How Many Points Is a Hard Inquiry on Your Credit Score?

A single hard inquiry usually takes fewer than five points off your credit score, and in some cases the drop reaches around ten. How many points a hard inquiry costs on your credit score depends on the depth of your credit file, how many other recent inquiries you have, and which scoring model the lender uses. The inquiry stays on your credit report for two years, but FICO only counts it against your score for the first 12 months.¹

New credit as a whole makes up about 10 percent of a FICO Score, so a single inquiry sits inside a small slice of the calculation.² Payment history is 35 percent and amounts owed is 30 percent. That is why a five-point dip on a healthy score rarely changes the rates you are offered, while a late payment or a maxed-out card can move the needle far more.¹

When a Hard Inquiry Gets Added to Your Report

A hard inquiry is recorded when a lender or creditor pulls your credit report after you apply for financing.³ Applying for a credit card, mortgage, auto loan, personal loan, or student loan will trigger one.⁴ Signing up for a new cell phone plan that includes device financing can also result in a hard pull.⁵

Not every credit check counts. Pre-screened offers, employer background checks, your own credit checks, and most utility account openings are soft inquiries and do not affect your score.⁶⁷ If you are not sure which type a company will run, ask before you authorize the check.

Why the Drop Is Bigger for Some People

Someone with a well-established file and a mid-700s score may see a one- or two-point change, or none at all. Two things push the number higher:

Thin credit files. If you have only a couple of accounts or a short history, a single hard pull carries more weight because there is less other data for the scoring model to work with.¹
Multiple recent inquiries. Each additional pull within a short stretch can compound the effect, because opening several accounts in a short period represents greater risk.²

The scoring model matters too, though only slightly. FICO 8 treats new credit as 10 percent of the score. FICO 10 uses trended data, looking at credit behavior over time rather than a snapshot, which can shift how much any single factor weighs.⁸ For a single inquiry the difference between models is small, but it can explain why your score varies a bit depending on which version a lender uses.

The outcome of your application does not change the size of the hit. Scoring models do not know whether you were approved or denied, because lenders do not report that outcome to the bureaus.⁹ The inquiry itself is recorded either way and stays on your report for two years.

Rate Shopping for a Mortgage, Auto Loan, or Student Loan

If you are comparing rates on a mortgage, auto loan, or student loan, scoring models treat the flurry of inquiries as one event. FICO groups multiple inquiries of the same loan type made inside a defined window and counts them as a single inquiry for scoring purposes.¹ The window is 14 days in older FICO versions and 45 days in newer ones, including FICO 10.¹⁰

Newer FICO models also ignore auto, mortgage, and student loan inquiries made within 30 days before the score is calculated. If you are in the middle of shopping, those recent pulls may not affect your score at all until the shopping period ends. VantageScore uses a 14-day deduplication window and applies it to all inquiry types, not just those loan categories.¹¹

Credit card applications do not get this protection under either scoring system. Every card application counts as its own inquiry, so submitting several in a short span produces several separate score impacts.¹

How Long the Score Impact Lasts

The inquiry itself remains visible on your credit report for two years from the date of the request.¹² The effect on your score fades much sooner.

FICO only considers hard inquiries from the past 12 months. After a year, the inquiry is still listed on your report but no longer affects your FICO Score.⁸
VantageScore can factor hard inquiries from the past 24 months, though the practical impact typically fades within the first few months.¹²

After two years the inquiry drops off your report automatically. You do not need to do anything to remove it.

What to Do About an Inquiry You Never Authorized

An inquiry you do not recognize can be a creditor error or a sign of identity theft. You have the right to dispute it, and the process has two parts.

Start with the credit bureau that shows the inquiry, whether that is Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. Send a written dispute identifying the inquiry and explaining why you believe it is unauthorized. Include a copy of the section of your report where the inquiry appears and any supporting documents. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof of delivery.¹³

Then send a separate written dispute to the company that pulled your report, again by certified mail. The furnisher generally must investigate and respond within 30 days. If it cannot verify the inquiry or confirms it was unauthorized, the information must be removed.¹³

1
myFICO. Does Checking Your Credit Score Lower It
2
myFICO. How Are FICO Scores Calculated
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Experian. What Is a Hard Inquiry and How Does It Affect Credit
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Credit Inquiry
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U.S. Small Business Administration. Credit Inquiries – What You Should Know About Hard and Soft Pulls
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Experian. What Is a Soft Inquiry
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Experian. Do Utility Companies Run Credit Checks
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myFICO. How New Credit Impacts Your Credit Score
9
Experian. Does Getting Denied Credit Affect Your Credit Scores
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myFICO. The Timing of Hard Credit Inquiries – When and Why They Matter
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VantageScore. Lender FAQs
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Experian. How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay on Your Credit Report
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Dispute an Error on My Credit Report