Billing & invoices

If you’ve run your first background check using a promotional credit, that credit will be automatically applied to your invoice. To view this credit, navigate to the Invoices & Documents tab in your Checkr Dashboard and download the CSV file.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Checkr is required to investigate the accuracy of consumer reports upon the request of the consumer. To ensure maximum possible accuracy Checkr must update all reports that may contain inaccurate or outdated information. In cases where fees are incurred, Checkr passes those fees directly to the customer.

Checkr only supports one payment option for your account. However, your invoice will have a column delineating the node. Download the CSV version of your invoice to filter the charges by node.

To learn more, also see:

• Account Hierarchy > Account Settings
• Account Hierarchy > Invoices & Documents
• Will I get separate invoices for each Node if I am enabled for Account Hierarchy?

Question

I was charged a fee for a search in a county/state in which my candidate has never lived. Why am I seeing this fee on my invoice? 

Answer

You may see a charge for a search in a county that differs from the address(es) provided by the candidate. The SSN trace searches various databases to find address history associated with SSN provided by the candidate. The address history it returns is then used to determine the counties and/or other databases which are then searched for additional public records, in line with your package settings.

For more information about SSN traces, refer to: 

• Social Security Number (SSN) Trace
• Why is a SSN required, and what does Checkr do with it?

New York pass-through fees

New York has 15 counties that are part of the Office of Court Administration (OCA). These counties have pooled their criminal records into one system of record. If a search is conducted in any one of these 15 counties it is billed as a “State Fee'' which has been set at $95 by OCA. 

Related articles: 

• What are the different fees on our invoice?
• Why is there a $95 charge titled "NY State Fee" on my invoice?

Question

Why am I being charged two different prices for a drug or occupational health screening?

Answer

Customers ordering drug and occupational health screenings through multiple partner integrations may be charged different prices based on the software application the screening was ordered from. Some Checkr partners have prenegotiated pricing with Checkr, and shared customers receive that special pricing when ordering screenings through that partner’s application. 

Question

I can't see the itemized breakdown of my bill/invoice. Where can I find it?

Answer

1. Open the Checkr Dashboard
2. Select Invoices & Documents
3. Select reports_usage.csv from the Reports column to download an itemized invoice 

See Help me understand Checkr invoices for more information.

Question

Where can I find a copy of Checkr's W-9?

Answer

1. From the Checkr Dashboard, select Invoices & Documents
2. Select the Documents tab
3. Select Checkr's W9 form to view and download PDF

Related article:

• Account Settings

Question

Am I charged when an invitation is sent to a candidate or when the report completes?

Answer

A report is billed to the account when:

• The report completes as "Clear", "Consider", "Canceled", or "Suspended"
• The report is canceled by the customer

Question

We have not been charged DC sales tax in the past, but are now being charged on our current invoice. What has changed?

Answer

Effective June 2022, Checkr is now required by law to collect any applicable sales and use tax on the sales of its services for customers in DC.

Also see Tax exemption.

Question

Why am I seeing a county-level verification fee on a basic search?

Answer

Once a potential record is identified in the National Criminal Database, Checkr automatically performs a County Level Verification. This means that Checkr conducts research at the county where the national criminal search shows a possible record.

The research includes:

• Additional identifiers to confirm it belongs to the individual in question
• Complete and up-to-date case information (e.g., disposition, status)

A county-level verification fee is the report upgrade charge.

See What happens when there is a hit on a National Criminal Records Check and What are the different fees on our invoice? for more information.

This article will help answer the following questions:

• How do I access our invoices?
• When’s the due date for the invoice?
• What month is this invoice for?
• Why is my invoice pending?
• Who can I contact about my invoice?

How do I access our invoices?

Each month a copy of your invoice is sent to your account’s billing contact email address (as defined in the Account Settings > Settings page of the Checkr Dashboard). This invoice includes charges related to background checks that were completed in the previous month.

Admins can also access both current and previous invoices on the Invoices tab of the Invoices & Documents page in the Checkr Dashboard. Here you’ll find both a summary PDF as well as a detailed CSV for each invoice, both of which you can download and review. 

When’s the due date for the invoice?

Invoices are sent out at the beginning of each month, and have the due date listed on the PDF copy. Your invoice includes charges and fees for usage during the previous month.

What month is this invoice for?

Your invoice includes charges and fees for usage during the previous month. For example, you will receive an invoice for all January activity at the beginning of February.

Why is my invoice pending?

It’s probably because there was an issue with the original payment. If you have paid this invoice let us know! Otherwise, please reach out to payments@checkr.com for help completing the missing payment.

Who can I contact about my invoice?

Contact Checkr Customer Support for questions about what appears on your invoice.

Contact Checkr Payment Support: payments@checkr.com for questions about updating and submitting payments.

Question

Please help explain the different fees on my invoice.

Answer

Package Fees 

These are the fees assessed by Checkr to compile and deliver the consumer report your company has ordered and will vary based on the type of package ordered. Visit Which checks are included in my background check package? for further details.

In addition to the cost of the background check, your reports may be subject to various third-party access fees, including county and state court access fees, DMV access fees, and employment/education verification fees. Such fees are outlined as follows.

Note: Checkr does not mark up any fees; instead we send them in your invoice at cost.

DMV Access Fees

DMVs across the US require payment to pull a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR); the specific fee will vary from one state to the next.

Note: If an MVR Check must be re-run due to an exception, both checks will be billed on your invoice.

County Fees

Even though criminal records are a matter of public record, jurisdictions that house the records have the right to charge a fee to access the data. Of the 3,200 counties in the United States, roughly 10% charge a fee. Most counties’ charges are between $2-$10, though some charge $25 and more. 

