A hard inquiry is a credit check you (or someone using your identity) triggered by applying for credit. It can shave a few points and stays on the report about two years. FICO usually weights the last 12 months more. You cannot reliably “erase” a legitimate pull you authorized. You can dispute pulls that are not yours, were not authorized, or are coded wrong.
Soft inquiries (your own report check, many pre-approvals, some employer checks) do not belong in this fight — they do not cost points the same way. See hard inquiry vs soft inquiry.
Do this first
When a hard inquiry is disputable
- You never applied and did not authorize the pull.
- The name, date, or creditor is wrong (mixed file or furnisher error).
- It is a promotional/soft pull coded as hard.
- It is older than two years and still scoring like a new pull (rare; still flag it).
A car or mortgage shopping window (several pulls of the same type in a short period) is usually treated as one inquiry by FICO. That is not a deletion — it is how scoring already works. Do not pay a company to “bundle” pulls that are already bundled.
How to dispute an inaccurate inquiry
- Dispute at each bureau that shows it, with the date and creditor name (you can draft the letter in our free credit dispute letter builder). Specific beats a generic 609. Dispute process.
- Tell the furnisher (the company that pulled) if you have their address.
- If it is fraud, attach the FTC identity theft report and freeze all three bureaus.
- Use the 30-day deadline calculator after you mail.
What will not work
- Paying a “inquiry removal” service to delete a pull you made last month.
- Threatening a bureau with a 609 letter as if it were a delete statute.
- Ignoring new applications — every card you apply for can add another hard pull.
To stop new unauthorized pulls, freeze your credit. A freeze does not remove old inquiries.
Where 850ai fits
850ai can flag inquiries on a report you upload and draft a dispute when the pull looks unauthorized or mismatched. You review the letter. Legitimate applications you remember should stay. You can dispute free with the bureaus either way.
Educational only