Getting started

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We're happy to partner with you to make your background check process more efficient, reduce your compliance risk, and improve your candidates' experience. As you get started with Checkr, you'll probably be doing one of a few things:

• Ordering a report
• Managing candidate statuses
• Adjudicating/reviewing reports

This quick start guide outlines the steps required when using the Checkr Dashboard. Other articles in this section detail the steps below and link to more information in the Help Center.

Quick start guide

Use the Checkr Dashboard to order and process background checks.

1. Get credentialed
2. Set up your account
3. Order a background check
4. Track candidates on the Checkr Dashboard
5. Review completed reports
6. Hire/place or decline candidates

1. Get credentialed

Before a new account can request background checks, Checkr's Customer Success team must first credential the account. Checkr uses the information you provide to assess the validity of the business and its permissible purpose. This process generally takes less than 1 business day.

Work with a Checkr Account Executive or Customer Success representative to create and credential your account.

For more information, refer to Get credentialed to order background checks. 

2. Set up your account

After your Checkr account is created and credentialed, your account's admin receives an email from Checkr with a link to access the account. Your admin then sets up your account, including your user roles and permissions, and your candidate work locations.

For an overview of this process, refer to Set up your account.

If you have questions, need tips, or want access to advanced features, contact the Checkr Customer Support team.

3. Order your first background check

Users with admin or requester roles (usually recruiters at your business) can invite candidates to a background check.

To begin background checks for multiple candidates simultaneously, click Order background check.

Select a package and optional additional searches, such as Motor vehicle record (MVR) reports.

Checkr emails your candidates a link to a Checkr-hosted page where they provide their personally identifiable information (PII) read the disclosure and authorization documents, including state-specific documents.

To learn more, refer to Order a report.

To learn more about ordering background checks, refer to How do I request a background check?

4. Track candidates and reports on the Checkr Dashboard

After you order the background check, the candidate takes the next steps in the process:

1. The candidate enters their PII. Requested PII varies by screening. For more information about what your candidates will provide, refer to the Search types section of the Checkr Help Center. 
2. The candidate reads the disclosures and authorizes that they consent to have a background report run.

After your candidate consents to the check, the report appears in the Dashboard with a Pending status. The Candidates page shows all report status changes. Click a report to read returned records or results.

You can receive email notifications when a report status changes. Use the Account settings page in the Checkr Dashboard to define your email preferences. 

For more information about tracking report progress, refer to Review a completed report.

For more about report statuses, refer to Report statuses.

5. Review a background report

All user roles can review background reports.

Checkr provdes a simple, linear, color-coded format to make reviewing and assessing reports more efficient.

After a report completes, click your candidate's name on the Candidates page of the dashboard to open the report. The report shows all screenings processed for that report. Color-coded formatting based on the results of a specific screening helps you quickly recognize which screening caused the Consider report status.

6. Hire/place or decline candidates

Based on the information in the report, use the report's Actions section to select one of the two options:

• Engage: indicate that you reviewed the report and intend to hire or place the candidate.
• Pre-adverse action: indicate that you reviewed report information with the Consider status and decided that you intend not to hire or place the candidate based on that information.

Clicking Engage changes the candidate's status in the dashboard and adds their data to the analytics charts. Clicking Pre-adverse action begins Checkr's pre-adverse action process, emails your candidate to notify them of their status, and provides guidelines to help you remain compliant through the process. 

Checkr's background check process

Conducting background checks is a complex process. Checkr helps simplify the process for you and your candidates by automatically gathering the candidate personally identifiable information (PII) required to process your requested searches.

The background check process has the steps below:

1. You order a background check.
2. The candidate receives an email with a link that opens a window requesting that they authorize the check and provide their information.
3. The candidate enters their PII and electronically signs a disclosure, consent, and authorization form. This information securely transfers to Checkr and allows the background check to proceed.
   
4. Checkr processes the information and conducts all required searches, which usually take around 3-5 business days to process.
5. When the report is complete, Checkr posts it to the Checkr Dashboard for your review. If the candidate requested a copy, they also receive one.
6. You review the report and determine the candidate's eligibility based on your criteria. Based on that information, you decide whether to engage the candidate or initiate an adverse action.

Background checks and your business

Background checks benefit both the consumer (the subject of the background report) and end user (an employer or contractee) in a variety of legal and practical ways.

