If you’re shopping for a personal loan, using NerdWallet’s personal loan pre-qualification tool can help you find the lender that’s right for you.

How to use NerdWallet’s personal loan pre-qualification tool

1. Click here to get started.

2. If you already have an account with NerdWallet, click Already Have An Account? After you sign in to your NerdWallet account, the page will automatically fill in some of your details.

3. Provide some more details about the loan you’re requesting (loan amount and reason for borrowing).

4. Otherwise, complete each of the fields. You’ll be asked for basic contact information (address and phone number) and some information required by the lender (date of birth, rental/homeownership status, employment status, citizenship status, education level, and your Social Security number, which enables a soft credit inquiry).

5. Select a security question from the drop-down menu.

6. Agree to the terms of the pre-qualification tool and click submit.

7. You should see your results page load within a minute or two, displaying either some pre-qualified loan offers or credit rebuilding resources.

When you go through the personal loan pre-qualification process, the bank or lender will need to review the following to determine if you pre-qualify:

• Your credit (based on a soft review of your credit report).
• Your income.
• Your age and citizenship status.
• Your other debts and monthly financial obligations.
• Your employment status.
• The reason you’d like to borrow (for personal loans).

Remember, getting pre-qualified for a personal loan is not a final decision about whether or not you’ll actually get approved for it. The lender you end up submitting a formal application with will need to collect some additional information from you to determine approval.

How is my personal information being used when I fill out the personal loan pre-qualification form?

NerdWallet works with some of the biggest names in personal loans market to offer our members options as they search for a lender that meets their needs. In order to get a personalized, realistic sense of what your options are, NerdWallet will need to share your pre-qualification application with these partners to see if one is willing to pre-qualify you for a loan or credit card.

Your information is not being sold, just shared with our partners so that they can review it and (hopefully) make you a personalized offer.

You should also know:

• NerdWallet’s personal loan pre-qualification form can only be completed every 30 days. If any of your information changes between pre-qualifying and applying for the loan, you’ll be able to modify it on the lender’s site when you apply.
• Soft credit inquiries do not impact your credit score in any way.
• If you do not pre-qualify for a personal loan, you may receive what’s known as an adverse action notice from one or more of our lending partners. This is a formal notice that your pre-qualification application was not approved. Don’t be alarmed if you receive an adverse action notice — it’s just a formality, and does not mean that a hard review of your credit was performed.