Review reports

  • Suspended and pending background checks >
    Candidates

    If you're a candidate applying for a job or undergoing a background check, visit our Candidate FAQs for assistance. This article is for organizations that use Checkr.

     

    Identify the type of report delay

    While the average background check takes three to five business days to complete, sometimes delays occur. How you resolve the delay depends on the type of delay.

    There are two statuses that indicate a background check has stopped processing:

    • Pending: The report is processing.
    • Suspended: The report stopped processing because of missing information or incomplete searches.

    When a delay happens, Checkr emails the candidate and shows the delay in the Checkr Dashboard.

    Pending reports

    Why is my candidate's report pending?

    Research is in progress: Some searches take significantly longer than others, usually because the county manually processes search requests. Additional research may be required if: 

    • The candidate has a common name.
    • The court limits public access to the record or certain information in the record.

    Neither you nor Checkr can expedite this process. 

    Court closures or delays: Checkr lists known court closures and delays on the pages below that you can subscribe to:

    Courts might also be slow to respond to Checkr's requests for information because a court clerk must search for physical county records. Neither you nor Checkr can expedite this process. 

    Suspended reports

    Why is my candidate's report suspended?

    Insufficient candidate information: Incomplete or incorrect candidate information can cause delays. Common issues include:

    • Mistyped driver's licenses
    • Incorrect Social Security numbers
    • Misspelled names

    How do I resolve a Suspended report?

    When a report suspends, Checkr contacts the candidate to request the necessary information. Once the correct information is provided and verified, the background check continues. If the required information is not provided within seven days, the check is suspended. After 30 days, the status changes to either Complete or Canceled.

    You'll use the same link in the candidate's report to both update information on their behalf and resend the link for them to upload their documentation: 

    Update information on behalf of a candidate

    To submit or update information on behalf of a candidate:

    1. Open the candidate's report.
    2. Locate the yellow Exceptions section. 
    3. Select the "View verification request sent to the candidate" link.
    4. Enter the requested information.

    Send the information request link to your candidate

    To send your candidate the link to provide more information from the Checkr Dashboard:

    1. Open the candidate's report.
    2. Locate the yellow Exceptions section.
    3. Copy the "View verification request sent to the candidate" link and share it with the candidate.

    Checkr reviews candidate-provided documents and updates the report within 24 hours of uploading.

    Please note that Checkr doesn't accept emailed candidate documents. 

    Encourage your candidate to submit information

    Candidates can log in to the Candidate Portal anytime to provide documents. Encourage candidates to:

    If the provided information does not match the records found by Checkr, contact Checkr for a new link. You or the candidate must use this link to provide a photo of the candidate's ID or Social Security card.

    My candidate resubmitted their Social Security information or ID, but the report is still suspended. What do I do?

    • Social Security number verification: If your candidate re-entered their Social Security number for verification and the report is still suspended, you’ll need to contact Checkr for next steps.
    • Identity (ID) verification: If your candidate re-submitted their ID for verification, please allow 1-2 business days for the ID to be reviewed and verified. Once verification is complete, the report will resume.
    • Social Security card image upload: If your candidate uploaded an image of their Social Security card, please allow Checkr support 1-2 business days to review and verify the information. If your candidate uploaded the image more than 2 business days ago, contact Checkr.

    Automatic report completion and billing

    Checkr automatically completes SSN trace reports that require additional information from the candidate. SSN trace reports that require additional information will change to a Suspended status if no response from the candidate is received within 7 days. After 30 days, the Suspended status will shift to Complete, and all other searches within the report will be canceled. Billing will include the packages and searches you order. After the search process begins, Checkr doesn’t give refunds for incomplete or canceled searches. Your invoice will show package prices and passthrough fees for canceled searches.

    For more information, refer to FAQs about Checkr invoices.

     

    Note

    A green checkmark in the Checkr Dashboard means that Checkr received the new information, not that the new information resolved the delay. If you or the candidate provided information that didn't resolve the delay, contact Checkr for a new link.

     

  • Report statuses >

    The Candidates page of the Checkr Dashboard has the status options below for candidates who have already begun the background check process.

    Report status

    Description
    Invitation sent
    invitation sent.png

    Checkr sent the invitation link, but the candidate hasn't responded yet and the report hasn't begun.
    Pending
    pending.png

    The report is processing. Most reports take 2-3 days to finalize, but some take longer, often for a reason below:

    • Checkr is waiting for the candidate to provide information: Checkr requires documentation from the candidate to continue the report. Checkr contacts the candidate so that your background check process works smoothly.
    • Research is in progress: Some searches take significantly longer than others, usually because the county manually processes search requests.
    Complete
    complete.png

    The report completed processing and is ready for you to review.

