Hard inquiries, also known as hard pulls, remain on your credit report for up to two years. However, their impact on your credit score typically lasts for only 12 months. After that, while the inquiries are still visible to lenders, they generally no longer affect your credit score
. A single hard inquiry usually lowers your credit score by fewer than five points, and the effect diminishes over time. Multiple hard inquiries within a short period can have a greater negative impact, as they might signal financial distress to lenders. When shopping for certain loans like mortgages, auto loans, or student loans, multiple inquiries within a 14- to 45-day window are often treated as a single inquiry for scoring purposes
. In summary:
- Hard inquiries stay on your credit report for 2 years.
- They affect your credit score for about 1 year.
- Each inquiry typically lowers your score by fewer than 5 points.
- Multiple inquiries in a short time can have a larger impact.
- Rate shopping inquiries within a short period are counted as one.
This means that while hard inquiries remain visible for two years, their influence on your credit score is temporary and usually fades after one year
