Can You Remove Hard Inquiries From Your Credit Report?

A hard inquiry on a credit report signifies that a lender has accessed your credit file because you applied for new credit. This can include applications for credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, or personal loans. These inquiries are recorded on your credit report and remain for two years, though their effect on your credit score diminishes after 12 months. While hard inquiries can lead to a slight, temporary dip in your credit score, it is possible to have them removed from your credit report under specific circumstances, primarily if they are inaccurate or unauthorized.

Identifying Removable Hard Inquiries

Hard inquiries can be removed from a credit report if they are unauthorized or inaccurate. An unauthorized inquiry occurs when a credit check is performed without your explicit consent. This can happen in cases of identity theft, where someone uses your personal information to apply for credit in your name, triggering an inquiry you did not approve. Or if a lender pulls your credit despite no application being submitted, or if you were pre-approved for an offer which usually results in a soft inquiry.

Inaccurate inquiries stem from errors in reporting. This might include clerical mistakes by the credit bureau or the lender, such as a duplicate inquiry for the same application or an inquiry appearing due to misidentification. If you review your credit report and find an inquiry from a company you don’t recognize, contact that company first. They might use a different name than you are familiar with, or a partner firm may have conducted the check.

Legitimate hard inquiries, made with your permission when applying for credit, cannot be removed from your credit report. Disputing them will not result in removal and could signal red flags to credit bureaus or lenders. These authorized inquiries are an accurate reflection of your credit-seeking activity and typically fall off your report after about two years.

Information Needed for Disputing Inquiries

Before initiating a dispute for a hard inquiry, gathering all necessary information and documentation can streamline the process. A fundamental step involves obtaining a copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report from each bureau annually through AnnualCreditReport.com.

When preparing your dispute, you will need to provide specific personal identifying information. This includes your full name, current and previous addresses, date of birth, and Social Security number. Details specific to the inquiry you are disputing are required, such as the exact date of the inquiry and the name of the inquirer.

You must provide evidence supporting your claim that the inquiry is inaccurate or unauthorized. This documentation can vary but may include a police report if identity theft is suspected, an affidavit of fraud, or written communication with the inquirer clarifying that no application was submitted. Any relevant correspondence or records related to the disputed inquiry can also serve as supporting documentation.

The Inquiry Dispute Process

Once you have gathered all necessary information and supporting documents, you can proceed with disputing the hard inquiry. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) grants you the right to dispute inaccurate or unauthorized information on your credit report. You can initiate a dispute directly with the credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) or with the original creditor that made the inquiry.

To dispute with the credit bureaus, you can use their online dispute portals, send a dispute letter via mail, or make a phone call. When disputing online, you will be guided through a process to review your report and submit your claim. If mailing your dispute, send copies of your supporting documents and keep all original records, including a copy of a government-issued ID and a utility bill for identity verification.

Disputing directly with the original creditor can be an effective alternative. You can contact the company that made the inquiry and ask them to verify the authorization for the credit check. If they cannot prove that you authorized the inquiry, you can request that they notify the credit bureaus to remove it from your report. This direct communication can resolve the issue more quickly before involving the credit bureaus in a formal investigation.

Outcome of an Inquiry Dispute

After you submit a dispute, the credit bureau is required to investigate your claim. This investigation takes between 30 and 45 days. During this period, the credit bureau will contact the entity that reported the inquiry to verify its accuracy.

You will be notified of the investigation’s outcome, by mail or through an online portal if you initiated the dispute electronically. If the investigation determines that the inquiry was unauthorized or inaccurate, it will be removed from your credit report. Verify its removal on all three credit reports, as an inquiry might be removed from one but remain on others.

If the inquiry is verified as legitimate or accurate, it will remain on your credit report. In such cases, the hard inquiry will naturally fall off your report after its designated period, which is two years from the date it was made. While a single hard inquiry has a minimal and temporary effect on your credit score, its impact diminishes significantly after 12 months.