How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay on Your Credit Report?

Last updated: September 6, 2026

How long do hard inquiries stay on your credit report? myFICO says hard inquiries can remain on a credit report for up to two years.

FICO Scores, however, consider hard inquiries from only the previous 12 months.

That means an inquiry can still be visible on a credit report after FICO has stopped considering it in the score calculation.

A hard inquiry also does not have one universal point cost. FICO says the effect varies by credit profile.

Key Takeaways

Hard inquiries can remain on a credit report for up to two years.
FICO Scores consider hard inquiries from only the previous 12 months.
Report visibility and FICO scoring treatment are different timelines.
A hard inquiry is one part of FICO’s broader New Credit category; hard inquiries are not themselves “10% of the score.”
Checking your own credit report or FICO Score is a soft inquiry and does not hurt your FICO Score.
Soft inquiries do not affect FICO Scores and, according to the CFPB, are shown only to the consumer on the consumer’s report.
FICO has special rate-shopping treatment for qualifying mortgage, auto-loan, and student-loan inquiries.
FICO’s rate-shopping rules include both a recent-inquiry buffer and a shopping-period grouping rule.
There is no universal fixed score loss for one hard inquiry.
When an inquiry becomes older than 12 months, FICO stops considering it, but that does not guarantee a visible score increase.
An accurate inquiry should not be disputed merely because it may affect a score.
An unfamiliar inquiry is worth investigating, but an unfamiliar business name does not automatically mean fraud.

How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay on Your Credit Report?

myFICO says hard inquiries can remain on a credit report for up to two years.

FICO Scores use a shorter window:

FICO considers hard inquiries from the previous 12 months.

So there are two separate concepts:

Question	General FICO / Report Treatment
How long can a hard inquiry remain on a credit report?	Up to 2 years
How long does FICO consider it?	Previous 12 months

This distinction matters.

An inquiry can remain visible on the report even though it is no longer part of the FICO Score calculation.

For help understanding the other information shown on a report, see How to Read a Credit Report.

What Is a Credit Inquiry?

A credit inquiry is a record that someone accessed a consumer credit report.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains that inquiries generally fall into two categories:

hard inquiries
soft inquiries

The difference depends largely on why the report was accessed.

What Is a Hard Inquiry?

A hard inquiry commonly occurs when a lender accesses credit information in connection with an application or request for new or additional credit.

Examples can include:

applying for a credit card,
applying for an auto loan,
applying for a mortgage,
applying for a personal loan,
and some requested credit-limit increases.

Hard inquiries can affect FICO Scores.

They can also be visible to creditors that later review the credit report.

What Is a Soft Inquiry?

Soft inquiries are credit-report accesses that do not affect FICO Scores.

CFPB examples include:

checking your own credit report,
an existing lender reviewing an account,
prescreening for credit offers,
some employment-related credit checks,
and certain insurance-related reviews.

The CFPB says soft inquiries are shown to the consumer when the consumer reviews the report, but they are not visible when others purchase the credit report.

Checking your own FICO Score also does not hurt the score.

Hard vs. Soft Inquiries

Feature	Hard Inquiry	Soft Inquiry
Common reason	Application or request for new/additional credit	Self-check, account review, prescreening, certain non-lending reviews
Can affect FICO Score?	Yes	No
Visible to creditors reviewing the report?	Generally yes	CFPB says no
FICO lookback	Previous 12 months	Not considered
Report duration	Can remain up to 2 years	Reporting/display treatment can differ, but soft inquiries do not affect FICO Scores

The important lesson is that access to a credit report does not automatically mean a score-impacting inquiry occurred.

Does Checking Your Own Credit Create a Hard Inquiry?

No.

Checking your own credit report does not create a hard inquiry and does not hurt your FICO Score.

The same is true when you check your own FICO Score through a consumer-facing service.

That means reviewing your own credit information does not create the kind of inquiry discussed in this article.

Where Hard Inquiries Fit Into FICO’s New Credit Category

Hard inquiries are part of FICO’s broader New Credit category.

FICO describes New Credit as about 10% of a typical FICO Score.

But hard inquiries are not themselves 10% of the score.

New Credit can also consider information such as:

recently opened accounts,
number and type of new accounts,
time since accounts were opened,
and recent credit inquiries.

So this statement is incorrect:

“Hard inquiries are 10% of your FICO Score.”

A more accurate version is:

Hard inquiries are one factor within FICO’s New Credit category, which is about 10% of a typical score.

For the full five-factor framework, see FICO Score Factors.

