What is a soft credit check and what does it show?

A soft credit check shows the same information as a hard inquiry. This includes your loans and lines of credit as well as their payment history and any collections accounts, tax liens or other public records in your name. A soft credit check does not hurt your credit because it happens when you review your own credit report or a creditor does so for regular account maintenance or to pre-screen you for a credit card.

A hard credit check, on the other hand, is used when you apply for a new loan or line of credit. It can also happen when you ask for a higher spending limit on an existing account. A hard credit inquiry causes temporary credit score damage because it signals that you are trying to borrow more, and creditors need to see that you can handle the burden responsibly.

So to recap, hard and soft credit checks show the same thing. They just differ in terms of why they’re done and how they impact your credit score. For a more detailed breakdown, check out WalletHub’s Hard vs. Soft Credit Inquiries guide. You can also learn more about the soft side of things in particular from our article on Soft Credit Checks.

If you want to see what a soft credit check shows, just check your own credit report.

Additionally, sometimes an employer will check your credit, like if you went to work for some financial institutions or if your job requires a security clearance. That also would be a soft inquiry. 

Pretty much the same as a hard credit check. The only difference is it won't hurt your score.