Hard inquiries drop your score ~5 points each, for 12 months. But mortgages, auto loans, and student loans get a SHOPPING GRACE — multiple lender pulls within 14 days count as ONE inquiry. Personal loans and cards get no such mercy.
HARD INQUIRY−5 pts × 12 monthsStays on report 3 years (score impact fades after 12mo)
Credit card application~5 pts
Mortgage application~5 pts (grace window)Multiple within 14 days = 1 inquiry
Auto loan application~5 pts (grace window)Multiple within 14 days = 1 inquiry
Personal loan application~5 pts eachNO grace window — each counts
Apartment rental check~5 pts (sometimes)Varies by landlord
Cell phone contract~5 pts
Utility setup (some prov.)~5 pts
SOFT INQUIRY0 pts · everDoesn't even show to other lenders. Invisible.
Checking YOUR score (Borrowell, KOHO, etc.)0 pts
Pre-approved card offer (mail/email)0 pts
Pre-qualification check ("see your rate")0 pts
Employer background check0 pts
Insurance company review (existing customer)0 pts
Account review by existing lender0 pts
Credit monitoring alerts0 pts
★ THE 14-DAY GRACE WINDOW ★
Rate shopping smartly
✓ GRACE APPLIES
Multiple pulls within 14 days = 1 inquiry
Mortgage shopping (compare 5 lenders)
Auto loan shopping (dealer + bank financing)
Student loan shopping
Why: Bureaus recognize "rate shopping" behavior — they don't want to penalize you for getting the best rate on a single big loan.
✗ NO GRACE
Every pull = separate −5 pts hit
Credit card applications (each counts)
Personal loan applications
Line of credit applications
Apartment / cell phone applications
Why: These are seen as "expanding total credit" rather than shopping for one product. Multiple = risk signal.
★ IMPACT SIMULATOR ★
How many hard inquiries do you have?
BASELINE SCORE720
IMMEDIATE IMPACT−15 pts
YOUR ROUGH SCORE NOW705
BY MONTH 24 (after recovery)720
★ THE LIFECYCLE ★
What happens when
DAY 0
Hard inquiry hits
Score drops ~5 pts immediately. Visible on both bureaus within days.
MONTH 1-12
Full impact period
The −5 pts stays. Lenders see the inquiry and factor it into approvals.
MONTH 12-24
Recovery phase
Score impact fades gradually. By month 24, you're back to baseline.
MONTH 36
Falls off report
Inquiry removed entirely. No trace. Even lenders can't see it.