How to Remove Hard Inquiries from Your Credit Report

How to Dispute a Hard Inquiry on Your Credit Report

You can't remove legitimate hard inquiries, but you can check your credit report and dispute inquiries you don't recognize.

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Edited by other Updated Jun 22, 2026 How to Dispute Credit Report Errors How to Remove Collections From Your Credit Report How Long Do Derogatory Marks Stay on Your Credit? Credit Reports: What They Are and How To Read Them A hard inquiry on your credit report is the kind of credit inquiry that happens when you apply for credit. It can cause a small, temporary drop in your credit score. You can't remove hard inquiries unless they are fraudulent, but even legitimate hard inquiries don't ding your credit score too much. Other things, namely, paying bills on time and using less than 30% of your credit limits, influence your credit score more than hard inquiries do. » MORE: How long do hard inquiries stay on your credit report? » MORE: MORE:

How to find and evaluate hard inquiries

If you're curious about hard inquiries on your credit report and where they came from, you can request free credit reports from the three major credit bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. On your credit report, look over the section labeled “inquiries.” You’re concerned with hard inquiries. Soft inquiries, such as when you check your own credit or a marketer screens you for a pre-approved offer, don’t affect your score. When you look at your credit report you might see inquires from entities such as: Credit card issuers and lenders, which check your credit reports to gauge risk when you apply. Utilities, which use them to decide whether to charge you a deposit. Companies, which may check your credit standing so they can market products to you. Potential landlords and employers, who may look to see how reliable you are. » Ready to get started? Get your free credit score with NerdWallet » Ready to get started?

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Each credit bureau or website presents information in its own way, but all will label any inquiries that might affect your score. If you don’t recognize something, it’s worth investigating. Reasons you might not recognize the entry range from benign to worrisome: A store credit card you applied for may be issued through a financial institution with a different name. Your car loan application may have gone to multiple lenders (a single authorization at a dealership can sometimes result in several inquiries). Debt collectors are allowed to check credit under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, although most often these are soft inquiries. You may have fallen victim to identity theft and someone is opening fraudulent accounts in your name. Get credit reports in Spanish 🤓 Nerdy Tip Consejo Nerdy
Usted puede solicitar una copia de su informe crediticio (gratis y en español) de cada una de las tres principales agencias de crédito:
· TransUnion: Llame al 800-916-8800.
· Equifax: Visite el enlace o llame al 888-378-4329.
· Experian: Haga clic en el enlace o llame al 888-397-3742. Consejo Nerdy
Usted puede solicitar una copia de su informe crediticio (gratis y en español) de cada una de las tres principales agencias de crédito:
·
Usted puede solicitar una copia de su informe crediticio (gratis y en español) de cada una de las tres principales agencias de crédito:
· : Llame al 800-916-8800.
· : Llame al 800-916-8800.
· : Visite el enlace o llame al 888-378-4329.
· : Visite el enlace o llame al 888-378-4329.
·

How to remove a hard inquiry

You can't remove a legitimate hard inquiry, but if you can’t trace the reason for a hard inquiry, or you believe it was done without your consent, you can dispute it online. If the credit bureau can’t confirm it as a legitimate inquiry, it’s required to remove it. Contact each credit bureau individually: How to dispute your Equifax credit report How to dispute your Experian credit report How to dispute your TransUnion credit report Some companies say they can remove even legitimate inquiries from your report — for a fee — but NerdWallet advises against using them. As long as you’re not continuing to pile up applications, time will repair any damage to your credit.

How to protect against fraud

If you see an unknown inquiry, you can have a fraud alert added to your credit reports, which flags applications in your name as requiring extra scrutiny. Alert any one credit reporting agency; it will share information with the other two. Or, for the best protection, simply freeze your credit with all three bureaus to stop anyone from opening new credit in your name.

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Explore more on About the authors Fuente Pamela de la Fuente is a managing editor of NerdWallet's personal finance content. She leads budgeting, money-making, consumer credit and and debt coverage. Ask her and her talented team about why credit scores matter, how to save money on your grocery bill, finding the right side hustle, how to protect your identity for free and more. Previously, she led taxes and retirement coverage at NerdWallet. Pamela joined NerdWallet after working at companies including Hallmark Cards, Sprint Corp. and The Kansas City Star. She has been a writer and editor for more than 20 years. Pamela is a thought leader in content diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and finds ways to make every piece of content conversational and accessible to all. She is a graduate of the Maynard Institute's Maynard 200 program, and the National Association of Black Journalists Executive Leadership Academy. She is a two-time winner of the Kansas City Association of Black Journalists' President's Award. She was also founding co-chair of NerdWallet's Nerds of Color employee resource group. O'Shea Bev O'Shea is a former NerdWallet authority on consumer credit, scams and identity theft. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Auburn University and a master's in education from Georgia State University. Before coming to NerdWallet, she worked for daily newspapers, MSN Money and Credit.com. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, MarketWatch, USA Today, MSN Money and elsewhere. Twitter: @BeverlyOShea. Credit Reports: What They Are and How To Read Them By Amanda Barroso, Bev O'Shea Credit Score vs. Credit Report: What’s the Difference? By Amanda Barroso, Bev O'Shea What is a Hard Inquiry and How Long Does It Affect Your Credit? By Bev O'Shea, Amanda Barroso How to Get Your Free Credit Reports From the 3 Major Credit Bureaus By Amanda Barroso, Lauren Schwahn Who Can Access Your Credit Report or Score? By Amanda Barroso