on your credit file covers the retention periods for other entries, such as missed payments and defaults, which last far longer than searches do.

Several applications close together can push your score down

A single hard search has a limited effect, but a cluster of them does not. Which? states that multiple hard searches, particularly within a short period, can lower your credit score¹⁷. A hard search will have a minor negative impact on your score, but many searches in a small period of time will result in a more significant impact²². The Debt Advice Foundation explains the mechanism from the lender's side: the more hard searches you have recorded on your file, the more detrimental it is to your overall credit score, because a run of applications looks like desperation for credit⁸.

The reason is how lenders read the pattern. Business Debtline notes that if you have lots of searches on your file, this can make it harder to take out credit or affect the deals available to you²⁷. A lender seeing five applications in a month cannot tell whether you were declined each time, shopping around for a rate, or building up several debts at once. Some applications are also made at moments of financial stress, such as when consolidating debts, and lenders treat a cluster of searches as a risk signal regardless of the reason behind it.

There is no fixed waiting period set by any rule, but guidance exists on spacing. Which? suggests that if you have applied for credit recently, consider leaving six months before applying for any more if you can²². That is a guideline rather than a requirement, and the practical effect of any single search fades well before then, since applications generally only have an impact in the first three months²⁴.

Checking eligibility first to avoid unnecessary hard searches

The main way to avoid unnecessary hard searches is to use soft-search eligibility tools before applying. Many credit card providers now offer soft credit searches, helping you to find cards you are eligible to apply for without impacting your credit score⁷. An eligibility checker will conduct a soft search to rate your chances of being accepted for borrowing or credit¹¹. Experian's pre-approved loan offers work the same way: they are based on a soft credit check which, although recorded on your credit report, cannot be seen by lenders⁴.

The FCA's consumer research on credit found that some level of understanding of the difference between a hard and soft credit check exists among consumers, and that this understanding is more common among people who are financially struggling, with the concept more familiar as "check your eligibility before applying"²⁸. That framing is the right one: the eligibility check is the step that stands between an idle question and a permanent footprint.

An eligibility check leaves a soft search; only the full application leaves a hard one.

Not every product offers a soft-search route. Lloyds notes that soft credit searches are not offered on all credit types⁵, so for some borrowing there is no way to test the water without a hard search. Where eligibility checks do exist, they are worth using before each application, because the alternative is a hard search that shows for 12 months whether or not you are accepted²⁴. The guide to credit eligibility checkers covers how these tools work and what their results mean.

Buy now pay later is a case where the rules are still uneven. Some providers will carry out a soft credit check, and some will carry out a hard credit check³⁰. Which? found the same variation between firms: Zilch runs a soft check, while Laybuy runs a hard check³¹. Soft credit checks by BNPL providers do not appear on your credit report³⁰, but a hard one does, so it is worth checking which kind a provider runs before opening an account. The guide to buy now pay later and your credit report covers this in more detail.

Checking your own score does not lower it

A persistent myth is that looking at your own credit file damages it. It does not. A soft credit check occurs when you check your own credit report², and soft checks are never visible to lenders and never affect your score¹. You can check your report with all three agencies as often as you like, and it makes no difference to any lender's view of you, because no lender sees those searches.

Checking your own report is also the only way to see what lenders will see, including the hard searches already recorded against you. Which? recommends checking your credit score for free before applying for credit, and notes that hard checks leave a footprint visible to other lenders for at least 12 months¹⁷. Regular checking also lets you spot errors or unfamiliar searches, which can be a sign of identity fraud; the guides to how to check your credit report for free and identity fraud and your credit file cover both.

Landlords, employers and other checks

Not every credit check is connected to borrowing. Landlords and letting agents can only do a soft search of your credit record³², and only if you say yes to it³³. The same rule appears in Shelter's guidance on renting from a private landlord: landlords and agents can only do a soft search³⁴, and failing a credit check at the referencing stage has its own consequences for any holding deposit paid³⁵. Because it is a soft search, it does not show your full repayment history: landlords only see information that is already public, for example if you have county court judgments, an IVA or bankruptcy, and the check does not tell landlords if you have missed rent payments³². Some landlords and rental companies do credit checks and may not rent to you if you have bad credit³⁶, and where a rent guarantor is used, the credit checks are run by the landlord or letting agent³⁷. The guides to tenant credit checks and renting with a poor credit history cover this in full.

Some employers run credit checks on new or existing staff, usually in legal services, financial services, property conveyancing and accountancy³⁸. These are employment checks rather than lending decisions, and the guide to whether poor credit can affect your job sets out what they can and cannot see.

Where to get free help

If searches on your file are causing problems, or you are unsure what a company is about to run, free and impartial help exists. Business Debtline, National Debtline and Advice NI all publish guides to credit reference agencies and what your file contains, covering England and Wales and Scotland respectively¹⁸. StepChange offers free debt advice and explains how debt affects your credit file, including the effect of debt solutions on your home³⁶ and what being a guarantor means for your file³⁷. The Mental Health and Money Advice service explains whether people are blacklisted for debt and how long entries last²⁰. For anything to do with data rights over your file, the guide to your data rights over your credit file sets out what you can ask the agencies for, and the wider guide to credit scores and credit reports covers the whole subject.