CANDIDATES: Are you applying for a job or undergoing a background check? If so, please visit our Candidate FAQs to see answers to our most common questions or get help with your background check. This article is for employers who use Checkr.
Question
Why is the report taking so long?
Answer
Industry-wide, the average background check takes 3-5 days. Checkr’s ETA tool provides an estimate of when the Candidate’s report should be complete. While these estimates are highly accurate, they are not a guarantee. In a small number of cases, delays of 3+ weeks may occur. In these situations, unfortunately, Checkr is not able to expedite the process.
The most common reasons for a delay:
- At least one county on the County Criminal Record Check requires a clerk to search for physical records.
- There are delays at county courts due to court staffing and backlog challenges, such as seasonal hiring spikes or COVID-19.
- Additional research is required to ensure potential records are a match to the candidate. Additional research is often required when:
- The candidate has a common name; and/or
- Public access to the identified potential record(s), such as the full date of birth (DOB), is limited by the relevant courts.
- An Exception has occurred and the candidate has not responded to our request for additional information.
Next steps:
- When delays occur at the county court level or when additional research is required, no additional action is required by the customer. Checkr is not able to expedite the process. The report will complete after all necessary information has been properly evaluated.
- When Exceptions occur, candidates are prompted to submit additional information. In addition to the email sent to the Candidates requesting this information, Checkr also provides the following ways to help resolve exceptions:
- Encourage your candidates to visit the Candidate Portal frequently to check on the progress of their report. Any active exception, and a link to resolve it, will appear when they first log in;
- Send your candidates the link provided in the exception in the Checkr dashboard, and instruct them to follow the instructions provided to resolve the issue; and
- Click the link on the report, and enter the requested information on your candidate's behalf.
Additional resources:
- County Criminal Records Check
- Exceptions: Addressing data discrepancies in reports
- How long do most background checks take?
- Can Checkr expedite the process?
- Where can I check the status of county court operations?
Comments
14 comments
Why is my background check still pending
Donovan,
We appreciate your article feedback and would like to assist in helping you find the status of your pending background check. Candidates can check on the status of their background checks through the Candidate Portal. I'm sharing an article that provides instructions on gaining access to the Candidate Portal: Why is my background check taking so long?
If you have any further trouble, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Candidate Experience team: Contact Checkr Candidate Support
My background said it was cleared but the app won't let me drive
Hi Amit, Thanks for reaching out. I understand your background check is complete, and you are inquiring about next steps. Checkr provides background check reports for companies that request them, however, we do not review reports, make employment or engagement decisions, or determine company requirements regarding employment or engagement. The company you applied with will make its own determination based on its own requirements and review of your report. The following article in our Candidate Help Center explains more: My background report is complete. What happens next?
My background check still says "in progress" and I put in my application like a month ago.
Why won't it clear?
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for visiting Checkr's Customer Help Center. I'm sharing a link to an article from the Candidate section of the help center that should help answer your question: Why is my background check taking so long
I encourage you to visit the Candidate Portal frequently to monitor the progress of your background check and reach out to our Candidate Experience team should you have any follow-up questions.
It says “ A Oh no! Something is amiss.
We were unable to complete your background
check with the social security number that you
provided. You will need to contact Checkr
Support to revise any discrepancies.” I’m trying to find your number to call I found it but I’m a call Tuesday I just want to get this background check done ✔️.
Hi Eric,
Happy to help! Sharing two articles from the Candidate Help Center that may assist you in resolving things:
Have a wonderful day!
My report has said in progress for a month now..it's not telling me anything else
Carisa,
Thanks for reaching out! The article referenced above is intended for Checkr customers running background checks on candidates.
I'm sharing a link to an article from the Candidate section of the help center that should help answer your question: Why is my background check taking so long
I also encourage you to visit the Candidate Portal to monitor the progress of your background check and reach out to our Candidate Experience team with any follow-up questions.
Buenos dias estoy en la espera de la confirmación de la aplicación de Uber Driver ellos me informan que esta pendiente por los antecedentes que me comunicara con ustedes por favor enviar infirmacion a ellos gracias
Hi Lourdes!
Thank you for reaching out. I found this Help Center article that explains possible reasons that your report is pending: Why is my background check still pending?
If you are still experiencing issues, don't hesitate to reach out to the Candidate Experience Team.
My background has been in process for over a year now who can I speak to???? Help!
Hi Crystal,
Thank you for visiting the Checkr Help Center! I encourage you to reach out to the Candidate Experience team - they will be able to work with you on resolving your issue.
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