Qualifying
How many points does a hard inquiry drop your credit score?
For most people, a single hard inquiry lowers a FICO Score by fewer than five points. The impact is temporary — hard inquiries stop affecting your score after 12 months and fall off your report entirely after two years. Rate-shopping for a mortgage, auto, or student loan is protected — FICO groups those inquiries within 14–45 days into one.
The full picture
How much does one hard inquiry lower your score?
According to myFICO, one additional hard inquiry takes fewer than five points off your FICO Score for most people. For some consumers — especially those with thin credit files or short histories — the impact can be larger, but a single inquiry is rarely the deciding factor in a lending decision. Hard inquiries account for roughly 10% of a FICO Score.
How long does the impact last?
Hard inquiries appear on your credit report for two years. However, FICO scoring models stop counting an inquiry against your score after 12 months — meaning the temporary dip typically fully reverses within a year. The CFPB notes that the effect on your scores also tends to decrease before the inquiry drops off your report.
When hard inquiries hurt more — and the rate-shopping exception
- Multiple applications in a short window — several hard pulls in quick succession signal risk to scoring models and have a compounding effect
- Thin or new credit files — a single inquiry represents a larger share of a short credit history, so the impact is proportionally greater
- Rate shopping is protected — FICO groups mortgage, auto, and student loan inquiries made within 14–45 days into a single inquiry; comparison shopping those loans does not multiply the point drop
- Credit card applications are not bundled — each credit card application is treated as a separate inquiry even if applied on the same day
Hard inquiry impact: the numbers
- For most people, one additional hard inquiry will take fewer than five points off their FICO Score; credit inquiries have a small impact overall. — myFICO
- Hard inquiries affect FICO Scores for 12 months; they remain visible on your credit report for 24 months. — myFICO
- The CFPB states that for rate shopping, credit scoring models treat multiple inquiries for the same type of loan made within 14 to 45 days as a single inquiry. — CFPB
Key takeaways
- One hard inquiry typically costs fewer than five points — a minor, temporary impact for most borrowers.
- The score effect disappears after 12 months; the inquiry itself clears your report at 24 months.
- Rate shopping for mortgages, auto loans, and student loans within 14–45 days counts as one inquiry, not many.
- Avoid applying for multiple credit cards in a short period — those inquiries are not bundled.
Frequently asked questions
Does checking my own credit score count as a hard inquiry?
No. Checking your own credit score or report is a soft inquiry and never affects your FICO Score, regardless of how many times you check.
Will shopping multiple lenders for a business loan count as multiple hard inquiries?
The 14-45 day rate-shopping window that bundles inquiries into one applies to mortgage, auto, and student loan pulls under FICO scoring models. Business loan and credit card inquiries are not bundled under this rule — each application is scored as a separate inquiry.
How many points does a hard inquiry drop your score if you have thin credit?
For most people the drop is fewer than five points, per myFICO, but consumers with thin or short credit files can see a larger drop since one inquiry represents a bigger share of a limited credit history.
When does a hard inquiry stop affecting your credit score?
FICO scoring models stop counting a hard inquiry against your score after 12 months, even though the inquiry stays visible on your credit report for a full 24 months.
From the ClearValue family
Published 2026-05-22 · Updated 2026-05-22 · https://clearvaluelending.com/answers/how-many-points-does-a-hard-inquiry-drop-your-score