To comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and applicable state and local laws, Checkr must confirm the information below:
- Your business is legitimate.
- You have a permissible purpose to order background checks.
This process called “credentialing” usually takes up to two business days.
If Checkr can't confirm the information you provide, we send you a form requesting more information. 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)
After you complete the form and return it to Checkr, we review the form and your signed service agreement (MSA). If we need more information, we'll email you.
Permissible purpose
The FCRA has specified “permissible purposes” for which a background check report can be obtained. The most common permissible purpose for Checkr customers is employment.
Employment
When requesting background checks for an employment permissible purpose, you should:
- Gather candidates' consent in writing.
- Complete a two-step adverse process if you don't select a candidate for employment based on information in the background check report.
Non-employment
Non-employment permissible purposes include the ones below:
- Certain business transactions
- Credit extension
- Eligibility for a license or government benefits
- Insurance underwriting
All permissible purposes require consent from the person who is the subject of the background check. The adverse action process for non-employment background checks is less burdensome than the two-step process for employment permissible purposes. All permissible purposes generally require some form of adverse action notice.
Permissible purpose outside the United States
Background checks outside the United States also require permissible purposes though they might use different words. The permissible purposes allowed might vary from the FCRA. Consult your legal counsel about your permissible purposes for international background checks.