Unauthorized hard inquiries can negatively impact your credit score. Learn what steps you can take to remove unauthorized hard inquiries from your credit report.
When you apply for new credit, your credit report will receive a hard check, which may lower your credit score. Usually, this will only drop by a few points. A legal hard check usually can’t be removed. But it disappears from your credit report after two years and typically only affects your score for about a year.
However, if you find unauthorized hard queries in your reports, you can dispute them and request their removal. When you apply for new credit, creditors will usually want to take a close look at your credit history.
While every creditor is different, they will usually do an initial ‘soft check’ to see if you meet the initial eligibility requirements before moving on to a more formal ‘hard check’. A hard check is usually only done after you’ve been accepted for a financial product. A ‘hard check’ allows them to look at your credit file to help them consider whether to approve your application and, if approved, what terms they’ll offer you. Every hard check can cause your credit score to drop – another reason to monitor your credit report and credit score regularly.
If you discover an unauthorized hard inquiry, there are steps you can take to file a formal dispute and request that the hard inquiry be removed from your credit report. Here’s what you need to know about how credit bureaus handle inquiries, the potential impact of certain types of inquiries, and how to request that an unauthorized hard inquiry be removed from your credit report.
Soft and Hard Queries
Before you request that any inquiry be removed from your credit report, it’s important to understand the difference between a “soft” inquiry and a “hard” inquiry.
Soft query:
A soft inquiry does not affect your credit score. This type of inquiry usually happens when you check your own credit score. It may also happen if a creditor or lender you do business with wants to check your credit score. Sometimes a creditor will do an initial soft check before doing a more formal hard check. A soft inquiry is also done when you fill out a pre-approval application to see if you qualify for a loan, credit card, or new line of credit. If you then accept a loan, credit card, or other financial product, it triggers a hard inquiry, also called a “hard inquiry” or “hard check.”
Hard query:
A creditor conducts a hard investigation when you formally make a request to borrow money. That is, when you decide to accept a loan or credit card, or when you ask for a credit card limit increase. In some cases, a hard investigation may occur when you apply for a new credit card or loan, depending on the creditor.
Only a hard check will affect your credit score, and federal regulations require that any business that wants to do a hard check must first get your permission.
Hard inquiries on your credit report, along with any new accounts you’ve recently opened or loans you’ve received, together make up 10% of your FICO® score. FICO credit scores are most commonly used by lenders and creditors. Although a hard inquiry can hurt your credit score, it’s usually only a slight drop. FICO says a hard check typically results in a score drop of less than 5 points .
How to remove hard queries
When you discover an unauthorized hard inquiry, it’s a good idea to check your credit report to see if it also includes new credit cards or loans that you don’t recognize. This could indicate identity theft – more on that later.
If you discover an unauthorized hard inquiry with no fraudulent account associated with it, you can file a formal dispute with the credit bureaus to request that the unauthorized hard inquiry be removed from your account.
Because credit reports can contain errors, it is important to check your report regularly to ensure accuracy. If you discover an error, you can take steps to dispute your credit report. The main steps are as follows:
- Get a copy of your credit report.
- Look for difficult queries and make sure you can identify (and gain authorization for) everything you find.
- Dispute any unauthorized hard probing you discover.
- Each agency (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) allows you to submit a dispute via an online form, by phone, or by mail.
- Provide any documentation relevant to the investigation to substantiate your claim.
- Please note that it usually takes 30 days or less to get the results of a dispute investigation.
Did you know that as an extra security measure and to prevent fraud, American Express reports a reference number – not your actual account number – to the credit bureaus?
Multiple rigorous investigations may not affect your score
The two most popular credit scoring models, FICO and VantageScore®, do not require you to search for the best loan within a specific time frame. FICO generally does not consider similarly tight inquiries from different lenders or creditors if the loan was made within 30 days. This applies if you are shopping for auto loans, mortgages, and student loans.
The new version of FICO available to creditors counts all similar inquiries made within 45 days as one hard inquiry — but it often takes years for lenders to adopt new credit scoring models, so 30 days is safer for banking.
The VantageScore system developed by the three major credit bureaus sets a two-week interval for similar hard inquiries, but these inquiries are only recorded once . 2 If you receive multiple credit inquiries after two weeks, it will have a negative impact on your credit score.
Unable to delete authorized hard query
Legitimate hard inquiries cannot be removed from your credit report. But they do disappear. A hard inquiry you authorize will remain on your credit report for 24 months, but will generally only affect your credit score for the first 12 months .
Unauthorized hard queries could be an identity theft alert
Whether you prefer to monitor your credit report yourself or use a credit monitoring service to monitor your report, it is important to pay attention to and address any unauthorized hard inquiries. This is because it could be a sign of fraudulent activity or that you are a victim of identity theft.
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Identity thieves can often gather enough personal information to impersonate you to apply for a loan or credit card, which can result in a close check on your report. If this happens, it’s best to contact the lender or credit card issuer as soon as possible to alert them to the fraud and follow their instructions to close the account.
You may also consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report, which makes it harder for thieves to impersonate you and open new accounts. Another stronger protection is to freeze your credit report. A freeze prevents any business from making any type of inquiry. When you are looking for credit, you can “unfreeze” your credit report to allow for an authorized hard inquiry.
The IdentityTheft.gov website, maintained by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), offers free step-by-step guides to help you combat identity theft .
FAQs about when you can remove unauthorized hard inquiries from your credit report
How long will a hard inquiry stay on my credit report?
Generally, a hard inquiry will remain on your report for two years. However, its impact on your credit score will usually only last for the first 12 months .
How many hard queries is too many?
While there’s no set number that determines how many hard inquiries are too many, a general guideline is that more than six inquiries in a six-month period can indicate to creditors that you’re a high-risk borrower. There are some exceptions, though, such as if you’re looking for one loan rate for a certain period of time. This period will vary depending on the credit scoring model used.
How can I monitor my credit score and track any changes?
You can get one free credit report per year from the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. In addition, some online credit monitoring apps allow you to check your credit report and score for free every month. These apps also send alerts when your score changes.
When you apply for credit, creditors will ask you for permission to run a “hard check” on your credit report. An authorized hard inquiry will remain on your credit report for two years and can negatively impact your credit score for up to one year. If you find an unauthorized hard inquiry on your report, you can dispute it and have it removed.
Carla Fried is a freelance writer who has focused on personal finance throughout her career. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Money, CNBC.com , and Consumer Reports , among many other publications.
All Credit Intel content is written by freelance writers and is commissioned and paid for by American Express.
