FAQs

Getting started is super simple. But as a brief reminder:

1. No contracts, setup fees, initiation fees, or subscriptions

2. We don't ask about volume - use us when you need us!

3. No sales process. Just a credit card and the email address for your candidate.

Zero. Ziltch. Nada. None. We do not believe it is good business to charge a business a fee to be our customer. You only pay for the reports you order with no monthly fee or minimum orders. High volume enterprise discounts with minimums may be outlined in a contractual relationship.

Certain states, counties, and educational institutions impose surcharges when ordering county criminal record or education verification searches. We understand the frustration of surcharges. We do no mark-up or make a penny on these charges. During the checkout process, we inform our customers twice of the potential for these surcharges based on the county searches included in the Complete and education products. With the Complete report, county searches are automatically initiated and ordered once the consumer completes the online application. Surcharges are automatically charged based on the counties included in the 7-year address trace. County searches are not automatically conducted with the basic search.

We only need the applicant's email address to get started. We'll reach out to them and collect the required information for the background check. It's that easy!

Your applicant will need to provide us with their legal name, current address, date of birth, US issued Social Security Number (SSN). If your applicant does not have a legal middle name, they will be required to upload a copy of a government issued photo ID.

If a motor vehicle search is ordered, your applicant will need to provide us a valid drivers license details and a picture of their license.

If BackgroundChecks.com is conducting an employment verification, and the consumer does not utilize the Payroll login or paystub upload function, the consumer must Opt-In to permitting BackgroundChecks.com to verify current employment.

Most searches will complete same day with few exceptions. Please keep in mind we cannot begin compiling a consumer report until the candidate submits the application link emailed to them.

Social Security Number (SSN) trace typically will return same day.

National Criminal Search, National Sex Offender Searches, and Global, US, & State Watchlists typically will return same day.

Federal Criminal Search & Bankruptcies, Liens, and Judgments Search typically will return same day.

County-Level Criminal Searches turnaround will depend on the jurisdictions being searched. If we are required to rely on the clerk of court to conduct the search then the average turn around is 3-5 business days. Many county searches return same-day.

County criminal searches are different than database searches. For these searches we directly contact the courthouse in that jurisdiction to request any records that may (or may not) exist. Each and every court can have a different process for how records are stored and how these requests are handled. While some have a public kiosk where we can get immediate access, others restrict access and require a clerk of the court to process the request. For these clerk performed searches, turn around times can be impacted by staffing or other factors resulting in a backlog. When this happens the turn around time is normally 3-5 business days.

We understand these reports are time sensitive for you to make hiring decisions. Please be assured we are doing everything within our control to get this information to you as quickly as possible.

ClearDriver™ - Motor Vehicle Report will typically turnaround same-day except for Utah, Washington, and Pennsylvania. For additional details on Utah, Washington and Pennsylvania, please refer to this Help Center Article: Utah and Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle documentation

ClearWork™ - Employment Verification can return same day if payroll information is provided at the time the application is being completed. Otherwise turnaround averages 1-3 business days.

ClearDegree™ - Education Verification turns around same day with the exception for universities and colleges that have closed.

Drug tests (5, 9, & 10 panel) typically turnaround within 1-2 days of specimen collection. If there is an indication of a positive or if your candidate has a prescription, additional days will be required to verify the final disposition via a Medical Review Officer.

We do not offer an unlimited search product. All our reports are priced per report, per applicant. Many other online sites that offer an unlimited subscriptions price are typically non-FCRA and public record searches that can not be used for employment purposes, since there is no compliance or disclosures requirements to search for these records.

We do have monthly volume price discounts built into our platform. Once triggered, the discount will automatically apply to every order. Automatic volume discounts kick in a 100 reports purchased in a single month. The discount will apply to every order for the remainder of the month and carry over to the next month. Keep the discount by running at least 100 reports per month!

No, you will not be able to place an order for a background report on a minor.
We would not report cases found in juvenile court. However if a juvenile is tried in an adult court, and sentenced as an adult, these cases would be reportable.

The length of time criminal records can be reported is regulated by FCRA and state laws where the candidate or the business is located. For our National Criminal database searches, we limit the scope of the search to the following years.

The following states limit reporting of criminal conviction records to 7 years:
CA, CO, KS, MD, MA, MT, NH, NM, NY, TX, WA

The National Criminal Database may search back 15 years unless state law prohibits otherwise. Please note that while the National Criminal Database may search back 15 years, this search utilizes digitized databases. Records housed by county courts may not be shared with these databases. In these cases an existing record may not be on the report. This is why we recommend using this in combination with county searches.

County-level searches are limited to a 7 year search.