Does Checking CIBIL Score Reduce CIBIL Points?

The CIBIL score, a three-digit number, is an essential part of your financial journey. It is a numerical value that lenders widely use to assess your creditworthiness,

One of the most widely floating questions among individuals is, "Does checking the CIBIL score often affect it negatively?" Well, no! Read on to know more about the CIBIL score and factors that negatively affect this number.

How Does Checking CIBIL Score Affect CIBIL Score?

Every time your credit score is checked, it is reported in your credit information report.

Inquiries about your credit score are classified into two types: soft inquiries and hard inquiries. The type of credit inquiry is determined by who is looking at your credit report and why.

Soft inquiries do not affect your credit score, but hard inquiries can lower it.

Soft Inquiry and Its Impact

Soft credit checks, often known as soft inquiries, can happen for a number of reasons, including:

when you check your own credit score (CIBIL score)
when your employer or landlord checks your credit with your permission

Checking your credit score through a soft inquiry won't harm your credit score since you're not actually applying for credit. This means that it's perfectly fine to check your credit score prior to submitting an application for a mortgage loan, student loan, personal loan or credit card.

Soft queries do not have any impact on the CIBIL score.

Hard Inquiry and Its Impact

In order to approve loans and credit cards, lenders and credit card companies check your CIBIL score. This is called a hard inquiry.

Hard inquiries can temporarily lower a customer's CIBIL score by a few points.

In case a customer applies for multiple credit cards or loans in a short period of time, the hard inquiries conducted can cause significant damage to the customer’s CIBIL score.

This will lead to the rejection of the loan and the customer has to wait for a few months before applying for new credit.

How Do I Know Who is Checking My CIBIL Score?

You might be worried that someone checking your CIBIL score and that will lead to lowering your score. There is a way to find out who is checking your score.

When you request for a CIBIL report, you can see a list of organizations and people who have checked your score. The CIBIL report mentions all the people who have checked your score in the past year.

Importance of Checking Your CIBIL Score

As a credit user, it is important to understand how to check your credit score. Checking your CIBIL score regularly will help you understand what factors go into your credit score.

It's a common misconception that checking CIBIL scores will reduce points. As a result, most avoid checking their credit report and score frequently. This results in lower credit scores and a diminished sense of financial security.

It is crucial to regularly check your credit report and credit score to spot any possible errors and make sure your score is in line with your expectations.

How Often Should You Check Your CIBIL Score?

If you check your credit score yourself, it is considered a soft inquiry and will not harm your CIBIL score. Therefore, you can check your CIBIL score as often as you like.

In fact, it is a good idea to check your credit score regularly.

Checking your credit score before applying for credit cards or loans helps ensure that your applications are approved quickly and easily.

It is best to check your credit score a few months before applying for credit. This way, you will have enough time to review anything that may be negatively affecting your credit score and take the necessary steps to improve your CIBIL score.

Conclusion

Checking your CIBIL score regularly does not reduce your credit points. You must check your credit score before seeking new credit as it will help you grow your credit score over time.

Ensure you have the optimum score for the credit approval and avoid having your application rejected by creditors.

Does Checking CIBIL Score Reduce It - FAQs

1. If I Check My CIBIL Score Will It Reduce?

No. If you check your CIBIL score regularly, it will not reduce.

2. When Should I Check My CIBIL Score?

You can check your CIBIL score as per your requirement. It does not negatively affect your score in any manner.

3. Should I Check My CIBIL Score If I Don’t Require Credit?

Yes. Irrespective of your credit requirement, you must adopt the habit of checking your CIBIL score regularly (once in 6 months) to ensure there are no discrepancies in the credit report.

4. Do Banks Check My CIBIL Score?

Yes. In order to approve a loan or a credit card, banks conduct a hard inquiry that involves checking the applicant’s credit score and history.

5. How To Minimize Hard Inquiries?

The best way to minimize hard inquiries is to avoid too many credit applications.