    Note: The search types below return a status of Complete, rather than Clear or Review:

    • Pointer searches
    • Education and employment verification searches
    • Credit reports
    Clear
    clear.png
    • The report completed.
    • The searches returned no records.
    • The searches returned no records or information you need to evaluate based on your guidelines.
    Eligible
    eligible.png

    The report returned no relevant records that make the candidate ineligible for the position according to your Assess guidelines.

    Review
    review.png

    The completed report has information for you to review. This information might include the examples below for your team to review:

    • At least one record to evaluate based on your Assess guidelines
    • Criminal records
    • MVR violations that don't meet your MVR rules
    • Employment or education verifications that weren't an exact match

    A record can include multiple charges associated with the civil or criminal case. The report lists records in the order provided by the source.

    Note: The report PDF that you and your candidate can access says Consider instead of Review. Consider and Review both mean that you need to review information.

    Escalated

    escalated.png

    The report returned at least one record that your Assess Premium guidelines flagged.
    Dispute
    dispute.png

    The candidate contacted Checkr to dispute information in the completed report. Adjudication can't continue while a report has the Dispute status. If you started an adverse action process before the dispute, you must restart it if the candidate still doesn't qualify after the reinvestigation. Checkr sends an email to the compliance contact on your account after the investigation, which can take up to 30 days.
    Suspended
    suspended.png

    The report stopped processing because of missing information or incomplete searches. Checkr contacted the candidate to provide additional documentation, after which the report will continue. After a period of time, the report status automatically changes to Complete or Canceled. To change the report status to Complete in its current state, select "Complete now."

    Some searches have Suspended status indefinitely.

    Note

    Incomplete reports have a Review status if they contain information that merits the Review status. For example, if the MVR search has the Suspended status but the county search has Review, the overall report status is Review.
    Canceled
    canceled.png

    After some time, the report status automatically changes to Complete and searches cancel. To change the report status to Complete in its current state, select "Complete now."
    Expired
    expired.png

    The candidate didn’t respond to the invitation link in the allotted time. To continue with the candidate, you must send a new invitation. By default, invitation links expire after seven days. To change the number of days your candidates have to respond to an invitation, contact Checkr.
    Learn from Checkr experts

    Go to our learning hub, Checkr Academy, to access quick videos explaining report statuses.

  • Track the progress of a candidate's report >
    Note

    If your Checkr account has a partner integration, this feature might be unavailable. To determine whether your account supports this feature, contact Checkr.

    Track candidate progress on the Checkr Dashboard

    After you send an invitation, you use the Checkr Dashboard to track your candidate’s progress.

    Status overview

    The Candidates page lists all in-progress reports with a status below:

    • Pending: The report is processing and is expected to complete in 2-3 days. Delays may occur if additional documentation is needed.
    • Clear: Report completed without significant findings based on your guidelines.
    • Review: Report completed and contains information you might want to review.
    • Suspended: The report stopped processing because of missing information or incomplete searches.
    • Canceled: All searches in the report were canceled.

    Email notifications

    Checkr can send you email notifications while generating reports. To receive email notifications, use the steps below:

    1. Select "Account settings."
    2. Select "Notifications."
    3. Select the events you want email notifications about.
  • Complete reports manually with "Complete now" >

    Use the "Complete now" feature

    Note that using this feature in either the Checkr Dashboard or Checkr API cancels all pending or suspended searches and updates the report status to "Canceled."

    "Complete now" in the Checkr Dashboard

    To complete a pending or suspended report immediately, regardless of its status:

    1. Navigate to the report's Actions section.
    2. Select Complete now.

    The "Complete now" button appears when both conditions below are met:

    • The report is pending or suspended, and not in final processing in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
    • You have a user role below:
      • Adjudicator
      • Admin
      • Restricted admin

    There are a few things to note when using "Complete now" in the Checkr Dashboard:

    • Searches you canceled using "Complete now" show the cancellation reason and the reason’s description in the dashboard.
    • The PDF copy of the report doesn't include canceled searches.
    • Completed searches in the report show a status of Clear or Review. The report log in the dashboard will track the date, time, and user each time "Complete now" is used.
    Note

    For reports that include canceled searches, Assess shows the Review status. If a report has a record that your Assess guidelines marked as Escalated, the report status also shows Escalated.

