How long does a hard inquiry stay on your credit report in Canada?

In Canada, hard inquiries remain on your Equifax credit report for 3 years and on your TransUnion report for up to 6 years. However, the impact on your actual credit score fades significantly after 12 months, and most scoring models effectively stop penalizing hard inquiries after 12–18 months even though the record remains visible on the report.

How many points does a hard inquiry lower your credit score in Canada?

A single hard inquiry typically lowers your Canadian credit score by 5–10 points. The exact impact depends on your starting score, the number of recent inquiries already on file, the length of your credit history, and the number of open accounts. Someone with a thin credit file or multiple recent inquiries will see a larger drop than someone with a long, established history.

What is the difference between a hard and soft inquiry in Canada?

A hard inquiry is initiated by a lender when you apply for credit — credit card, loan, mortgage, car financing, or a line of credit. It appears on your report and affects your score. A soft inquiry is a background check — your own credit checks, employer checks, pre-approved credit offers, and existing lender monitoring. Soft inquiries do not affect your score and are not visible to other lenders.

Can I remove a hard inquiry from my credit report in Canada?

You can remove a hard inquiry if it was made without your authorization (fraudulent or erroneous). Contact the bureau directly — Equifax at equifax.ca or TransUnion at transunion.ca — with documentation. If you authorized the inquiry, it cannot be removed early. Legitimate hard inquiries must remain for the full reporting period.

Does shopping around for a mortgage or car loan create multiple hard inquiries?

Canadian credit bureaus apply a rate-shopping window: multiple mortgage or auto loan hard inquiries made within 14–45 days are typically grouped and treated as a single inquiry for scoring purposes. This allows borrowers to compare rates without significant score impact. The window does not apply to credit card applications.

How many hard inquiries are too many in Canada?

1–2 hard inquiries per year is considered normal and has minimal long-term impact. 3–5 in a 12-month period starts to signal credit-seeking behaviour to lenders. 6+ hard inquiries in 12 months can meaningfully reduce your score and make some lenders hesitant — some lenders have automatic rules that trigger additional scrutiny above a certain inquiry count.

Do soft inquiries affect my credit score in Canada?

No. Soft inquiries never affect your credit score in Canada. Checking your own report through Borrowell, Credit Karma, or directly through Equifax/TransUnion is always a soft inquiry. Employer background checks, insurance quotes, and pre-approved credit offers are also soft inquiries.

How Long Does a Hard Inquiry Stay on Your Credit in Canada?

A hard inquiry in Canada leaves a record on your credit report for 3 years (Equifax) or 6 years (TransUnion), but its practical effect on your score fades after about 12 months. Understanding when a hard pull is triggered — and when it isn’t — helps you apply for credit strategically without unnecessary score damage.

Hard inquiry vs. soft inquiry: comparison

Inquiry Type	Who Initiates It	Affects Score?	Visible to Other Lenders?	Examples
Hard inquiry	Lender (with your permission)	✅ Yes (temporarily)	✅ Yes	Mortgage, credit card, car loan, HELOC, personal loan, cell phone contract
Soft inquiry	You or third party	❌ No	❌ No	Own credit check, employer background check, insurer check, pre-approved offer, existing lender review

How long does a hard inquiry stay on your report?

Bureau	Hard Inquiry Retention
Equifax Canada	3 years from the date of inquiry
TransUnion Canada	Up to 6 years from the date of inquiry

The inquiry stays on your report for the full period even if the application was denied or you never used the credit. Only fraudulent or unauthorized inquiries can be disputed and removed early.

Score impact timeline

Time After Hard Inquiry	Score Impact
Month 1	−5 to −10 points (most of the impact occurs immediately)
Month 3	Slight additional recovery as score adjusts
Month 6	Score largely restored for a single inquiry
Month 12	Inquiry has minimal scoring weight; essentially negligible
Year 2–3 (Equifax)	Inquiry still visible on report but near-zero effect
Year 2–6 (TransUnion)	Same — visible but insignificant

Cumulative impact: Multiple hard inquiries compound. Three hard inquiries in 3 months is not three separate −5 point hits — the total impact can be −20 to −40 points because models weigh inquiry clusters as a risk signal.

Activities that trigger a hard inquiry in Canada

Activity	Hard Inquiry?	Notes
Applying for a credit card	✅ Yes	Every application, even if denied
Mortgage application	✅ Yes	Most lenders pull both Equifax and TransUnion
Car loan or lease	✅ Yes	Usually TransUnion; rate shopping window applies
Personal loan application	✅ Yes
HELOC or home equity loan	✅ Yes
Line of credit application	✅ Yes
Cell phone contract (with financing)	✅ Yes	Carriers often pull credit
Rental application	Sometimes	Some landlords use hard pulls; ask in advance
Pre-approval (mortgage)	✅ Yes	Counts as a hard inquiry
Pre-qualified offer in the mail	❌ No	This is a soft pull by the lender
Checking your own credit	❌ Never	Always a soft inquiry
Employer background check	❌ No	Soft pull; requires your consent
Insurance quote	❌ No	Soft pull

Rate shopping: how to limit inquiry impact

For mortgages and auto loans, Canadian bureaus apply a rate-shopping window:

Loan Type	Rate Shopping Window
Mortgage	14–45 days (multiple inquiries treated as one)
Auto loan	14–45 days
Personal loan / credit card	No window — each counts independently

Strategy: When comparing mortgage or auto loan rates, submit all applications within a 14-day window. The bureaus recognize this as rate shopping and count the cluster as a single inquiry.

What happens to an unauthorized hard inquiry

If you find a hard inquiry on your report that you did not authorize:

Pull your full report from Equifax and TransUnion
Identify the lender that made the pull
Contact the lender — they must have written authorization on file; request a copy
If no authorization exists, file a dispute with the bureau:
- Equifax Canada: equifax.ca → consumer dispute
- TransUnion Canada: transunion.ca → consumer dispute
The bureau investigates and must remove unauthorized inquiries

An unauthorized inquiry can also be a sign of identity theft — check all accounts on your report for unauthorized accounts as well.

How many hard inquiries does a typical Canadian have?

Inquiry Count (12 months)	Category	Lender View
0	Inactive credit seeker	Neutral — may indicate no credit need
1–2	Normal	Expected; no concern
3–4	Moderate	May trigger questions at some lenders
5–6	High	Could raise flags; some automatic denials at conservative lenders
7+	Very high	Material risk signal; score meaningfully reduced