• Contract positions entail a level of risk between the customer and contractor. By requiring your sub contractors to undergo a background check before working with the public, you can establish a community of trust and transparency.
• Employers maintain the quality of their workforce. The background check process encourages honesty and communication with the employer, while employees maintain peace of mind amongst their colleagues.
• Mitigate negligent hiring and wrongful termination lawsuits. The cost of employee litigation can cripple company capital and resources, and conducting a formal process to screen your employees will help you navigate legal requirements.

This document describes the Checkr candidate experience of the background check process. This document includes information about the Checkr Candidate Portal and Help Center where candidates can self serve and address common issues that can stall or delay their background checks. This document also includes common reasons candidates contact Checkr and how you can address these issues.

This document includes:

• An overview of the candidate process
• General information about the background check process, including exceptions and disputes
• An overview of the Checkr Candidate Portal
• An introduction to the Candidate Experience team
• A list of some of the most common candidate questions
• Links to the most frequently used pages in the Checkr Help Center

Candidate process

The Checkr API and the Checkr Dashboard provide an easy link-creation process to invite your candidates to initiate their background checks. Both methods result in the same candidate experience. After you order a background check for a candidate, the candidate must take the next step. The candidate must first consent to the background check, enter their personal information, and sign an authorization form to proceed. The process has the steps below:

1. The candidate submits the requested personally identifiable information (PII), which Checkr uses to research their background.
2. The candidate reads federal and state disclosures, informing them about the background check process.
3. The candidate then selects whether to receive a copy of their background check after it completes.
4. After the candidate authorizes Checkr to perform the background check, the background check process begins.

After the candidate's background check is in progress, they can use the Checkr Candidate Portal for the tasks below:

• Review the status of the pending report, or request a copy of the completed report.
• Submit additional information or clarification through the exceptions process.
• Dispute information if the candidate believes that the report has inaccurate information.

Personally identifiable information (PII)

Candidates are asked to submit their PII, which includes the information below:

• First, middle, and last names
• Date of birth (DOB)
• Social Security number (SSN)
• Current postal code
• Contact information (phone number and email)
• Driver license number

Background checks

On average, a background check takes 3-5 business days to complete, although some reports can take longer. For instance, a county in the candidate’s search that's understaffed and backlogged or experiencing severe weather or closures can delay the report.

Checkr simply provides background check reports. Checkr isn't involved in engagement decisions and can't answer questions about adjudication.

Exceptions

An exception is an event that prevents a candidate's background report from processing. Exceptions usually happen because of inadequate or inaccurate candidate information. The candidate can often submit information that resolves the exception. In these cases, Checkr contacts candidates daily for 7 days to ask them to upload or resubmit the information to resolve discrepancies and proceed with the background check. 

The example situations below result in exceptions:

• Checkr can't validate a candidate's name or birth date.
• Checkr can't pull a candidate's electronic motor vehicle record (MVR).

In these situations, Checkr raises an exception describing the issue and a possible resolution. After the candidate submits the information, the report continues processing.

If the exception is unresolved for 7 days, the report suspends. After 30 days, the Suspended status automatically changes to Complete or Canceled. Refer to Exceptions or Report suspended: How to resolve an exception on a suspended report.

Disputes

Candidates whose background check reports return with records might take an action below:

• Contact you to provide evidence of rehabilitation or additional context for you to consider.
• Contact Checkr by phone, email, or the Candidate Portal to dispute the report's accuracy. Candidates can also mail their disputes with supporting documents.

When a candidate files a dispute, Checkr pauses the background check and changes the report status to Dispute. You can't take additional action until Checkr reinvestigates the alleged inaccuracy. After a candidate files a dispute, Checkr legally has 30 days to complete a reinvestigation but strives to complete reinvestigations as quickly as possible.

Some examples of disputes include candidates informing Checkr that a reported record doesn't belong to them (and might belong to someone else with the same name) or that a disposition has changed and is now dismissed.

Candidates might share the statements below as part of a dispute:

• "The assault charge you reported is for a different Jane Doe in St. Louis."
• "The petty theft conviction you reported was dismissed after I completed probation."

Disputes can change how you evaluate a candidate, so they're an important part of the process. When reading a background report on the Candidate Portal, candidates can file a dispute using the “Report Error” button at the bottom of the page. After the reinvestigation, Checkr makes needed changes to the report and notifies you (through email and the dashboard) and the candidate (by email) of the updates. If the reinvestigation finds that the disputed information is accurate and the report requires no changes, Checkr notifies you and the candidate that the report is accurate and complete in its original form.

For more information, refer to How do candidates dispute their report's accuracy?.