    "Complete now" through Checkr API

    You can also complete reports through the Checkr API using the Complete Report endpoint. This action triggers the same processes as the "Complete now" function in the Dashboard.

    Canceled reports will trigger a webhook and appear in the report object's return.

    For more information, refer to the Checkr API documentation:

    Candidate notification

    The Candidate Portal will notify the candidate when reports are canceled using the Complete now feature. 

     

  • Adjudicate a candidate’s report >

    Access and review the report

    1. Log in to the Checkr Dashboard.
    2. Navigate to the Candidates page.
    3. Select the candidate's report to open.
    4. Review the report status.
      • For a list and description of Checkr's report statuses, refer to Report statuses.

    If you can't open a candidate's report, it might be for a reason below:

    To avoid declining qualified candidates, consider whether this information is relevant to your requirements. This process helps you comply with guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), as well as state and federal guidelines.

    Decide whether to engage the candidate

    After you review the report, you decide whether to engage (continue with) or not engage (begin adverse action for) the candidate.

    Engage the candidate

    You can engage a candidate with report statuses of Clear or Review. To continue with the selection process:

    1. Open the candidate's report.
    2. Navigate to the Actions section of the report.
    3. Select Engage.

    Note: Selecting "Engage" doesn't notify the candidate or change the report.

    "Engage" and Checkr analytics

    Selecting "Engage" ensures that Checkr analytics can include information from this report. Analytics can show metrics such as the ones below:

    • Reports that indicate that the candidate is eligible for selection
    • Other situations in which adverse action is inappropriate
    • Historic adjudication decisions

    Begin adverse action

    If you decide not to engage the candidate, begin the adverse action process.

    Video overview

    Play the Checkr Academy video below to learn what actions you can take in the Checkr Dashboard when a candidate’s report completes:

    • Engage
    • Request a candidate story
    • Begin the adverse action process

  • Begin the adverse action process >

    When a report contains information that a candidate might not be right for your organization, you can begin the adverse action process. The process follows Checkr’s best practices and your custom account settings.

    Note

    Your account must have both the adverse action and support email addresses or phone numbers.

    To begin the pre-adverse action process, use the steps below:

    1. In the report's Actions section, select "Pre-adverse action."
    2. Select the disqualifying records, and provide an individualized assessment. You must select at least one record.
    3. Depending on the candidate's location, you might need to select the delivery method of email or postal mail. Some locations require postal mail notices.
    4. Select a template for the post-adverse action notice.
    5. Select how many days (7-30) before automatically sending the post-adverse action notice. 
    6. Confirm that you read the preview notice.

    Adverse action process overview

    The default Checkr adverse action process includes the steps below:

    1. Checkr emails the pre-adverse action notice to the candidate. To customize the email, contact Checkr. 
    2. The waiting period is between 7 and 30 days.
    3. If the waiting period ends with no candidate response, Checkr sends the post-adverse action notice on your behalf to the candidate.

    Play the Checkr Academy video below to learn how the adverse action process works in the Checkr Dashboard.

    Cancel adverse action

    Canceling the adverse action process cancels the post-adverse action notice and allows you to engage the candidate. The adverse action process cancels in one of two ways:

    • The candidate submits a dispute, which changes the report status to Dispute and cancels the adverse action process.
    • If the candidate provides additional information or context about their record that affects your engagement decision, you can stop the adverse action process by selecting "Cancel adverse action."

    Pause adverse action

    Before deciding about a candidate, you might need time to review additional candidate-provided information such as a candidate story. After you send the pre-adverse action notice, you can manually pause the adverse action process by selecting "Pause adverse action."

    By default, this pause lasts four days before the adverse action process automatically resumes. To adjust how long the pause lasts, contact Checkr.

    Learn from Checkr experts

    Go to our Fair Reviewer Certificate course on our free learning hub, Checkr Academy, to learn and practice how to fairly review reports with records.

  • Find a candidate in the adverse action process >

    Use the "Adverse actions" page in the Checkr Dashboard to search for candidates involved in the adverse action process. Candidates can be at any stage in the process:

    • Received a pre-adverse action notice
    • Filed a dispute
    • Received a post-adverse action notice

    Play the Checkr Academy video below to learn how to access the "Adverse actions" page in the Checkr Dashboard.

