Hard Inquiry
A credit-report pull triggered by an application for new credit. Costs 3-10 points; stays 2 years.
A hard inquiry is a credit-report pull triggered by an application for new credit. Hard inquiries cost 3-10 FICO points each and stay on the report for 2 years (though they only affect the score for ~12 months).
Multiple hard inquiries within a short window for the same purpose (mortgage shopping, auto loan shopping) are typically grouped as a single inquiry under FICO's rate-shopping rules. The window varies: 14 days for FICO 8, 45 days for newer versions and VantageScore.
Hard inquiries can be disputed if they're unauthorized — under FCRA §604, a creditor must have a permissible purpose to pull a credit report.
Also called
Related terms
A credit-report pull that does not affect the credit score. Pre-approvals, employment checks, self-pulls.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. §1681 — federal law governing how credit reporting works.
The credit score model developed by Fair Isaac Corporation. Used by 90%+ of U.S. lenders.
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