Candidate Portal

Checkr provides a mobile-friendly Candidate Portal that makes it easy for candidates to find the status and ETA of their background check, access a copy of their completed report, upload documents, or dispute report inaccuracies.

Candidates can also log in to the Candidate Portal to download a copy of their report for 12 months after it completes. To ensure the accuracy and recency of candidate information, Checkr limits candidate access to the Candidate Portal to 12 months after the most recent report's completion. If a candidate requests a copy of an older completed report, they can contact the Checkr Candidate Experience team to request a copy.

To log in to the Candidate Portal, the candidate enters their phone number, birth date, email address, and Social Security number.

Candidates might have trouble logging in to the Candidate Portal if the background check hasn't started yet or they enter incorrect information, such as an email address that differs from what they submitted originally.

If a candidate contacts you after applying with their nickname, wants to update their email address, or submitted an incorrect birth date or Social Security number, redirect them to the Checkr Candidate Experience team. That team can help the candidate update their information or resolve the error through the exceptions process.

Checkr Candidate Experience team

The Checkr Candidate Experience team works to make the background check experience personal, simple, and fast. The team is in the United States and supports candidates in both English and Spanish. The team is available to support candidates with questions or concerns at any time after Checkr initiates their background check.

The Candidate Portal and Checkr’s Candidate Experience team are there to support both candidates and you, our customers. You can direct your candidates to the Candidate Portal or to the Checkr Candidate Experience team when for questions about their background check status, to resolve an exception, or to learn what's on their completed report.

Common candidate issues

The issues below are the most common reasons that candidates contact you, our customers.

• Pending county searches: Some counties rely on a manual records search, but others are available online. This difference means that county searches have varying completion times, from less than a day to several weeks. If a candidate contacts you and their report is pending in this final stage, you can redirect them to the Candidate Portal for live report status updates. Unfortunately, there is no way to expedite this final stage of the background search. The best way for the candidate to stay informed is to periodically check the Candidate Portal.

For more information, direct candidates to Why is my background check still pending in the Checkr Candidate Help Center.

• Social Security number (SSN) Trace: When submitting information for their application to your company, a candidate might mistype their Social Security number. In this situation, Checkr might be able to help. If a candidate contacts you after their report suspends because of an SSN Trace discrepancy, ask them to check the Candidate Portal or their email for a link to resubmit their SSN. The candidate can also ask the Checkr Candidate Experience team to resend the link to their email address. If the candidate can't resolve an SSN Trace discrepancy during the exception process, you can initiate a new report with the correct SSN that the candidate provides.
• Background check is complete: A candidate might contact you after their report completes to ask about your engagement decision or next steps. Checkr doesn't assess candidate eligibility or make engagement decisions. Checkr can help your candidates with questions about information that their reports include. For questions about what specific charges, violations, or restrictions mean, Checkr recommends that candidates contact the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or court.
• Inaccuracies on the report: A candidate might contact you to inform you that their report is "wrong." If the report has inaccuracies or information updated since the report originally completed, redirect the candidate to Checkr to file a dispute so that Checkr can reinvestigate.

Refer to How do candidates dispute the accuracy of their report? for more information.

• Requesting a new report: Completed background reports are static, but the information used to generate them can be updated. Your candidate might contact you after a report completes to update something that might have resulted in a Consider report status. To address this concern, you can redirect the candidate back to Checkr to dispute the previously reported information and update the report, if appropriate. If other report information is outdated, you might also request a new report. You can decide what to do for each candidate.
• Checkr Health: When you select a Health Screening package, your candidate can use the Candidate Portal to schedule their health check at a convenient location. If the candidate doesn't complete their Checkr Health Screening within 7 days after receiving the invitation email, the report suspends. You must initiate a new report, if necessary. If your candidate contacts you about a missed health check, you decide the appropriate next steps.

For more information, direct candidates to Checkr Health in the Checkr Candidate Help Center.

• License status: A candidate’s license status might change since their last report, and they might notify you about the change. If the candidate wants to update the information on their completed background report, redirect them to Checkr to file a dispute. Checkr can then reinvestigate. If a candidate contacts you to ask about their accurate license status, redirect them to their state’s DMV to learn how the DMV reports their license status.

For more information, direct candidates to MVR status in the Checkr Candidate Help Center.

