A hard inquiry usually costs fewer than five points on a FICO score and roughly five to ten points on a VantageScore. That is the typical range for how much a hard inquiry affects your credit score, and for most people with an established credit file the drop is small enough that it barely shows. The inquiry stays on your report for two years, but its effect on your score fades well before that.
The Typical Point Drop
FICO puts hard inquiries in a category called “new credit,” which accounts for only 10 percent of your total score. That category also weighs how recently you opened accounts and how many new accounts you have, so any single inquiry is one piece of a small slice. One new hard inquiry costs most people fewer than five FICO points.1myFICO. Does Checking Your Credit Score Lower It?
VantageScore produces a slightly larger drop for the same event, generally five to ten points.2Experian. How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay on Your Credit Report? If you have a long history with many accounts in good standing, the impact under either model can be so small that your score doesn’t visibly change.
The lender’s decision has no bearing on the number. Bureaus record the inquiry itself, not whether you were approved or denied, so a denial adds no extra penalty.
What Makes the Drop Bigger or Smaller
Two people who apply for the same card on the same day can lose different amounts. The main variable is the depth of your file. If you have only one or two accounts and a short history, scoring models place you in a “thin file” group where any new activity carries more weight.3Experian. What Is a Thin Credit File? A single inquiry on a thin file may take the full five points or even a bit more. Someone with years of on-time payments across many accounts gives the model far more context, and one inquiry barely registers.
The number of recent inquiries already on your report matters too. A first inquiry in a long stretch is treated differently than a sixth in six months. There is no official cutoff, but six or more hard inquiries on a report is statistically associated with a higher risk of default. Spacing credit applications at least six months apart, when you can, helps keep the cumulative damage down.
Rate Shopping Counts as One Inquiry
If you are comparing rates for a mortgage, auto loan, or student loan, you do not need to worry about each lender’s credit pull hitting your score separately. Both scoring models group rate-shopping inquiries into a single event, though they draw the line differently.
FICO combines multiple inquiries for the same type of installment loan (mortgages, auto loans, and student loans) into one inquiry if they fall within a set window. Newer FICO versions use a 45-day window, while older versions use 14 days.1myFICO. Does Checking Your Credit Score Lower It? For student loans, FICO recommends finishing rate shopping within 30 days.4myFICO. How Do FICO Scores Consider Student Loan Shopping
VantageScore uses a broader rule: all hard inquiries within a 14-day period count as a single inquiry, regardless of the type of credit.5VantageScore. The Complete Guide to Your VantageScore 4.0 Credit Score You cannot control which model a lender uses, so the safest approach is to finish comparison shopping within 14 days. That window is covered under both systems.
Why Credit Cards Are Different
The rate-shopping protection does not apply to credit card applications under FICO. Each card application generates its own hard inquiry, and each one can reduce your score on its own.6Experian. How Multiple Credit Applications Affect Your Credit Score Personal loans get the same treatment under most FICO versions.
The logic is that five mortgage applications point to one mortgage, but five card applications could open five new accounts, each with its own limit. Scoring models read that pattern as added risk. Applying for several cards in a short stretch can produce a noticeable cumulative drop, especially on a thinner file. VantageScore’s 14-day rule would treat those card applications as one event, but many lenders rely on FICO, so it is not safe to count on that protection.
How Long the Damage Lasts
A hard inquiry stays on your credit report for two years from the date it was recorded, but its scoring impact fades much sooner.2Experian. How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay on Your Credit Report? The two models handle the timeline differently.
FICO only considers hard inquiries from the prior 12 months when calculating your score. After a year the inquiry is still visible on your report but no longer costs you points. VantageScore can factor inquiries from the full 24 months they remain on the report, though the effect diminishes over time.
Under either model, the practical impact of a single inquiry typically fades within a few months rather than the full 12 or 24.2Experian. How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay on Your Credit Report? If you are not stacking new applications during that stretch, your score should rebound quickly. After two years, the inquiry drops off your report and leaves no trace.
If You Didn’t Authorize the Inquiry
None of the above applies if the inquiry wasn’t yours to begin with. If you see a hard inquiry from a lender you never contacted, you have the right to dispute it. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires credit bureaus to investigate and correct or remove inaccurate information.
Send a written dispute to the credit bureau showing the inquiry (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion). Include your name and contact information, the specific inquiry, why you believe it is unauthorized, and copies of any supporting documents.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Dispute an Error on My Credit Report? Certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof of delivery. The bureau generally must investigate and respond within 30 days. You should also send a dispute to the company that pulled your credit; if they cannot verify the inquiry was authorized, they must update or remove it and notify all three bureaus.
If the inquiry is the result of identity theft, file a report at IdentityTheft.gov and send it to each bureau along with proof of your identity. The bureau must block the fraudulent information within four business days.8Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Do I Do if I’ve Been a Victim of Identity Theft? You can also place an extended fraud alert that lasts seven years and requires creditors to verify your identity before opening new accounts in your name.