How Much Can a Hard Inquiry Affect a FICO Score?

There is no universal fixed point loss.

myFICO says the effect varies from person to person based on the person’s credit history.

The score response can depend on information such as:

length of credit history,
number of established accounts,
other recent inquiries,
recently opened accounts,
and the rest of the credit profile.

FICO also uses different versions of its scoring models, which can treat credit-report information differently.

That is why this guide does not publish a rule such as:

1 hard inquiry = −5 points

The Rich Guy Math: Why Fixed Hard-Inquiry Point Formulas Fail

Suppose a website says:

1 inquiry = −5 points

Then simple multiplication suggests:

3 inquiries × 5 points = −15 points

The arithmetic is correct.

The scoring conclusion is not.

That formula assumes:

every inquiry has the same effect,
the effects add linearly,
every credit profile is the same,
every inquiry is treated separately,
every FICO version works identically.

None of those assumptions is safe.

For example, qualifying rate-shopping inquiries can be grouped for FICO scoring rather than treated as separate independent penalties.

This is another useful money-math lesson:

A clean calculation can still produce a false answer when the model assumptions are wrong.

Can the Same Hard Inquiry Affect Two People Differently?

Yes.

Two people can each receive one hard inquiry and experience different scoring results because their credit reports are different.

Their files may differ in:

account age,
number of accounts,
recent new credit,
other inquiries,
balances,
payment history,
and other reported information.

The inquiry is evaluated in the context of the full credit report.

So comparing one person’s exact score change with another person’s is not a reliable prediction method.

Does a Hard Inquiry’s Effect Fade Month by Month?

FICO does not publish a universal monthly point-decay formula for hard inquiries.

That means there is no official public table such as:

Month 1 = full effect
Month 6 = half effect
Month 9 = one-quarter effect

What FICO does say is clear:

FICO Scores consider inquiries from the previous 12 months.

During that period, many other parts of the credit report can also change.

So if a score changes several months after an inquiry, it may not be possible to attribute that movement to an inquiry “fading” by a specific number of points.

What Happens After a Hard Inquiry Is 12 Months Old?

Once a hard inquiry is outside FICO’s previous-12-month lookback, FICO no longer considers that inquiry in the score calculation.

That does not guarantee the score will rise.

By that time, other report information may also have changed, including:

balances,
payment history,
account ages,
new accounts,
other inquiries,
and utilization.

The correct conclusion is:

The inquiry is no longer being considered by FICO.

It is not:

The score must increase by X points.

What Happens When the Inquiry Leaves the Credit Report?

When the inquiry is eventually removed from the credit report, there is no guaranteed score increase.

If the inquiry remained for the full two-year reporting period, FICO would already have stopped considering it about a year earlier.

So its later disappearance from the report is not necessarily a new FICO scoring event.

How FICO Rate Shopping Works

FICO recognizes that consumers may compare multiple lenders when shopping for certain loans.

Its published rate-shopping treatment applies to qualifying:

mortgage inquiries,
auto-loan inquiries,
student-loan inquiries.

There are two related FICO concepts that are easy to confuse.

1. The 30-day recent-inquiry buffer

For these qualifying loan types, myFICO says FICO Scores ignore inquiries made during the 30 days before the score is calculated.

This helps reduce the immediate scoring effect while a consumer is actively comparing qualifying loan offers.

2. The rate-shopping grouping window

For qualifying inquiries that are old enough to be considered, FICO can group multiple inquiries of the same qualifying loan type as one inquiry for scoring.

myFICO says:

older FICO versions can use a 14-day shopping period,
newer FICO versions can use a 45-day shopping period.

The lender determines which FICO version it uses.

This is why one universal rate-shopping window should not be assumed.

Rate Shopping Does Not Mean the Inquiries Disappear From the Report

FICO’s grouping rule is a scoring rule.

It does not mean several inquiry records become one line on the credit report.

For example, several qualifying mortgage inquiries can still appear as separate report entries while FICO treats them as one for scoring.

The credit report and the scoring calculation are related, but they are not the same thing.

Does FICO Rate Shopping Apply to Credit Cards?

No.

FICO’s published rate-shopping treatment is for qualifying mortgage, auto-loan, and student-loan inquiries.

Credit-card applications do not receive that same grouping treatment.

Do not assume that several credit-card applications within 14 or 45 days count as one inquiry.

Likewise, FICO’s published rate-shopping exception should not be assumed to apply to other loan categories that FICO does not list.