• MVR violations: A candidate might contact you to clarify violations that the state’s DMV reported. Reported violations might include paid traffic tickets, not-at-fault accidents, and suspensions resulting in a Consider report status. If a candidate contacts you wanting to explain or ask questions about accurately reported violations, accidents, or paid tickets, redirect them to their state’s DMV to learn how the DMV reports items on their MVR. If the candidate wants to dispute information on their MVR, redirect them to Checkr to file a dispute.

For more information, direct candidates to MVR status in the Checkr Candidate Help Center.

Checkr Help Center

Checkr provides robust help documentation for both customers and candidates. Encourage your candidates to visit the Help Center for answers to their most frequently asked questions.

• The Customer Help Center and Candidate Help Center are both at help.checkr.com.
• The Candidate Help Center is at help.checkr.com/hc/en-us/categories/360002478633-Candidates.

Some of the most frequently used customer topics include the ones below:

• Addressing data discrepancies
• County civil search
• Difference between national/federal/state/county searches
• County search
• Lookback periods: How far back are criminal records searched?

To comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and applicable state and local laws, Checkr verifies the information below:

• You are a legitimate business.
• You have a permissible purpose to order background checks. 

This collection and verification process is called credentialing. Credentialing usually takes up to 2 business days. After Checkr credentials your account, you can order your first background check.

Credentialing process

1. Checkr sends you a form requesting information about your business. Depending on your business, Checkr requests information like what appears below:
   • Business address and phone number
   • Business articles of incorporation
   • Business legal name associated with employer identification number
   • Business purpose
   • Doing Business As (DBA)
   • Industry
   • Number of employees
   • State of incorporation
   • Tax classification
   • Tax ID or employer identification number (EIN)
2. You complete the form and return it to Checkr.
3. Checkr reviews the form and your signed master service agreement (MSA). If we need more information, we'll email you.

Permissible purpose

The federal FCRA, and state and/or local laws, govern who can order background checks in the United States. Common permissible purposes include the ones below:

• For employment
• For credit reports
• For certain business transactions

Some permissible purposes have specific legal requirements. For example, not selecting a candidate for employment requires a 2-step adverse action process.

Permissible purpose outside the United States

Background checks outside the United States also require a permissible purpose but might differ from the FCRA permissible purposes, including using different terminology. Consult your legal counsel about which permissible purpose best suits your needs.

After Customer Success credentials your account, they email your designated account admin with an invitation to log in to the Checkr Dashboard. After the admin logs in, they can configure your account to fit your business needs.

To set up your account, the admin does the tasks below:

• Enter contact and billing information
• Add and manage users

Enter contact and billing information

Use the Account settings page to add email addresses for the purposes below:

• Support email: Candidates use this address to contact you if they need to submit evidence of rehabilitation or other context during the adverse action process.
• Billing email: Checkr uses this address to contact you about invoices and other billing communication.
• Adverse action email: This address sends pre- and post-adverse action notices on your behalf to candidates. It's also the address that will receive undeliverable notices if an adverse action notice is undeliverable to a candidate (for instance, if they have a mistyped email address on file).
• Technical contact: This address is the primary person who will communicate with Checkr about technical issues or updates to the Checkr API.
• Compliance contact: This address is the primary person who will communicate with Checkr about compliance issues or updates. Checkr also posts the results of candidate disputes to this address (for example, if we changed the information on a report).

For more information about these fields, refer to Define email addresses for notifications on the Account settings page in the Checkr Help Center.

Add and manage users

Use the Users tab of the Account settings page to invite new users to your account.

Invite new users by entering their email address and clicking Invite. After you invite candidates, you can change their permission level using the role menu. Assign multiple roles to individual users to customize their dashboard access.

To learn more, refer to How do I invite or delete new users in my account?

address scope: The number of years of candidate address history that Checkr uses for criminal searches at the county or state level. For example, a 7-year address scope starts searches in counties from the candidate's past 7 years of address history.

adjudication: The process by which organizations reviewing returned background check reports decide whether to proceed with the candidate's hiring/engagement process based on the information in the background check report. From Checkr's perspective, the adjudication process ends with either candidate engagement or candidate adverse action.

adverse action: The two-step process of notifying a candidate that they won't be selected for the role based on the background check results. The Checkr built-in adverse action process enables customers’ compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requirements for adverse action in the employment context. The adverse action notice includes a copy of the report and allows a candidate time to dispute incorrect information in the report or provide evidence of rehabilitation. The adverse action notice also informs candidates of their rights under the FCRA and state and local laws.

