Robert Garcia
Top-Rated Seller on Upwork & Fiverr
Soft Inquiry
In This Article
Definition
Credit check that doesn't affect your score, used for background checks, pre-approvals, and personal credit monitoring.
Related Terms
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FAQs
Do background checks hurt credit?
No, employment and gig platform background checks are soft inquiries.
Similar Terms
Credit Utilization
Percentage of available credit being used. Keeping below 30% (ideally 10%) helps maintain good credit scores.
Hard Inquiry
Credit check that appears on your report and may temporarily lower your score, typically from loan or credit applications.
FICO Score
Most widely used credit score model, ranging 300-850, used by 90% of lenders for credit decisions.
VantageScore
Credit scoring model created by the three bureaus as alternative to FICO, shown on many free credit monitoring services.
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