Guide to Hard Inquiry Removal
Your credit score isn’t static—it shifts month to month. It reflects your ability to manage debt and financial habits like payments, credit usage, and transactions.
While changes in credit score are usually tied to your actions, errors can sometimes creep into your credit report. If you’ve recently noticed an unexpected drop, even by just a few points, an unauthorized hard inquiry might be the reason.
Credit inquiries occur whenever a lender requests your credit history from one of the major credit reporting companies. These inquiries, while routine, can have a small but negative effect on your credit; they typically remain on your report for up to two years. They indicate how frequently you’ve applied for credit and help lenders assess your financial responsibility and risk.
The good news? Not all inquiries are permanent. Unauthorized or unapproved credit inquiries can often be disputed and deleted to improve credit scores.
Anyone keen to remove hard inquiries from their credit reports can submit a formal credit inquiry removal letter or dispute the entry online. A legitimate credit repair company can simplify the process of hard inquiry removal from start to end.
Types of Credit Inquiries and the Difference Between Them
Hard Inquiries
This type of credit inquiries occur when you apply for new credit—like a car loan, personal loan, credit card, or mortgage.
Lenders conduct a detailed review of your credit report to evaluate your creditworthiness. This process, often referred to as a "hard credit check" or "hard pull," is a standard part of applying for credit.
Each hard inquiry is recorded on your credit report. So if you are keen to improve your credit score by removing credit inquiries from your report, this is the type of inquiry that you need to focus on.
Soft Inquiries
Soft inquiries are less formal and don’t impact your credit score.
They happen when people are checking their own scores or when a lender conducts a pre-approval check for an offer. A soft credit inquiry is like a quick glance at your credit history.
How Do Credit Inquiries Affect My Credit Score?
Hard inquiries can influence your credit score. This is why people hire credit repair specialists to remove hard inquiries from their credit reports; often, even a seemingly minor drop in your credit score can make it difficult to qualify for favorable terms on new lines of credit.
Each hard inquiry may lower your score by a few points, and multiple inquiries in a short time might signal financial instability to lenders. But, when you’re shopping for rates on a mortgage or car loan, credit scoring models often treat multiple inquiries within a 14- to 45-day window as a single inquiry.
Soft inquiries, meanwhile, are harmless and do not affect your score.
How Long Do Hard Inquiries Remain Relevant?
Hard inquiries affect your credit score for a relatively short period—typically six months to a year. Their impact reduces over time. Hard inquiries show up on your credit report for up to two years, after which they are automatically removed.
How Long Does It Take to Remove a Hard Inquiry from My Credit Report?
If the hard inquiry is legitimate, it will remain on your report for the full two years. However, if you have reasons to believe that an inquiry appearing on your report is inaccurate or unauthorized, you have the right to challenge it.
The dispute process usually takes about 30 days, though it might extend depending on the situation. You can dispute such credit report errors on your own or you can rely on a trusted credit restoration service provider.
Common Reasons Why My Credit Report Might Have Hard Inquiries
Hard inquiries appear for various reasons, including:
Credit card applications: A hard inquiry is triggered when you apply for a new card.
Loan applications: Whether for a mortgage, auto loan, or personal loan, lenders perform a hard pull.
Credit limit increases: Requesting a higher credit limit can also result in a hard inquiry.
Housing applications: Some landlords and rental agencies conduct hard pulls as part of the approval process.
Requesting a credit limit increase: Sometimes, asking for a credit limit increase can trigger a hard inquiry
The company name on the hard inquiry you see on your credit report may differ from what you recognize. For example, store credit card inquiries might list the bank issuing the card.
When Can I Remove Inquiries from my Credit Report?
Legitimate hard inquiries cannot be removed. However, if you spot an inquiry that was unauthorized or made in error, you can dispute it.
Yes, if an inquiry was made without your knowledge or explicit permission, you can have it removed from your credit report. At times, unauthorized hard inquiries may also be due to clerical errors or even identity theft.
Will Removing a Hard Inquiry Improve My Credit Score?
Removing an unauthorized or inaccurate hard inquiry can potentially improve your credit score, especially if the inquiry is recent.
However, older inquiries—those over a year old—have minimal impact on your score.
How to Send a Credit Inquiry Removal Letter
Did you find an inaccurate hard inquiry on your credit report? Here's what you can do to dispute it:
#1. Contact the Lender First: Reach out to the company that initiated the hard inquiry. Ask them for more information to verify if it was a mistake. If they confirm it was an error, request a letter asking the credit bureau to remove it.
#2. Gather Documentation: Collect supporting documents like credit report screenshots, emails, or other correspondence.
#3. Send a Dispute Letter: If contacting the lender does not resolve the issue, you have the right to dispute the credit inquiry with the credit bureaus.
Your dispute letter to the credit bureau for credit inquiry removal should include:
Your personal information
Details of the disputed inquiry (date, company name, etc.)
A request for removal
Send the letter via certified mail to ensure delivery.
Use these addresses for major bureaus:
Equifax:P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374-0256
Experian:P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion:P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
The bureau is required to investigate and respond within 30-45 days.
How Can Legitimate Credit Repair Companies Help?
Dealing credit report errors, such as unauthorized inquiries, is something you can handle on your own. But, analyzing credit reports, identifying errors, disputing them with credit bureaus, communicating with lenders, and following up can quickly become overwhelming.
Legitimate credit repair companies, like AMERICA CREDIT CARE, can assist you with this process. Our experts can help address negative items on your credit report, including incorrect hard inquiries. We also guide you on how to improve your credit fast and maintain a good score.
We have many years of experience in evaluating credit and guiding consumers to assert their legal rights. We do it every day! We guarantee honesty and dependability, virtues which most people seem to have forgotten.
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We have many years of experience in evaluating credit and guiding consumers to assert their legal rights. We do it every day! We guarantee honesty and dependability, virtues which most people seem to have forgotten.
Copyright © 2025 America Credit Care. All rights reserved. Powered by WebbArtt Solutions