    Search for candidates

    To search for candidates, take an action below:

    • Enter a keyword.
    • Select a status.
    • Enter a timeframe during which the adverse action was in process.

    You can apply a combination of filters to your search.

    For accounts with a hierarchy and at least one node, compliance locations determine the default waiting period between the pre- and post-adverse action notices.

    Note

    All reports in the dashboard include the dates below:

    • When the candidate received the pre-adverse action notice
    • When the candidate will receive the post-adverse action notice

    To manage the adverse action process, open the candidate's report.

    Status filters

    Status filters include the ones below:

    • Pending: The candidate received the pre-adverse action notice for a motor vehicle records (MVR) report. The post-adverse action notice awaits your approval. After the required waiting period, you can send the pending post-adverse action notice.
      • The Pending status applies only for MVR reports. All other searches show Scheduled for candidates awaiting post-adverse action notices.
    • Scheduled: The candidate received the pre-adverse action notice. You scheduled delivery of the post-adverse action notice after the required waiting period. The candidate won't automatically receive the post-adverse action notice on the scheduled date in the situations below:
      • The candidate disputes information in the report.
      • You or Checkr cancels the adverse action process.
    • Complete: The candidate received the post-adverse action notice, completing the process.
    • Dispute: The candidate filed a dispute, and Checkr has started an investigation. Disputes that happen during the adverse action process have two effects:
      • The scheduled notice automatically cancels.
      • The dispute prevents you from taking action during the 30-day investigation timeframe.
    • Paused: You paused the adverse action process.
    • Canceled: Either you or Checkr canceled the adverse action process.
    • Undeliverable: The pre-adverse action notice was undeliverable. Reports with this status require your manual intervention. Select the alert icon, and then select the "Remove suppression" button.
    • All: List all candidates involved in the adverse action process, even those who completed the process.
  • Use report features >

    You can use the Candidates page of the Checkr Dashboard to organize and manage candidate reports.

    Search

    To show search filters, select "Advanced filters." You can use keywords to search for candidates by metadata you added using the Checkr API. You can search using both the key and the value. For more information, refer to the Checkr API documentation.

    To show only archived reports or invitations, select the Archived filter.

    Add tags

    You can use tags to easily search for reports in the Checkr Dashboard. After you add tags to a report, a Tag filter appears on the Candidates page.

    To search for reports by a tag, use the steps below:

    1. Enter a tag name.
    2. Press Enter. 

    Archive a report or invitation

    Archive a report

    Administrators and requesters can archive reports to remove them from the Active filter on the Candidates page. Archiving a report disables the report actions.

    Archiving a report doesn't delete or remove the report from your account.

    To archive a report, select "Archive report" and confirm. To unarchive a report, select "Unarchive report."

    Report status changes automatically unarchive reports so that they return to the Active filter on the Candidates page. 

    Play the Checkr Academy video below to learn how to archive candidate reports in the Checkr Dashboard.

    Archive an invitation

    Administrators and requesters can archive invitations to remove them from the Active filter on the Candidates page.

    Archiving an invitation doesn't delete or remove the invitation from your account.

    To archive an invitation, use the steps below:

    1. Select "Archive invitation."
    2. Confirm.

    To unarchive an invitation, select "Unarchive invitation."

    Download and print reports

    Reports can only be downloaded if they are complete. Below are the steps for downloading reports in CSV and PDF formats.

    Download a CSV

    To download a CSV file of reports or invitation statuses, use the steps below:

    1. Open the candidate's report.
    2. Select Download CSV.
      • This is located beneath the search fields on the right side of the page. 
    3. When the report completes, Checkr sends a link to the CSV file to the email address on your account.

    Download a PDF

    If you need to print or store a digital copy of a report, utilize the Download PDF function within the dashboard. 

    To download a PDF of a candidate's report:

    1. Open the candidate's report.
    2. Select Download PDF.
    3. Choose a file from the dropdown menu:
      • The report order summary includes the information below:
        • Candidate-entered PII
        • Custom report settings
        • Packages and searches associated with the order but not the records
        • Search status
      • The report PDF is the completed report.

    Review history

    To open a list with report actions and when they happened, select "Show report log." The log starts at the report order and ends at engaging the candidate or using the adverse action process. Checkr retains reports in accordance with applicable laws and agreements between Checkr and its customers and affiliates. For example, for FCRA purposes Checkr retains reports for at least five years.