Hard Inquiry vs. New Credit Account

A hard inquiry and a newly opened account are different credit-report events.

When someone applies for credit:

the application can produce a hard inquiry;
if the application is approved and the account is opened, the new account can later appear on the credit report.

That matters because a score change after an application cannot automatically be blamed on the inquiry alone.

A new account can also affect:

account age,
number of accounts,
credit mix,
and, for revolving accounts, available credit and utilization.

This is another reason fixed “inquiry point-loss” claims are unreliable.

How Many Hard Inquiries Are Too Many?

FICO does not publish one universal inquiry count that automatically becomes “too many.”

FICO considers how recently and how frequently new credit has been sought, but the meaning of those inquiries depends on the rest of the credit profile.

A lender can also have separate underwriting rules that consider application activity outside the FICO Score.

So there is no universal rule such as:

three inquiries are safe,
five inquiries are bad,
six inquiries cause denial.

Can You Remove a Hard Inquiry Early?

An accurate inquiry should not be disputed simply because it may affect a score.

The dispute process is for information that is inaccurate or incomplete.

If an inquiry appears to be incorrect, unauthorized, or associated with a report access you do not recognize, investigate it.

If the inquiry is inaccurate, CFPB guidance says consumers can dispute inaccurate report information with the credit reporting company and the company that furnished or provided the information where applicable.

If identity theft is suspected, IdentityTheft.gov is the federal government’s recovery resource.

What If You Don’t Recognize an Inquiry?

An unfamiliar company name does not automatically mean fraud.

The CFPB notes that unfamiliar names on credit reports can sometimes be legitimate.

For an unfamiliar inquiry:

review the company name and date;
compare it with recent credit applications or account requests;
contact the company if the connection is unclear;
dispute the information if it appears inaccurate;
use IdentityTheft.gov if identity theft is suspected.

The goal is to investigate first rather than assume every unfamiliar entry is fraudulent.

What Does “Permissible Purpose” Mean?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act restricts when a consumer report can be obtained.

The CFPB explains that permissible purposes can include situations involving:

credit transactions,
account review,
insurance,
employment with required consent,
rental applications,
and other purposes allowed by law.

A company should not obtain a consumer report without a permissible purpose.

This article is general financial education, not individualized legal advice, but an inquiry that appears to reflect access without a legitimate purpose is worth investigating.

Does Prequalification Cause a Hard Inquiry?

Not every prescreened or prequalified credit review is a hard inquiry.

CFPB identifies prescreening as a soft inquiry.

Some lenders also use soft inquiries for consumer-facing prequalification tools.

However, lender processes and terminology can differ, and a later full credit application can produce a hard inquiry.

If the distinction matters, review the lender’s disclosure before proceeding.

Can a Credit-Limit Increase Cause a Hard Inquiry?

It can.

The CFPB says a lender may run a credit check when evaluating a requested credit-limit increase.

Issuer practices differ.

A requested increase can involve a hard inquiry, while another issuer or situation may use a soft inquiry or existing account information.

Do not assume all credit-limit-increase requests are handled the same way.

Can Different Credit Reports Show Different Inquiries?

Yes.

If a lender accesses one nationwide credit reporting company’s file but not another’s, the inquiry records can differ across the reports.

That means:

one bureau’s report can show an inquiry that another bureau’s report does not,
and a score calculated from one bureau’s data can contain different inquiry information from a score calculated from another bureau’s data.

This is one reason consumers can have different credit scores.

For the broader score concept, see What Is a Credit Score?.

What a Hard Inquiry Can Tell You

A hard inquiry entry can help show:

which company accessed the report,
when the access occurred,
and that the report was accessed in connection with a credit-related review.

That is useful information.

What a Hard Inquiry Cannot Tell You

The inquiry itself does not prove:

whether the application was approved,
whether an account was opened,
how much credit was requested,
how much credit was granted,
why the consumer applied,
what exact score change occurred,
or whether the consumer is in financial difficulty.

A hard inquiry is one credit-report entry, not a complete picture of the application or consumer.

