How to Remove Hard Inquiries from Your Credit Report - NerdWallet (2024)

FAQs

How to Remove Hard Inquiries from Your Credit Report - NerdWallet? ›

You can't remove legitimate hard inquiries, but you can check your credit report and dispute

Can hard credit checks be removed? No, hard credit searches can't be removed. However, most hard credit checks will disappear from your report after a year. On the other hand, if you notice credit searches on your file that you are unfamiliar with, it might be an indication of identity theft or fraud.

Hard inquiries on your credit — the kind that happen when you apply for a loan or credit card — can stay on your credit report for about 24 months. However, a hard inquiry typically won't affect your credit score after 12 months.

And we use a "soft inquiry" so checking your score won't hurt it. Where does NerdWallet get my score? NerdWallet partners with TransUnion® to provide your VantageScore® 3.0, based on information in your TransUnion® free credit report.

Like any other accurate data, legitimate hard inquiries can't be removed from your credit report. You can dispute hard inquiries you didn't authorize.

Since hard inquiries affect your credit score and what is found may even affect approval, you might be wondering: How many inquiries is too many? The answer differs from lender to lender, but most consider six total inquiries on a report at one time to be too many to gain approval for an additional credit card or loan.

In most cases, hard inquiries have very little if any impact on your credit scores—and they have no effect after one year from the date the inquiry was made. So when a hard inquiry is removed from your credit reports, your scores may not improve much—or see any movement at all.

There are other items that cannot be disputed or removed due to their systemic importance. For example, your correct legal name, current and former mailing addresses, and date of birth are usually not up for dispute and won't be removed from your credit reports.

Removing accurate negative items from your credit report can be difficult. In fact, if the information is correct, credit reporting agencies won't remove this information for as long as 7 years. Instead of working with the credit bureaus, you need to discuss removing these negative items with the original creditor.

How many points do hard inquiries take off? ›

How do hard inquiries impact your credit score? A hard credit inquiry could lower your credit score by as much as 10 points, though in many cases, the damage probably won't be that significant. As FICO explains, “For most people, one additional credit inquiry will take less than five points off their FICO Scores.”

I am writing to dispute the following inquiries and ask for their removal from my credit report. Item No. Please have these unapproved inquiries removed from my credit report within 30 days, as it is harming my ability to obtain new credit. I would appreciate a copy of my credit report once this issue is resolved.

Making on-time payments to creditors, keeping your credit utilization low, having a long credit history, maintaining a good mix of credit types, and occasionally applying for new credit lines are the factors that can get you into the 800 credit score club.

Consider whether your primary concern is tracking your finances or managing your credit score. Credit Karma is likely the best option for you if your primary concern is managing or improving your credit score. If your primary concern is budgeting and finance tracking, NerdWallet is likely the better choice.

For a score with a range between 300 and 850, a credit score of 700 or above is generally considered good. A score of 800 or above on the same range is considered to be excellent. Most consumers have credit scores that fall between 600 and 750. In 2023, the average FICO^® Score^☉ in the U.S. reached 715.

Checking your own credit on NerdWallet will not affect your score at all. You can even access your full credit report to monitor it as often as you'd like.

In most cases, hard inquiries have very little if any impact on your credit scores—and they have no effect after one year from the date the inquiry was made. So when a hard inquiry is removed from your credit reports, your scores may not improve much—or see any movement at all.

However, credit repair companies make use of the same dispute process everyone with a credit report has the right to use. While their marketing may suggest they can remove negative information that's accurate, they legally cannot.

If it is rightfully reported, it cannot be removed simply because you regret authorizing it. However, if you did not authorize a hard inquiry that appears on your Experian report, it can be removed. Experian provides a dispute process for seeking investigation and error correction.

How do hard inquiries impact your credit score? A hard credit inquiry could lower your credit score by as much as 10 points, though in many cases, the damage probably won't be that significant. As FICO explains, “For most people, one additional credit inquiry will take less than five points off their FICO Scores.”