Key takeaways
A hard inquiry happens when a company checks your credit reports because you have applied for credit.
You can dispute hard inquiries you didn’t authorize, but you cannot remove legitimate credit checks.
Unauthorized hard inquiries can be a warning sign of identity theft.
When you check your credit reports, you might notice it lists one or more hard inquiries. Hard inquiries provide a record of which lenders checked your credit reports, and when.
Since hard credit inquiries can temporarily drop your score, you may wonder how to get them removed. It’s not possible to remove a legitimate hard inquiry, but you can file a dispute if you never authorized a credit check.
What is a credit inquiry?
A credit inquiry, or a credit pull, is a request to look at your credit reports. Inquiries happen when individuals or companies want to know more about your credit and overall financial history.
How do you dispute a hard inquiry?
Legitimate hard credit checks can’t be disputed. If you applied for credit and authorized the lender or credit card company to look into your financial background, you cannot remove the resulting inquiry from your credit reports. The hard inquiry provides timely, accurate information about your behavior as a borrower.
The situation is different if you didn’t authorize the hard credit check. If this is the case, you can — and should — take steps to remove the inquiry from your report.
1. Notify the creditor that made the inquiry
Contact that company to report the issue and determine who authorized the hard credit pull. It may have been done by mistake. For example, the company may have intended to run a soft pull for sending a preapproved credit card offer but accidentally ran a hard pull. Or, it may have been another customer with a similar name or Social Security number who applied for the loan.
If the company can’t prove you authorized the inquiry, it should contact the credit bureaus to get the incorrect hard credit check removed from your credit reports.
2. Tell the credit bureaus
Even if the creditor that reported the incorrect information says it will get the error fixed, it’s a good idea to contact the credit bureaus yourself. You have the right to dispute inaccurate information on your credit reports and don’t need to rely on the company to do it for you.
To dispute the error, contact each bureau displaying the incorrect information on your report. Experian, Equifax and TransUnion accept disputes by mail, by phone or through their websites. Be sure to follow the relevant bureau’s instructions for filing your dispute.
3. Wait for a response
After filing a dispute, the credit bureau has 30 days to investigate your claim. During that time, the bureau will contact the creditor that reported the hard credit check. Once the investigation is complete, the credit bureau has five days to notify you of its decision.
If you’re successful in your dispute, it can take some time for the changes to appear. Keep an eye on your credit reports to confirm the hard credit check is removed.
How to prevent unauthorized hard inquiries
You can take some proactive steps to prevent unauthorized hard inquiries from impacting your credit — and the credit consequences of these inquiries.
Check your credit reports regularly
The best way to keep an eye on hard and soft pulls on your credit is to check your credit reports consistently. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you have the right to one free credit report from each credit bureau every year.
It’s worth noting that the credit bureaus have permanently committed to making free credit reports available weekly. To take advantage of this, visit AnnualCreditReport.com. The website will ask you a few questions and direct you to the three credit bureaus where you can download your credit reports.
Keep an eye on your credit score
Accessing your FICO score, VantageScore or both is a good idea. You can find this information by signing up for credit monitoring from one (or all) of the three bureaus. You may already have access to free credit updates through your bank or credit card company.
Anytime you see an unexpected drop in your credit scores, investigate the cause. Look for any hard inquiries that seem unfamiliar and follow up with the bureaus if you notice anything suspicious.
Place fraud alerts on your credit accounts
Fraud alerts are helpful if you are or may be a victim of identity theft. When you request a fraud alert on your credit report, lenders or credit card companies know to check with you before providing a loan or issuing a new credit card in your name. The alert means others must take reasonable steps to ensure you authorize a credit check or financial inquiry.
You can request a fraud alert from any of the three credit bureaus. Once the alert is placed, the other two are automatically notified.
Freeze your credit
Freezing your credit means asking the credit bureaus to put a lock on your report. It helps protect you from identity theft by preventing creditors from accessing your credit reports and stopping lenders from issuing new credit in your name. Under federal law, you can freeze and unfreeze your credit anytime online or by phone. Be sure to request a freeze with all three bureaus.
A freeze will also prevent legitimate creditors from checking your credit report or score. If you are trying to get a new loan or credit card, remember to unfreeze your credit temporarily to ensure you can get approved.
Do unauthorized hard inquiries mean identity theft?
A hard inquiry you don’t recognize isn’t always a simple mistake. It could be a sign of identity theft or someone stealing your personal information and trying to get credit accounts in your name.
How do credit inquiries affect your credit scores?
A soft inquiry will not affect your credit scores. That’s because soft inquiries are used for informational purposes rather than for lending decisions. A soft pull will pop up on your credit report, but you’re the only one who sees it.
Hard credit checks, on the other hand, will affect your credit. That’s because they show you’re looking to borrow money. Fortunately, the effect is minimal: A single credit score pull will typically drop your score by less than five points. And when you’re shopping around for a home, student or auto loan, multiple hard inquiries in a brief period are usually counted as one.
Several hard pulls in a short time can have a more dramatic impact on your score because it suggests you’re having financial trouble and could be a risky borrower. Whether you have one hard pull on your credit report or several, they’ll stay on your credit report for two years. However, they typically only affect your score for a year.
Bottom line
Hard credit inquiries happen when banks, credit card companies and other lenders check your credit to determine whether to extend you credit. A hard pull hurts your credit score, but fortunately, the effect is short-lived.
You can remove hard pulls from your credit report if they were made or reported in error. However, if you didn’t authorize the hard credit check, it’s a good idea to file a dispute and get the error corrected, either by yourself or with the help of a credit repair company. Since unauthorized hard pulls can be a sign of identity theft, keep a close eye on your finances and consider placing a fraud alert on your credit.
Frequently asked questions
How many hard inquiries are too many?
The credit bureau Experian says there’s no specific limit that counts as too many. That said, avoiding applying for credit is a good idea unless you really need it. Lenders may see multiple hard inquiries within a short time as a red flag that you’re desperate for credit.
How long should I wait between hard inquiries?
Ideally, you should wait at least six months between credit card applications to spread out the hard inquiries and reduce their impact on your credit score. That said, don’t worry if you’re shopping for an auto loan or mortgage and need multiple credit checks quickly. If multiple hard pulls from lenders occur within 14 days, they are considered a single inquiry and shouldn’t have much impact on your credit score.
Will removing hard inquiries improve my credit score?
Removing unauthorized hard inquiries may improve your score, though the number of points you gain will vary depending on your credit history. If you have a single, recent hard inquiry, you might gain a few points when it’s removed. Older inquiries may have less of an impact.
