 TITLE: How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay on Your Credit Report? CONTENT: How Much Does a Hard Inquiry Lower Your Credit Scores?\n------------------------------------------------------\nHow many points does a hard inquiry cost you off your credit score? FICO® reports that a hard inquiry will reduce your credit score by five points or less. Your scores should rebound in a few months.\nIf you have less-than-stellar credit and a lot of hard inquiries for different types of credit within a short time, the effects will last longer; your overall credit score may be slightly reduced for as much as a year. After two years, hard inquiries drop off your credit report entirely.\nIn general, the number of hard inquiries on your credit report isn't a major factor in your credit score. The FICO® Score☉ model considers your payment history, credit utilization, total debt, length of credit history, credit mix and new credit when calculating your credit score. Hard inquiries are part of the \"new credit\" category, but they don't weigh heavily relative to the other factors. END