How Often Should You Check Your Credit Score?

Check your credit score once a month. Check your full credit report from all three bureaus once a year. Before applying for any major loan, check your score at least 3 months in advance so you have time to fix any errors or improve your score.

Checking your own credit score has zero impact on your score. This is called a soft inquiry and it does not appear on your credit report or affect your score in any way. The myth that checking your own score hurts it prevents millions of people from monitoring their most important financial number. Hard inquiries — when a lender pulls your credit for a loan application — do affect your score, but only by 5-10 points and only for about 12 months.

Free ways to check your credit score: most banks and credit card companies now show your FICO score for free in their app or website. Credit Karma provides free VantageScore updates (note: this may differ from your FICO score by 20-40 points). Experian offers a free FICO score. For the most accurate pre-loan check, use myFICO.com to see your actual FICO scores from all three bureaus.

Your full credit report is different from your score. The report contains your complete credit history — every account, payment, inquiry, and public record. Review this annually at AnnualCreditReport.com (the only truly free source mandated by federal law) to catch errors and fraudulent accounts. About 1 in 4 consumers has an error on their credit report that could affect their score.

What to look for when reviewing your credit report: accounts you do not recognize (possible identity theft), incorrect balances or payment statuses, hard inquiries you did not authorize, incorrect personal information, and closed accounts still showing as open.

Use our free net worth calculator to see your complete financial picture alongside your credit health.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Will checking my credit score lower it? No. Checking your own score is a soft inquiry with zero impact. Only hard inquiries from lender applications affect your score.

Which credit score do mortgage lenders use? Most mortgage lenders use FICO scores from all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and use the middle score for their decision.

How often does my credit score change? Scores can change every time a lender reports new information to the bureaus — typically monthly. Paying down a credit card balance can improve your score within 30-45 days.

What is a good score to maintain? 740+ gives you access to the best rates on mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards. This should be your target.

Can I check my spouse's credit score? Only with their permission. You can check your own for free anytime but accessing someone else's report without authorization is illegal.