What is a hard inquiry?

couple looking at finance papers

The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, act as legal, financial or credit advice. See Lexington Law’s editorial disclosure for more information.

A hard inquiry, also known as a hard pull, occurs when a potential lender requests to review your credit score when you’re applying for a new line of credit. There are two types of credit inquiries: hard inquiries and soft inquiries. These inquiries occur when you check your credit report or when other parties check your credit for loan applications, new credit cards and mortgages.

So, what is a hard inquiry? Read on to find out everything you need to know about hard inquiries and how they affect your credit score.

Table of contents

What is a hard credit inquiry?

A hard credit inquiry is a formal request by another party to review your credit report. These requests usually come from potential lenders who are interested in the strength and history of your credit score before agreeing to offer you a loan. When they check your credit report, it may be listed as a hard inquiry.

Creditors do this to check that your credit score meets their requirements and to ensure you have no negative items on your report, like late payments or charge-offs. Negative items indicate to creditors that you may not be a responsible loan holder and will likely reduce your chances of being accepted for a loan.

Certain events may trigger a hard inquiry into your credit report.

Infographic that illustrates common hard credit inquiries

Common hard inquiries occur when applying for:

  • Credit cards
  • Auto loans
  • Student loans
  • Mortgages
  • Apartment rentals

What is a soft credit inquiry?

A soft credit inquiry is a check into your credit report that will not affect your credit score. Because soft inquiries are not caused by specific applications for loans or credit cards, they’re visible only to you when you view your credit report. If you apply for a loan or credit card, lenders will not be able to see these soft inquiries.

Infographic that illustrates common soft credit inquiries

The most common types of soft inquiries occur when:

  • You access your credit report
  • You are pre-approved for a credit card without request
  • A potential employer performs a background check
  • You apply for certain utilities and services

How much does a hard inquiry affect your credit score?

A hard credit inquiry may lower your credit score, though how much your score decreases varies based on individual credit history. A single hard inquiry may decrease your credit score by five points or fewer. However, the impact of the inquiry depends greatly on your unique credit history. The inquiries on your credit report account for 10 percent of your credit score, though not every inquiry on your report is included in this percentage. Typically, a single hard inquiry will not have a major impact on your credit score.

Plus, if you apply for the same kind of loan multiple times within a short period of time—like, say, you apply for several different car loans within a couple weeks to comparison shop—then these items will likely only count as a single hard inquiry on your credit report.

But be careful about applying for many different kinds of credit (such as a credit card, a car loan and a mortgage) around the same time. The more closely spaced these hard inquiries are on your credit report, the more they will hurt your credit score.

Hard inquiries may have a greater effect on your credit score if:

  • You have few or no credit accounts
  • You have a short credit history
  • You authorize many different inquiries within a short time

How long do hard inquiries stay on your credit report?

A hard inquiry will stay on your credit report for two years. However, they only impact your credit score for 12 months, with those from the past six months counting the most against your score.

If your credit history is substantial, a few hard inquiries on your credit report will likely not have a significant impact over the two years they are listed on your account.  

Can you remove hard inquiries from your credit report?

If reported accurately, authorized inquiries cannot be removed. However, inaccurate information and unauthorized inquiries can be disputed with the credit bureaus.

Federal law allows you to dispute any information on your credit reports that you determine to be inaccurate or suspicious. You should review your credit reports often to check for errors. If you do not recognize a hard inquiry on your credit or find mistakes in the information listed, it is important to act quickly to have the information removed. In some cases, unauthorized hard inquiries could signal that your identity has been stolen.

To dispute a hard inquiry, write a letter to the credit bureau stating that the inquiry is an error that needs to be removed or corrected. In the letter, list all relevant information about the hard inquiry, including the name of the business that made the inquiry and the date they inquired.

Once the credit bureau receives your letter, they are required to investigate the business that listed the inquiry on your credit report. If the credit bureau determines that the inquiry was made in error, it will be removed from your credit report.

You can contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for issues concerning your credit reports, including the dispute of a hard inquiry.

Can you avoid hard credit inquiries?

It is difficult to avoid hard credit inquiries if you apply for a loan or credit card. However, hard inquiries generally don’t have a significant impact on your credit score, so don’t let them worry you too much.

If you want to improve your credit after it has been affected by a hard inquiry, consider focusing on the other factors that play a role in determining your scores. These factors include your payment history, credit usage, the length of your credit history and your credit mix.

Graphic that illustrates factors that impact your credit score

It may be easier to improve your credit score by paying your bills on time, monitoring your credit card balances and clearing any collection accounts that may appear on your credit report rather than trying to avoid credit inquiries.

If you’re still asking yourself, “What is a hard inquiry?” contact us today.

Note: Articles have only been reviewed by the indicated attorney, not written by them. The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, act as legal, financial or credit advice; instead, it is for general informational purposes only. Use of, and access to, this website or any of the links or resources contained within the site do not create an attorney-client or fiduciary relationship between the reader, user, or browser and website owner, authors, reviewers, contributors, contributing firms, or their respective agents or employers.

Reviewed By

Vince R. Mayr

Supervising Attorney of Bankruptcies

Vince has considerable expertise in the field of bankruptcy law. He has represented clients in more than 3,000 bankruptcy matters under chapters 7, 11, 12, and 13 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Vince earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Government from the University of Maryland. His Masters of Public Administration degree was earned from Golden Gate University School of Public Administration. His Juris Doctor was earned at Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, California. Vince is licensed to practice law in Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado. He is located in the Phoenix office.