Common Hard-Inquiry Myths

Myth	What Is More Accurate
“Hard inquiries affect FICO for two full years.”	They can remain on a report for up to two years, but FICO considers the previous 12 months.
“One inquiry always costs five points.”	There is no universal fixed point loss.
“Three inquiries cost three times as many points as one.”	FICO is not a simple linear penalty formula, and qualifying rate-shopping inquiries can be grouped.
“Rate-shopping inquiries become one line on the report.”	They can remain separate report entries even when grouped for FICO scoring.
“All rate shopping uses a 45-day window.”	Older FICO versions can use 14 days; newer versions can use 45 days.
“Credit-card applications get rate-shopping protection.”	FICO’s published grouping treatment is for qualifying mortgage, auto, and student-loan inquiries.
“Checking my own credit creates a hard inquiry.”	Checking your own credit does not hurt your FICO Score.
“Every prequalification is a hard inquiry.”	Prescreening is a soft inquiry; other lender processes can differ.
“Every unfamiliar inquiry is fraud.”	An unfamiliar name should be investigated, but it can be legitimate.
“When the inquiry falls off the report, my score must rise.”	FICO already stops considering the inquiry after 12 months, and no automatic increase is guaranteed.

The Bottom Line

So, how long do hard inquiries stay on your credit report?

The answer has two parts:

Up to two years on the credit report

and:

The previous 12 months for FICO scoring

Those timelines are different.

Hard inquiries are also only one part of FICO’s broader New Credit category, and they do not have one universal point cost.

For qualifying mortgage, auto-loan, and student-loan shopping, FICO also uses special inquiry treatment, including a recent-inquiry buffer and model-specific grouping windows.

Understanding those distinctions is more useful than trying to predict a precise score loss from one inquiry.

For the larger credit-scoring framework, see the Credit Guide and What Is a Good Credit Score?.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hard Inquiries and FICO Scores

How long do hard inquiries stay on a credit report?

myFICO says hard inquiries can remain on a credit report for up to two years.

How long do hard inquiries affect a FICO Score?

FICO Scores consider hard inquiries from the previous 12 months.

Does an inquiry disappear after 12 months?

Not necessarily. It can remain visible on the credit report after FICO stops considering it.

Does my score automatically rise after 12 months?

No. The inquiry is no longer considered by FICO, but other credit-report information may also have changed.

How many points does a hard inquiry cost?

There is no universal fixed point loss.

How many hard inquiries are too many?

FICO does not publish one universal inquiry count that automatically becomes “too many.”

Does checking my own credit hurt my score?

No. Checking your own credit report or FICO Score is a soft inquiry and does not hurt your FICO Score.

Do soft inquiries affect FICO Scores?

No.

How does mortgage rate shopping work?

FICO has special treatment for qualifying mortgage inquiries, including a 30-day recent-inquiry buffer and a grouping window that can be 14 days for older models or 45 days for newer models.

Does auto-loan rate shopping work the same way?

The same published FICO rate-shopping framework applies to qualifying auto-loan inquiries.

Do student-loan inquiries receive rate-shopping treatment?

Yes. Student-loan inquiries are one of the qualifying categories FICO lists.

Do credit-card applications receive rate-shopping treatment?

No. FICO’s published rate-shopping grouping does not apply to credit-card applications.

Why do multiple rate-shopping inquiries still appear on my report?

The grouping happens inside the FICO scoring calculation. It does not merge the inquiry records on the credit report.

Can an accurate hard inquiry be removed just because it affected my score?

A dispute is not intended to remove accurate information merely because it may be unfavorable. Inaccurate or unauthorized inquiry information should be investigated and can be disputed where appropriate.

What should I do if I do not recognize an inquiry?

Check the name and date, compare it with recent applications, contact the listed company if necessary, and dispute it if it appears inaccurate. If identity theft is suspected, use IdentityTheft.gov.

Does prequalification always create a hard inquiry?

No. Prescreening is a soft inquiry, and many prequalification tools use soft inquiries. Lender processes can differ, so read the disclosure.

Can a credit-limit increase cause a hard inquiry?

Yes, depending on the issuer and the type of request.

Will my score rise when a hard inquiry falls off the report?

Not necessarily. FICO stops considering the inquiry after 12 months, so later report removal does not guarantee a score change.

Sources and References

Editorial Disclosure

The Rich Guy Math provides general financial education and calculation tools. We may discuss credit reports, credit scores, credit applications, credit inquiries, loans, and credit-management concepts for educational and illustrative purposes, but we do not provide individualized financial, credit-repair, legal, or accounting advice. Credit-scoring models, lender practices, inquiry classifications, underwriting standards, and credit-report information can vary, and no specific score change, approval, rate, credit limit, or credit outcome is guaranteed.

About the Author

Max Fonji is the founder and financial education writer behind The Rich Guy Math. He researches and explains personal-finance concepts using calculations, authoritative sources, practical examples, and plain language. His work focuses on helping readers understand how money decisions work rather than providing individualized financial advice.