Refer to pre-adverse action notice and post-adverse action notice.

automated:Describes a software-enabled process with no human intervention. The Checkr platform initiates, advances, and completes automated processes, usually without direct human involvement.

candidate:The subject, usually a job seeker or potential volunteer, of a background check.

Candidate Experience team: The Checkr Candidate Experience team directly supports candidates by phone, email, and Candidate Portal communication. The team answers questions and resolves issues with candidate background checks. Members of the Candidate Experience team are Candidate Experience Representatives (CXRs).

certification: The process that organizations use to certify to Checkr the information below:

• The organization has a permissible purpose.
• The candidate provided proper consent for ordering the background check.
• The organization's use of background reports complies with all applicable laws. 

Certification happens when the organization orders the background check, whether through the API or Checkr Dashboard. The master service agreement (MSA) also contains certifications.

Checkr Investigations team: The Checkr Investigations team investigates each candidate's dispute of information in the background check report.

Checkr Quality Assurance (QA) team: The Checkr QA team manually reviews certain background check reports before completion. To ensure reporting accuracy and completeness, these reviews might require additional research of record information or personally identifiable information (PII).

context date: The case event date necessary to calculate ages and times for records. Because municipalities document different information about cases, the same record type might show ages and times based on different context dates below:

• Arrest
• Charge
• Disposition
• Offense
• Release
• Suspension start
• Suspension end

court researcher: A person who goes to courthouses to conduct public records searches. Runners and court researchers work for Checkr partners to retrieve offline records.

disposition: The current status or final outcome of a criminal case such as conviction or dismissed.

dispute: Action by a candidate informing Checkr that their report contains potentially inaccurate, incomplete, or unreportable information.

engage: Checkr term indicating that an organization is advancing a candidate in the hiring process after the background check report. Checkr Dashboard analytics track engaged candidates.

exception: Checkr term indicating that Checkr needs more information from the candidate, such as a copy of a driver license or their mother’s maiden name, potentially delaying report completion. Checkr contacts candidates directly to provide information that usually resolves exceptions.

filter: Limit information from a data stream or reporting. Checkr applies filters that hide returned information for several reasons:

• Compliance laws restrict the reporting of some information.
• Organizations decide to limit the information that their reports return.
• The record identity doesn't match the candidate.

offline records: These physical records are available only in person at the courthouse, not electronically over the internet. Offline records must be retrieved in person, at specific locations, and during posted hours, typically by court researchers. There are two methods of offline record retrieval:

• Public access terminal (PAT): Members of the public can access records using a computer terminal at the court without a clerk.
• clerk-assisted search: Court clerks must retrieve the records.

online records: These digital records are available through publicly accessible online resources. These records are generally electronic and remotely available but might have access limitations. Online records might require a fee to access or have limited access hours. Online records might have limited case information.

package: A set of searches.

partner: An organization that Checkr works and is in a master service agreement (MSA) with to provide software and services to customers.

personally identifiable information (PII): Information, such as name, Social Security number (SSN), birth date, mother's maiden name, or biometric records, that can be used to identify a specific individual.

The unauthorized disclosure of sensitive PII, such as an SSN, could harm the individual and/or be a compliance risk. Public records, phone books, corporate directories, and public websites contain nonsensitive PII.

pre-adverse action notice: The organization notifies the candidate in writing of the preliminary decision not to select them for the role or keep them in the role based on information in the background check report. The candidate receives a copy of their background check and other applicable notices and disclosures. Before the final decision, the candidate can respond to potential inaccuracies in their background check by starting a dispute or providing evidence of mitigation. The pre-adverse action notice must be provided in permissible-purpose background checks, including independent contractor and volunteer relationships.

post-adverse action notice: The organization notifies the candidate in writing of their final decision not to advance the candidate in the hiring process for employment permissible purposes background checks. This notification completes the adverse action process and happens usually 7 calendar days after the candidate receives the pre-adverse action notice.

salting: The process by which Checkr initiates searches with its vendors on previously discovered and verified records. When these searches complete, Checkr compares the results with those that were previously discovered. This process allows Checkr to test vendors' accuracy and comprehensiveness.

search: A specific background check search, such as criminal records checks, motor vehicle record reports, and sex offender registries. Background checks include multiple searches.

search scope: The number of years of record history that Checkr uses for records searches. The industry standard search scope is 7 years and searches records with filing dates within the last 7 years.  Search scope might also be called lookback period.

vendor: A company Checkr buys services and researched information from for purposes of background check reports.

These terms imply no legal commitments and are for informational purposes only.