How long do most background checks take?

Use Checkr ETA, which provides an estimate of the time it will take for the County Criminal Checks included on the individual report to complete, to help your adjudicators, recruiters, and candidates better plan for when their reports will complete.

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.

Most background check packages include several types of checks, from near-instant database searches, to more time-consuming federal level searches. In most cases, the County Criminal Checks are the limiting factor in terms of turnaround time.

Background check packages can include many types of checks, from instant database searches to Federal-level checks that require close to a month. 

• Most database screenings (SSN Trace, Sex Offender Registry Check, Global Watchlist Records Check, and National Criminal Records Check) are completed within a few seconds. 
• More comprehensive searches generally take longer, especially when county courthouses are involved.
• County criminal checks are generally the limiting factor in terms of turnaround time, and may take anywhere from 2-3 days to more than two weeks.