What It Means
A hard inquiry (also called a hard pull) occurs when a lender checks your credit report as part of a lending decision, such as when you apply for a credit card, loan, or mortgage. Each hard inquiry can lower your credit score by 5-10 points and remains on your credit report for two years, though it only affects your score for about 12 months. Multiple inquiries for the same type of loan (mortgage, auto, student) within a 14-45 day window are typically grouped as a single inquiry for scoring purposes, allowing you to rate-shop without excessive score impact. New credit inquiries account for 10% of your FICO score.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a hard inquiry lower your score?
A single hard inquiry typically lowers your score by 5-10 points. The impact is temporary, usually recovering within a few months, and the inquiry stops affecting your score after 12 months.
Can you remove hard inquiries from your credit report?
Only unauthorized inquiries can be removed by disputing them with the credit bureaus. Legitimate hard inquiries from applications you made cannot be removed and will naturally fall off after two years.