What Are Hard Inquiries and How Long Do They Stay on Your Report?

A hard inquiry is created when a lender pulls your credit report to make a decision. A soft inquiry happens when you check your own credit or when a lender checks it for pre-qualification. The two look different on your Experian report and have very different effects on your score.

Hard inquiry vs soft inquiry

Hard inquiries are visible to anyone who reviews your credit report and can affect your score. Soft inquiries are only visible to you and do not affect your score. Common soft inquiries include checking your own score, employment background checks, and pre-qualified credit offers you did not apply for.

How long do hard inquiries stay on Experian?

Hard inquiries remain on your Experian credit report for two years from the date of the pull. Their impact on your score usually decreases over the first 12 months, but the inquiry itself remains visible for 24 months.

How much do they affect your score?

One or two hard inquiries typically have a small impact. The bigger issue is volume. A cluster of hard inquiries in a short period can signal financial stress or rapid credit-seeking, which can lower your score or make a lender decline an application. The exception is rate shopping for mortgages or auto loans: Experian groups similar pulls within a short window and counts them as one inquiry.

Can you remove accurate hard inquiries?

You cannot remove a hard inquiry that is accurate and authorized. Experian is required to report accurate information. However, if an inquiry is unauthorized, duplicated, or linked to a creditor you do not recognize, you have the right to dispute it and request removal.

What happens when a hard inquiry is removed?

When Experian removes a qualifying hard inquiry, the inquiry disappears from your report. Any score impact tied to that inquiry can recover, often within the next score update. The result is a cleaner Experian report with fewer recent pulls visible to lenders.