Every time you apply for a credit card, auto loan, or mortgage, a lender checks your credit. That check leaves a mark on your credit report called an inquiry. But not all inquiries carry the same weight. Some can lower your credit score, while others have zero effect.
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Understanding the difference between hard inquiries and soft inquiries is one of the most practical steps you can take to protect your credit score. In this guide, we will break down what each type of inquiry is, how they show up on your report, and what you can do about inquiries you did not authorize.
What Is a Hard Inquiry?
A hard inquiry (also called a “hard pull” or “hard credit check”) happens when a lender or creditor reviews your credit report as part of a lending decision. You typically trigger a hard inquiry when you:
- Apply for a credit card
- Apply for an auto loan or lease
- Apply for a mortgage or home equity loan
- Apply for a personal loan or student loan
- Request a credit limit increase (with some issuers)
- Apply for an apartment rental (some landlords)
Hard inquiries require your permission. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a creditor must have “permissible purpose” and, in most cases, your consent before pulling your full credit report. If a hard inquiry appears on your report and you never gave authorization, you have the right to dispute that error on your credit report.
Each hard inquiry stays on your credit report for two years, according to Experian. However, FICO scoring models only factor inquiries from the last 12 months into your score calculation.
What Is a Soft Inquiry?
A soft inquiry (also called a “soft pull” or “soft credit check”) occurs when your credit report is accessed for a reason that is not tied to a new credit application. Soft inquiries do not affect your credit score at all. Common situations that trigger soft inquiries include:
- Checking your own credit score or report
- Pre-approved credit card or loan offers
- Background checks by employers
- Account reviews by your existing creditors
- Insurance quotes
- Identity verification checks
You may not even realize when soft inquiries happen. They often occur in the background without your direct involvement. For example, when you check your credit score for free through a monitoring service, that counts as a soft inquiry.
Only you can see soft inquiries on your credit report. Lenders reviewing your report will not see them, and they have no impact on lending decisions.
Hard Inquiries vs. Soft Inquiries: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hard Inquiry | Soft Inquiry |
|---|---|---|
| Affects credit score | Yes (typically 5-10 points per inquiry) | No |
| Requires your permission | Yes | Not always |
| Visible to lenders | Yes | No |
| Stays on credit report | 2 years | Varies (up to 2 years) |
| Impacts FICO score for | 12 months | Never |
| Common triggers | Loan/credit applications | Pre-approvals, self-checks, employer checks |
| Can be disputed | Yes (if unauthorized) | Rarely necessary |
Bottom line: Hard inquiries result from actions you take when seeking new credit, and they can temporarily lower your score. Soft inquiries happen in the background and are invisible to lenders.
How Do Hard Inquiries Affect Your Credit Score?
New credit applications, including the hard inquiries they generate, account for about 10% of your FICO score, according to myFICO. A single hard inquiry typically lowers your score by fewer than five points if you have a strong credit history. For someone with a thinner credit file or a lower score, the impact can be closer to 10 points or more.
The real risk comes from multiple hard inquiries in a short period. If you apply for several credit cards within a few weeks, each application generates a separate hard inquiry. Lenders may see this pattern as a sign of financial stress, which can make approval harder and lower your score further.
Here is how the scoring impact typically breaks down based on the factors that affect your credit score:
- One inquiry: Minimal impact, usually under 5 points for established credit profiles
- Two to three inquiries in 12 months: Moderate impact, potentially 10-15 points combined
- Six or more inquiries in 12 months: According to FICO data, consumers with six or more inquiries on their reports are up to eight times more likely to file for bankruptcy than those with no inquiries
Keep in mind that your overall credit profile matters. Someone with a 780 score and 15 years of credit history will absorb a hard inquiry with barely a dip. Someone at 620 with a two-year credit history may feel a bigger sting from the same inquiry.
Worried about hard inquiries dragging down your score? M1 Credit Solutions uses AI to analyze your credit report and identify which items, including unauthorized inquiries, are hurting you the most.
Does Rate Shopping Cause Multiple Hard Inquiries?
If you are shopping for a mortgage, auto loan, or student loan, you might worry that comparing rates from multiple lenders will pile up hard inquiries. The good news: FICO and VantageScore both have built-in protections for rate shopping.
FICO treats multiple inquiries for mortgage, auto, and student loans as a single inquiry if they happen within a 45-day window (older FICO models use a 14-day window). VantageScore offers a similar 14-day rolling window for the same loan types.
This means you can shop around for the best interest rate without worrying about stacking up inquiry penalties. The scoring models recognize that comparing loan offers is smart financial behavior, not a sign of desperation.
However, this protection does not extend to credit card applications. Each credit card application counts as a separate hard inquiry, regardless of timing. If you plan to apply for multiple cards, space out your applications or research pre-qualification tools that use soft inquiries first.
