A hard credit inquiry, also known as a hard pull, is a record of an inquiry made on your credit report by a lender or creditor when you apply for credit, such as a loan or credit card. These inquiries can have a negative effect on your credit score because they indicate to lenders that you're seeking new credit.
Hard credit inquiries stay on your credit report for two years. However, their impact on your credit score will typically decrease over time. Hard inquiries can have a small impact on your credit score for about 12 months. After that, their impact will decrease and eventually disappear from your credit report after 2 years.
It's worth noting that multiple hard inquiries in a short period of time, such as applying for multiple credit cards or loans at once, can have a greater negative impact on your credit score.
Additionally, if you're shopping around for a mortgage, auto, or student loan, multiple inquiries made within a short period of time will be treated as one, as long as they are made within a specified time frame, typically 14 to 45 days, to allow consumers to shop for the best rate and terms.
It's always a good idea to check your credit report regularly to ensure that the inquiries listed on the report are accurate, and disputes any errors that you might find with the credit bureau that provided it.
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