How Long Does it Take for Credit Requests to Fall Off the Credit Report?

Most items on credit reports do not remain forever. The Credit Infocenter credit repair website explains that most negative things, like late payments, charge-offs and repossessions, are erased after seven years, while bankruptcies remain for 10 years. Some things, like tax liens, remain indefinitely unless they are paid. Credit requests have their own time frame, which is shorter than most other items.

Definition

Credit requests are also known as hard inquiries, according to Bankrate columnist Leslie McFadden. They represent an inquiry by a lender in response to a consumer's credit application or loan request. Soft inquiries are requests that are not directly related to applications. For example, a company may make an inquiry prior to sending a promotion offer or a person might request his or her own credit reports to check them for mistakes.

Time Frame

Both hard and soft inquiries show up on credit reports for two years, although soft inquiries are not viewable by creditors. McFadden explains they only show up when someone reviews his or her own reports. These inquiries may stay on longer, but the consumer can dispute old inquiries and have them removed after the 24-month period. Credit score companies use different time frames for considering requests. McFadden explains that FICO, a major score compiler, only factors them into its calculation for one year, while one of its competitors, VantageScore, counts them for as long as they appear on a credit report.

Effects

Soft inquiries have no effect on a person's credit score, but requests in response to an application can hurt it. According to Sarah Davis of VantageScore, a single hard inquiry can cost up to five points, with the worst impact on consumers who have sparse credit histories.

Considerations

People often fill out several applications when shopping for big ticket items like cars or major loans like mortgages and students loans. McFadden explains that credit scoring companies take this into account. They generally lump requests together and view them as one inquiry if they all occur within a certain time frame. This could be from 14 to 45 days, depending on the credit scoring firm.

Prevention

FICO explains that consumers can prevent credit inquiries from significantly hurting their credit by maintaining overall good records. This includes maintaining low accounts balances, making all payments by the due date and applying for new credit only when necessary. A high score will not drop low enough to affect creditworthiness just because of a few requests.