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Personal loans affect your credit score in the short-term and in the long-term. In the short-term, a personal loan may damage your score because it causes a hard credit inquiry and increases your debt load. But in the long-term, a personal loan can either help or hurt your credit, depending largely on whether or not you pay the bills on time. Ultimately, it’s up to you how much impact the personal loan will have.… read full answer

How a Personal Loan Affects Your Credit Score:

• Does temporary damage with an initial hard inquiry. When you first apply for a personal loan, your credit score will immediately take a small hit. That’s because applying for a personal loan triggers a hard inquiry into your credit history. But this shouldn’t drop your score by more than 5 points or so, and you should be able to bounce back quickly.
• Adds to your overall debt. If you’re approved for a personal loan, you will immediately have a higher debt load, which may cause your credit score to drop in the short-term. That’s because the more debt you have, the riskier it is for banks and credit unions to lend to you.
• Reports to the major credit bureaus monthly. The banks, credit unions and online lenders that issue personal loans report payment information to the major credit bureaus on a monthly basis. If you make on-time payments, you can expect your score to increase. But if you are late or don’t pay altogether, your score will drop.
• Improves your credit mix. Proving yourself capable of managing multiple types of loans and lines of credit responsibly is good for your credit score. It shows you can be trusted to repay what you borrow in a variety of situations. So if you only have one or two other types of accounts on your credit report, such as credit cards or student loans, your score may benefit in the long run from getting the personal loan.
• Could help reduce credit utilization. Personal loans give you a lump sum up front, which you pay back in monthly installments. This is different from a credit card, where you can borrow up to a certain amount any time you want. Credit cards are known as “revolving credit,” and a big part of your credit score is how much of your revolving credit you use up each month, or your “credit utilization ratio.” Personal loans don’t count toward this ratio, so if you use them to pay off revolving debt, you can lower your ratio and improve your score.

In conclusion, as long as you’re sure to pay on time each month, a personal loan should eventually increase your score by a lot more than the initial inquiry caused it to fall. You can also avoid wasting hard inquiries by getting pre-qualified for a loan first. Pre-qualification only uses a harmless soft inquiry. And while it doesn’t guarantee approval, it will let you know if your odds are good.

It takes 7 business days or less to get a personal loan in most cases. The fastest you can get a personal loan is the same day you apply. The longest the process can take is over 30 business days. There are many factors that go into a personal loan decision and how long it takes to come. Two important ones are your creditworthiness and the accuracy of the information on your application.… read full answer

The better your credit history is, the more confident issuers will be in approving your personal loan application. Higher income may also speed up the approval process. The accuracy of the information you submit is important, too, because if you make a mistake on your application – entering the wrong address or SSN, for example – the issuer may not be able to verify your identity or creditworthiness right away. They will have to contact you to request additional info.

How long it takes to get approved for a personal loan and how long it takes to get the money are likely to be different timeframes. In most cases, it’s going to take at least one business day after approval for you to receive your funds. Some online lenders may be able to get you the money the same day.

Probably the most important factor in the personal loan timeline is where you’re getting the loan from. WalletHub reached out to some of the biggest lenders to see how long it takes to get approved for their personal loans and when funds are paid out.

How long it takes to get a personal loan by issuer:

If you want to get approved for a personal loan as quickly as possible, there are a few steps you can take in order to speed the process along.

Tips to Get a Personal Loan Faster:

1. Check your credit report for any errors and dispute them. Incorrect or fraudulent information can hold your score back and prevent you from being approved.
2. Only apply for loans with credit requirements that you meet or exceed. This will give you the fastest decision timeline, as it will be easier for the lender to determine you qualify.
3. Check for pre-qualification before applying. If you receive pre-qualification, you’re not guaranteed approval but your odds are very high.
4. Apply online for the fastest processing. Applying online immediately plugs your application in to the lender’s automated system – you might even get a decision instantly.
5. Make sure all the information on the application is accurate. If you accidentally put the wrong address, SSN, etc., the lender will have to hold up your application and contact you to clear it up.

In addition to issuers’ timelines for approval and funding, you should also include the preparation process in your time estimate. Before getting a personal loan, you should check your credit and compare offers from various lenders to find the best one available for your situation. You can check your credit for free in minutes. But you shouldn’t rush through your research. Take as much time as you need to come to a decision, keeping in mind the length of the loan, estimated monthly payments, APRs and more.

You’ll also want to take the time to check for pre-qualification if the lenders you’re interested in allow it. Pre-qualification will give you a better idea of your approval odds. While you won’t always be approved if you pre-qualify, your chances are extremely high. It only takes a few minutes to check for pre-qualification and it doesn’t hurt your credit, so be sure to take advantage of it.