How to Find Inquiries on Your Credit Report
Your credit report lists all inquiries in a dedicated section, usually near the bottom. When you learn how to read your credit report, you will notice inquiries are split into two categories:
- Inquiries that may affect your credit rating: These are hard inquiries visible to all lenders
- Inquiries that do not affect your credit rating: These are soft inquiries visible only to you
Each inquiry listing includes:
- The name of the company that pulled your credit
- The date of the inquiry
- The type of inquiry (if specified)
You can check your inquiries through AnnualCreditReport.com, which gives you free weekly access to your Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion reports. Review all three reports, because an inquiry may appear on one bureau but not the others.
If you spot a hard inquiry from a company you do not recognize, do not ignore it. Unauthorized hard inquiries could be a sign of identity theft or a creditor error.
Can You Remove Hard Inquiries From Your Credit Report?
Yes, but only under specific circumstances. You can dispute and potentially remove a hard inquiry if:
- You did not authorize it: If a creditor pulled your credit without your permission, you can file a dispute with the credit bureau
- It resulted from identity theft: If someone applied for credit in your name, file an identity theft report and dispute the inquiry
- The creditor made an error: If the same creditor ran your credit multiple times by mistake, the duplicates can be removed
To dispute an unauthorized inquiry, start by writing a hard inquiry removal letter to the credit bureau that shows the inquiry. In your letter, identify the specific inquiry, explain why it was unauthorized, and request its removal. You can also use a free printable hard inquiry removal letter template to get started.
If the inquiry was legitimate, meaning you did apply for credit, it generally cannot be removed before the two-year expiration. However, its scoring impact fades after 12 months and disappears entirely from your FICO calculation at that point.
How to Reduce the Impact of Hard Inquiries
While you cannot avoid hard inquiries entirely if you need new credit, you can minimize their effect on your score:
- Use pre-qualification tools first: Many credit card issuers and lenders offer pre-qualification checks that use only soft inquiries. Check if you are likely to be approved before submitting a full application.
- Bundle rate shopping into a short window: When comparing mortgage or auto loan rates, submit all applications within a 14 to 45-day period to take advantage of FICO’s rate-shopping protection.
- Space out credit card applications: Wait at least 90 days between credit card applications to let your score recover between inquiries.
- Strengthen other credit factors: Hard inquiries only account for 10% of your score. Focus on payment history (35%) and credit utilization (30%) to offset any inquiry-related dips. Check out our guide on how to improve your credit score fast for specific strategies.
- Monitor your reports regularly: Review your credit reports at least quarterly to catch unauthorized inquiries early, before they compound with other negative items.
Common Myths About Credit Inquiries
Misinformation about inquiries is everywhere. Here are four common myths that trip people up:
Myth: Checking your own credit hurts your score.
Fact: Checking your own credit is always a soft inquiry. You can check daily without any score impact.
Myth: All inquiries stay on your report for seven years.
Fact: Inquiries remain for two years, and they only affect your FICO score for 12 months. Negative items like collections and late payments stay for seven years, but inquiries do not.
Myth: You can remove all hard inquiries if you ask nicely.
Fact: Credit bureaus are only required to remove unauthorized or inaccurate inquiries. Legitimate inquiries from credit applications you initiated will stay on your report until they expire.
Myth: Soft inquiries appear to lenders on your credit report.
Fact: Soft inquiries are visible only to you. Lenders cannot see them and they play no role in credit decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many points does a hard inquiry take off your credit score?
A single hard inquiry typically lowers your FICO score by fewer than five points. The exact impact depends on your overall credit profile. If you have a short credit history or several recent inquiries, the drop may be closer to 10 points. For people with long, strong credit histories, the effect is often negligible.
How long do hard inquiries stay on your credit report?
Hard inquiries remain on your credit report for two years from the date they were made. However, FICO scoring models only count inquiries from the past 12 months when calculating your score. After the first year, a hard inquiry no longer affects your score even though it still appears on your report.
Do soft inquiries show up on your credit report?
Soft inquiries do appear on your credit report, but only in a section visible to you. Lenders, landlords, and other third parties cannot see soft inquiries. They have no effect on your credit score or lending decisions.
Can you dispute a hard inquiry you authorized?
If you willingly applied for credit and the lender performed a hard inquiry, that inquiry is considered legitimate and generally cannot be disputed or removed. You can only dispute unauthorized inquiries, duplicates, or inquiries resulting from identity theft. Legitimate inquiries will fall off your report after two years.
Does checking your credit score lower it?
No. Checking your own credit score or pulling your own credit report is always classified as a soft inquiry, regardless of how often you do it. You can check your score daily through free services or your bank without any negative impact on your credit.
Take the Next Step Toward Better Credit
Hard inquiries are a normal part of managing credit, and now you know exactly how they work. The key is being strategic about when and how often you apply for new credit, and catching any unauthorized inquiries before they cause lasting damage.
If you have found hard inquiries on your report that you did not authorize, or if multiple inquiries have pulled your score down, M1 Credit Solutions can help. Our AI-powered platform scans your credit reports from all three bureaus, identifies the items hurting your score the most, and generates personalized dispute letters to challenge inaccurate information.
You can also explore our complete DIY credit repair guide to learn the full process of fixing your credit on your own. And to understand where your score stands right now, check out our complete guide to credit score ranges.
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