How long do most background checks take?

The industry average turnaround time for most background checks is between 3-5 business days, but can take longer than expected depending on the depth of the search, geographical location of your candidates, or county courthouse operations.

Depending on these factors, they can be completed in as soon as a few minutes, or longer than two weeks.

Background check packages can include many types of checks, from instant database searches  to Federal-level checks that require upwards of a month. See the types of checks we offer on our Screenings page.

• Most database screenings (SSN Trace, Sex Offender Search, Global Watchlist Search, and National Criminal Search) are completed within a few seconds. 
• County criminal searches are generally the limiting factor in terms of turnaround time. On average, Checkr background checks are completed in 2-3 days, however, in some cases they are completed in a few minutes, in others it can take more than two weeks.

Our background checks utilize a combination of database searches and manual county court-level searches, and the turnaround time of a report will depend on:

• How comprehensive the screenings are (more comprehensive searches will generally take longer, especially when county courthouses are involved)
• For which purpose you are screening (e.g. pre-employment; tenant screening; etc.)
• Geographical location of candidates (some jurisdictions return information more slowly than others)