Honest DIY strategy

How to dispute a hard inquiry

What actually works versus what’s myth — the exact letters to send, in order, and the accuracy rules that keep you on the right side of the law.

All dispute strategies › Hard inquiry

The honest reality

Honest expectations: hard inquiries are small (a few points) and fall off automatically after 2 years, and the bureaus usually call them "factual" and refuse to delete on a normal dispute. Only pursue an inquiry you truly did not authorize — and the real remedy there is aimed at the company that pulled it, not the bureau.

Your dispute sequence

Restore paces these into rounds and tracks each 30-day deadline. Send them in this order:

  1. Credit bureaus
    Send: Unauthorized Inquiry Removal
    Dispute an inquiry you did not authorize / that had no permissible purpose.
  2. Credit bureaus
    Send: Obsolete / 7-Year Removal
    If it is older than 2 years and still showing, demand removal.

Accuracy rule (read this first)

Inquiries you did authorize (you applied for that credit) are accurate and will not be removed.

How to mail each letter

  1. Print the letter the tool generated and fill in your address block at the top.
  2. Sign and date it by hand — never type your signature.
  3. Attach copies (never originals) of any proof: receipts, statements, the report page, your ID.
  4. Mail it CERTIFIED with return receipt so you have proof of the date they received it.
  5. Save the green card / tracking number and a copy of everything you sent.
  6. Calendar 30 days — that is the bureau's deadline to reinvestigate under FCRA § 611.

Let Restore run this hard inquiry plan for you

We generate each letter in the sequence, cite the right statute, track every 30-day deadline, and tell you when to send the next round. Free to start.

Start disputing free →

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Restore Credit is software that helps you exercise your rights under the FCRA (15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.) and FDCPA (15 U.S.C. §1692 et seq.). It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice, and no outcome — including item removal or score improvement — is guaranteed. Only dispute information you have a good-faith basis to believe is inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or unverifiable; submitting false information to a credit bureau can be unlawful. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney.