Hard Inquiries: Which Ones You Can Remove (and Which You Can't)

Hard inquiries cost fewer points than most people think, and only unauthorized ones can be removed. Here's how to spot them, dispute them and stop new ones.

Inquiries get a lot of attention in credit repair groups. They're worth cleaning up, but they matter less than people think. Let's put them in proportion, then deal with the ones that don't belong.

How much an inquiry actually costs

According to FICO (myFICO): - One hard inquiry usually lowers a FICO Score by less than 5 points. The hit is larger if your file is thin or new. - Inquiries make up about 10% of a FICO Score. - They stay on your report up to 2 years, but FICO only counts them for 1 year. - Soft inquiries (checking your own credit, preapproval offers, employer checks) never affect your score.

So inquiries are rarely why a score is low. Collections, charge-offs and late payments do far more damage. Work on those first, and clean up inquiries alongside.

Rate shopping counts as one

Shopping for a mortgage, auto or student loan? Multiple inquiries for the same type of loan within a short window count as one. Older FICO versions use 14 days, newer ones use 45. FICO also ignores those inquiries for the 30 days before scoring. Credit card applications don't get this treatment.

That means five auto-loan pulls in one week at a dealership aren't five separate hits.

Which inquiries you can dispute

Under the FCRA, a company needs a permissible purpose to pull your report, such as an application you made (15 U.S.C. 1681b). You can dispute an inquiry when: - You never applied with that company, and no one applied on your behalf. - A dealership "shotgunned" your application to lenders you didn't authorize. - The inquiry came from an identity thief.

You can't remove an inquiry just because you regret applying. If you applied, the lender had a permissible purpose, and the inquiry is accurate.

How to dispute an unauthorized inquiry

• Confirm you don't know it. Some inquiries show a parent company or bank name you won't recognize, like the bank behind a store card. Search the name first.
• Dispute with the bureau that shows it. List each inquiry with the company name and date. Group them in one letter.
• Write to the company that pulled your report. Ask for proof of permissible purpose, such as a copy of the application you signed.
• If it's identity theft, file a report at IdentityTheft.gov and use the identity theft block in Article 10. That's much stronger than a regular dispute.

Keep the wording honest. "I did not authorize this inquiry" is a strong statement, so use it only when it's true.

Stop new inquiries before they start

• Freeze your credit at all three bureaus. It's free, and it blocks new accounts until you lift it.
• Use prequalification tools that use soft pulls before applying for cards or loans.
• At a dealership, ask exactly which lenders they will send your application to.

This article shares general tips. It is not legal or money advice for your own situation. Results are different for each person.