Learning path: Credit Scores
Quick Answer: One hard inquiry usually costs fewer than 5 points. Sometimes it costs nothing at all. Inquiries stay on your report for two years. They only affect your score for the first 12 months. Shopping for a mortgage or car loan? Several inquiries inside the same short window count as one.
Hard Inquiries vs. Soft Inquiries: What Lenders Actually See
Not all credit checks are created equal. There are two types, and only one affects your score:
- Hard inquiries occur when a lender, landlord, or creditor pulls your credit report to make a lending decision. Examples include mortgage applications, auto loans, credit card applications, and personal loan requests. Hard inquiries are visible to other lenders and temporarily affect your score.
- Soft inquiries occur when you check your own credit, when an employer runs a background check, or when a lender pre-screens you for a pre-approved offer. Soft inquiries are visible only to you on your personal report and have zero impact on your FICO score.
Related guide: Why Did My Credit Score Drop?
The FICO Rate-Shopping Window
FICO’s scoring models are designed to encourage consumers to shop around for the best loan rates without being penalized for doing so. Here is exactly how the rate-shopping window works:
- FICO Score 8 and newer models: Multiple hard inquiries for mortgage, auto, or student loans made within a 45-day window are counted as a single inquiry
- Older FICO models (used by some mortgage lenders): The rate-shopping window is 14 days
- Credit cards: Each application generates a separate hard inquiry — the rate-shopping window does not apply to revolving credit
For example, if you are shopping for a mortgage and apply with five lenders, FICO generally counts those mortgage inquiries as one inquiry only if they fall within the rate-shopping window of the scoring model the lender uses: 45 days for newer FICO versions and 14 days for older versions that some mortgage lenders still use. Five applications spread across a full month could be counted as more than one inquiry under an older model. For the full rules, see how hard inquiries and rate shopping work.
How to Dispute Unauthorized Hard Inquiries Under the FCRA
You did not authorize every hard inquiry on your report. Under the FCRA, a creditor may only pull your credit report with a permissible purpose — which generally requires your explicit consent. If you see a hard inquiry you do not recognize, you have the right to dispute it.
To dispute an unauthorized inquiry:
- Identify the company that pulled the inquiry — the bureau’s report will show the creditor’s name and the date
- Contact the creditor directly and ask them to verify the permissible purpose for the pull
- If they cannot verify authorization, file a dispute with the credit bureau where the inquiry appears
- Include a statement that you did not authorize this pull and have no record of applying with this creditor
- If the inquiry was part of identity theft, also file a police report and place a fraud alert on your credit file
When Hard Inquiry Removal Actually Moves the Needle
Accurate, authorized hard inquiries generally cannot be removed simply because they affect a score; they remain on the report for up to two years. Consumers may dispute inquiries that are inaccurate or that they did not authorize. Even when a dispute results in removal, the effect on a score varies by consumer and scoring model and cannot be predicted.
The scenarios where inquiry removal matters most:
- Your score is close to a mortgage lender’s minimum score requirement
- You have 5 or more hard inquiries in the past 12 months, which signals credit-seeking behavior to lenders
- Several of the inquiries were unauthorized and can be legitimately disputed
Real-World Scenario: Inquiries and Mortgage Pre-Approval
Consider a buyer whose FICO score is 618 when their lender’s minimum is 620. They have 4 hard inquiries from the past 8 months: two authorized (one car loan, one credit card) and two from a dealership they visited but never financed with. The authorized inquiries are accurate and generally remain on the report. If the dealership inquiries were not authorized, the buyer may dispute them with the credit bureaus reporting them. The buyer should not assume that a successful dispute will close the gap: the effect of removing an inquiry varies by consumer and scoring model, there is no guaranteed point change, and removal does not guarantee a different lending outcome. Before applying for other credit during the process, review credit decisions before and during the mortgage process.
This is why reviewing inquiries is part of every credit assessment we conduct at Maximum Score Builders. If you are preparing for a mortgage or major purchase, start with a free credit review and we will identify every inquiry on your report and whether it can be challenged.
A single hard inquiry typically lowers a FICO score by fewer than 5 points, and it only affects your score for 12 months even though it stays on your report for two years.
Hard inquiries happen when a lender pulls your credit for a lending decision and can affect your score; soft inquiries, like checking your own credit, have zero impact.
No. FICO Score 8 and newer models count multiple mortgage, auto, or student loan inquiries made within a 45-day window as a single inquiry.
Yes. Under the FCRA, if a creditor can’t verify a permissible purpose for pulling your credit, you can dispute the inquiry with the credit bureau where it appears.
Disclaimer: This content is educational. Results vary by individual credit profile. Maximum Score Builders follows the consumer protections in the FCRA and FDCPA.
This article is for general education only and is not legal or financial advice. Results vary, and no specific outcome is guaranteed. See our editorial policy.