How Long Until Hard Inquiries Fall Off Your Credit Report?

Hard inquiries stay on your credit report for up to two years, but they stop affecting your FICO score after 12 months, and a single inquiry usually costs fewer than five points. So how long hard inquiries stay on your credit report is really two answers: two years of visibility to anyone reviewing your file, and a much shorter window of any real score impact.

The Two-Year Timeline

A hard inquiry is recorded when a lender pulls your credit after you apply for a loan, credit card, or other financing. All three major bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—keep the inquiry on file for up to two years from the date it was made.¹ At the end of that two-year window, it drops off automatically. You don’t file anything, don’t ask for its removal, don’t do a thing.

You can confirm what’s on your file at any time. The bureaus permanently extended free weekly access through AnnualCreditReport.com, so you can pull all three reports without paying and without any effect on your score.²

How Long a Hard Inquiry Actually Affects Your Score

Visibility and score impact are not the same thing. FICO only counts hard inquiries from the previous 12 months when calculating your score.³ After that first year, the inquiry is still listed on your report for lenders to see, but it no longer weighs on your FICO number. VantageScore can technically consider inquiries for the full 24 months, though in practice the effect fades within a few months.¹

The point drop itself is modest. A single inquiry lowers most people’s FICO score by fewer than five points.⁴ VantageScore models tend to deduct somewhere around five to ten points.¹ New credit activity, which includes inquiries, only accounts for about 10 percent of your overall FICO score. Payment history and how much of your available credit you’re using matter far more.⁵

The short version: one inquiry is a small, temporary dent. Several inquiries in a short period start to add up, especially if they’re spread across different types of credit.

Rate Shopping Doesn’t Multiply the Damage

If you’re comparing mortgage, auto, or student loan offers, applying to several lenders will not produce a separate hit for each one. Scoring models bundle multiple inquiries for the same type of installment loan into a single inquiry when they fall inside a set window. Older FICO versions use 14 days; newer versions extend it to 45 days.⁶ VantageScore uses a rolling 14-day window.

Credit cards are the exception. Card applications don’t qualify for rate shopping treatment, so each one lands as its own separate inquiry. If you want to compare cards without triggering hard inquiries, use issuer prequalification tools, which run soft inquiries only.

Hard Inquiries vs. Soft Inquiries

Not every credit check counts against you. Soft inquiries happen when no lending decision is being made: checking your own report, an existing lender reviewing your account, an employer running a background check, or a company prescreening you for a promotional offer. Only you can see soft inquiries on your report, and they have zero effect on your score.⁷

A hard inquiry only happens when you take a deliberate step—typically submitting a full application—that authorizes a lender to pull your file to decide whether to extend credit. Pulling your own report to see where you stand costs you nothing.

Disputing a Hard Inquiry You Didn’t Authorize

You cannot remove a legitimate hard inquiry early. If you applied for the credit, the inquiry stays for its two years even if you were denied or now regret applying.¹

What you can dispute is an inquiry from a company you never contacted or an application you never filed. File through each bureau’s online dispute portal or by mail; certified mail with return receipt gives you a record of delivery. In the dispute, name the specific inquiry, state that you did not authorize it, and ask that it be removed. Vague disputes can be dismissed as frivolous, so be specific about which line item is wrong and why.⁸

The bureau has 30 days to investigate by contacting the creditor that made the inquiry, with up to 15 additional days if you submit new information during the process. If the creditor cannot confirm a permissible purpose, the bureau must delete the inquiry. You’ll get written results within five business days after the investigation closes, along with an updated report.⁸

If Unauthorized Inquiries Suggest Fraud

An inquiry you can’t account for sometimes means someone is trying to open accounts in your name. Two federal protections are worth knowing.

A credit freeze blocks new access to your file entirely. While the freeze is on, no lender can pull your report, so no new account can be opened. You lift it temporarily when you want to apply for credit yourself, then re-freeze. Placing and lifting a freeze is free under federal law, and it stays until you remove it.⁹

A fraud alert is lighter. It tells lenders to verify your identity before opening a new account rather than blocking access outright. An initial alert lasts one year and can be renewed. If you’ve experienced identity theft and have filed either an FTC identity theft report or a police report, you can place an extended alert that lasts seven years. For any type of alert or freeze, you only need to contact one bureau; it must notify the other two.⁹

1
Experian. How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay on Your Credit Report
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Consumer Advice – FTC. Free Credit Reports
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myFICO. The Timing of Hard Credit Inquiries: When and Why They Matter
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myFICO. Does Checking Your Credit Score Lower It
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myFICO. How Are FICO Scores Calculated
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Will Shopping for an Auto Loan Affect My Credit
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Credit Inquiry
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681i – Procedure in Case of Disputed Accuracy
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Consumer Advice – FTC. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts