Does Prequalification Affect Your Credit Score? The Truth Most Lenders Won’t Tell You [2026]
Most lenders run a hard credit pull during prequalification — but it doesn’t have to work that way. This article explains exactly how does prequalification affect credit score, why the outcome depends entirely on the lender’s inquiry choice, and how a free soft pull mortgage pre-qualification lets you know what you can afford without any credit score impact.



