Enter the day the first lender pulled your credit. See the last safe day to finish comparing, for FICO and VantageScore.
lenders
Finish every pull by
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Key dates
Pulls inside 14 days count as1
One hard inquiry usually costs(FICO)< 5
Checking your own scoresoft pull, 0 effect
Day 1 = the day of the first pull. We count it that way to stay on the safe side.
The window only covers mortgage, auto and student loan inquiries. A credit card application is its own inquiry.
Since Sep 9, 2026, any Fannie/Freddie lender may use VantageScore 4.0 instead of Classic FICO. VantageScore groups pulls in a 14-day window, so 14 days is the number to plan around.
Common myth: "Every lender I talk to knocks my score down again." Not if you keep the mortgage pulls close together. Inside 14 days, FICO and VantageScore treat them as one inquiry. Checking your own score is a soft pull and never counts.
Next steps
Pick 2–3 lenders before the first pull, so every quote lands inside 14 days.
See which loans your score fits in T235. Two people on the loan? Find the score the lender uses in T236.
Credit frozen? Lift it a few days before the lender pulls (T239).