Employment verification

Verifying a candidate’s employment history confirms their work experience, qualifications, and credentials.

Verification process

The employment verification process differs based on where the candidate's employment history is.

United States (US)

Employment verification includes the steps below:

1. The candidate provides their employment history. The candidate can connect to their payroll provider and enter multiple previous employers, depending on your requirements. This process instantly verifies their work history and avoids passthrough fees and document review delays.
2. Checkr searches established databases of employment records to verify the candidate-provided information about their employment history. The situations below sometimes happen:
   • If Checkr can't use these databases to verify the candidate's history, Checkr uses public information to contact the employer.
   • If Checkr can't contact the employer using public information, Checkr uses the candidate-provided contact information.
   • If Checkr still can’t contact the previous employer, Checkr asks the candidate to provide one of the documents below per employer:
     • A United States tax form below:
       • W-2
       • 1099
       • Schedule C
     • Pay stub

The link to provide documents expires seven days after Checkr emails it. If you don't want Checkr to review candidates' documents, contact Checkr to disable document collection on your package.

The candidate's report includes notes about Checkr’s attempts to contact previous employers.

If the candidate provides no employment history, the verification has the “Canceled” status by default. To require that candidates provide employment information, contact Checkr.

Discrepancies in the information below may cause employment verifications to have the “Consider” status:

• Start date
• End date
• Position

A circle with an exclamation point indicates information with discrepancies or that the verification completed by reviewing candidate-submitted documents rather than the standard verification process.

After a verification completes, Checkr can’t accept additional documents. To review information a candidate provides outside the employment verification, contact the candidate directly.

Outside the US

During an employment verification outside the US, Checkr or its representatives make reasonable attempts to search available government agencies and employment databases. In locations where the records of former employers aren't searchable and where contacting the supervisor or manager is common practice, Checkr or its representatives use email and phone verification. Verification of previous employment history can include the information below:

• Employer’s name
• Dates of employment
• Position or title
• Reason for leaving
• Eligibility for rehire
• Comments

The average turnaround time for an employment verification outside the US is 6-20+ business days.

Self-employed candidates

When a candidate reports a period of self-employment, an internal Checkr team manually verifies the employment. Checkr requests a document below to verify self-employment:

• A United States tax form below:
  • 1099
  • Schedule C
• Letter from the client on company letterhead

“Do not contact” option

Candidates can request that Checkr not contact their current employer. A candidate can select “Do not contact” only for their current employer.

When a candidate requests that Checkr not contact their current employer, Checkr searches employment record databases to complete the verification.

If employment record databases don't verify the candidate's current employer, Checkr asks the candidate to provide a document below:

• A United States tax document below:
  • W-2
  • 1099
  • Schedule C
• Letter from their former HR department on company letterhead
• Pay stub

The document must include the employer's name. Checkr uses these documents only for verification purposes. If the candidate doesn't provide these documents, the verification delays and the candidate has seven days to submit them.

Ordering

Employment verification is available as part of a package, as an add-on, and as a standalone search. In the Checkr Dashboard, you can select from the employment verification settings below:

• Contract type: Collect the candidate's contract type.
• Employment history: Set how many previous positions to request information about from the candidate. Set at least one position.
• Manager contact: Collect the manager's contact information.

Consult your legal counsel about your compliance responsibilities under relevant federal, state, and local laws. US customers subject to Department of Transportation (DOT) FMCSA regulations, should order Checkr's DOT employment verification.

Lookback periods

A lookback period can be set for each package to increase the likelihood that candidates will provide information from within that timeframe. However, Checkr does not mandate candidates to list a specific number of previous employers. If you require candidates to list a specific number of employers, you must inform them directly.

A candidate meets the verification requirement when they provide an item below:

• The requested number of employers
• Employment history within the lookback period

For example, you might require a seven-year lookback period and three previous positions. A candidate who provides an employment history with one position that lasted 10 years and another candidate who had three positions over four years also meets your requirements.

Changing or determining the lookback period

If you need to change the lookback period or find out the current lookback period for a specific search, please contact Checkr support.

Salary questions

Some jurisdictions regulate whether an employer can ask about a candidate’s salary history. Because regulations change frequently, Checkr’s default is to not collect salary information from candidates.

Video overview 

Play the Checkr Academy video below to learn the advantages and limitations of an employment verification.

Candidate experience

In the Candidate Portal, candidates in the United States enter payroll login information for their current or most recent employer. If the information is correct, we instantly verify the candidate’s employment history. If we can’t find the employer’s information, or if the information is incorrect, the candidate provides their information manually.

Candidates who lack supporting documents can explain why they don't have documents. Candidates' explanations appear as timeline events in the Checkr Dashboard.

Candidates outside the United States and those who can’t use payroll information provide their personally identifying information (PII) manually.

The candidate provides the PII below:

• Birth date
• Email address
• Full name
• Phone number
• Social Security number (SSN)

The candidate then reads and acknowledges receipt of applicable forms and authorizations:

• A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
• Disclosure Regarding Background Investigation
• Authorization for a background check
• Other state and required disclosures as applicable

After the candidate signs the authorization form, Checkr starts the verification. Checkr can’t update or correct candidate-provided information after the verification starts.

If Checkr can’t verify an employer, Checkr asks the candidate to provide a document below:

• A United States tax form below:
  • W-2
  • 1099
  • Schedule C
• Letter from their former HR department on company letterhead
• Pay stub

Checkr doesn't accept W-9 forms as proof of employment.

If you applied for a job and want to know your background check’s status, log in to the Checkr Candidate Portal.