State Fees

State Fees: In states like New York, many counties pool their criminal records in one system of record, so the county fee in these cases are billed as a “State Fee.” Additionally, if your company conducts State Criminal Records Checks, some states charge a separate fee for accessing criminal data at the state level.

Report Upgrade: County-Level Verification Fee

Once a potential record is identified in the National Criminal Database, Checkr automatically performs a County Level Verification. This means that Checkr conducts research at the county where the national criminal search shows a possible record. A county-level verification fee is the report upgrade charge.

Verification Fees

If your company verifies employment and/or education history, you will see third-party access fees associated with these screenings. These fees are assessed by industry verification databases to automatically verify either employment or education history.

• For employment verifications, Checkr first searches available databases, such as The Work Number for Everyone, that charge a fee when the verification is successfully completed by way of checking that database.
• For education verifications Checkr searches known education databases, such as National Student Clearinghouse.

We cannot provide a fees list for employment and education pass-through costs because they vary so widely. The fees are, however, specifically called out in line items on the Checkr invoice.

Also see Checkr's additional pricing information page for more details. 

Question

Why was our employment verification charge higher than expected? 

Answer

If your company verifies employment history, you will see third-party pass-through fees associated with these screenings. These fees are assessed by industry verification databases to automatically verify employment history.

We cannot provide a list of employment verification pass-through fees because Checkr partners with multiple vendors and charges will vary based on the vendor conducting service. The fees are specifically called out in line items on the Checkr invoice. Checkr first searches available databases, such as The Work Number for Everyone, that charge a fee when the verification is successfully completed by way of checking that database. You may find a separate fee assigned for each place of employment being verified for the candidate. Rest assured, Checkr does not mark up any fees; instead we send them in your invoice at cost.

For more.  information, also see: What are the different fees on our invoice.

This article will help answer the following questions about payment processing:

• Where can I review or update my account’s payment information?
• Am I automatically charged each month?
• How are payments made if my account is enrolled in autopay?
• How does the bank account verification process work?

Where can I review or update my account’s payment information?

Admins may go to Account Settings > Payment in the Checkr Dashboard to review account payment settings. 

Am I automatically charged each month?

If your monthly invoices are less than $2,500, Checkr will ask that you provide either a checking account or credit card, which will be used to automatically pay your account's invoices each month. 

How are payments made if my account is enrolled in autopay?

At the beginning of each month a copy of your invoice, for orders completed in the previous month, is sent to your account’s billing contact email address. This invoice includes charges related to background checks that were completed in the previous month. When the invoice is coming due, the credit card or bank account on file will be automatically charged. If there are any issues with the payment, the billing contact will be notified.

How does the bank account verification process work?

This process verifies that you are the account owner by confirming two micro deposit amounts sent from Stripe, our payment processor, to your bank. It can take several days for the micro deposits to appear. Once you see the micro deposits in your account, return to the Payment page in the Account Setting section of the Checkr Dashboard and verify the account. Once it has been successfully verified, the blue banner at the top of the page will disappear.

Payment information can be updated at any time by an Admin on your Checkr account. See Set up payment information for more information.

This article will help you:

• Set up payment information through ACH direct deposit or credit card

All admins have access to billing information and can change or remove the existing payment credentials. For other common questions about billing, see Help me understand Checkr invoices.

Set up payment

If your monthly invoices are less than $2,500, Checkr will ask that you provide either a checking account or credit card, which will be used to automatically pay your account's invoices each month. This information can be updated at any time by an admin on your Checkr account.

For more information on Checkr's billing process, see How does Checkr process payments?

To add your billing information, go to Account Settings > Payment in the Checkr Dashboard.

Enter either your bank account or credit card information, and click Save Bank Account or Save Credit Card.

If you’re paying by ACH direct deposit, you will also be asked to verify your bank account. 24-48 hours after entering your bank account information, Stripe (our payment processor) will make two micro transactions that will appear on your bank statement.

When these micro transactions have been posted to your account, a banner will appear on the Account Settings > Payment page, asking you to verify your account. 

Enter the two amounts that appear in your account, and click Verify.

After you've set up payments, go to Invoices & Documents as an admin to review any posted invoices. Please contact Checkr Customer Support if you see any discrepancies on your invoice.

Invoices are sent at the beginning of each month, and your payment method on file will be charged the invoice fee when that invoice is almost due. Your invoice includes charges and fees for usage during the previous month.

Once your account has been charged, the invoice status in the Checkr dashboard will be updated to Paid.

Note: Clients with low-volume report invoices will be required to maintain billing information on file with Checkr. Please work with your billing department to ensure that these invoices are paid only once, and are paid using the credit card or direct deposit method on file rather than by check.

Question

Please explain why the package fee on my invoice is higher than expected.

Answer

Most likely, you ran a basic criminal package and the fee was incurred when a county check was initiated from a pointer in the National Criminal Records Checks. 

See What are the different fees on our invoice? for types of fees you may see on your invoice and/or Checkr’s additional pricing information page for a breakdown of county court, state DMV and state court fees.

Question

What is this ninety-five dollar fee on my invoice for New York?

Answer

New York has 15 counties that are part of the Office of Court Administration (OCA). These counties have pooled their criminal records into one system of record. If a search is conducted in any one of these 15 counties it is billed as a “State Fee'' which has been set at $95 by OCA. County court searches that are not part of the OCA will be listed as separate charges. These fees are passed on by Checkr to your company with no additional surcharge or processing fee. For a full list of pass-through fees, see Checkr's additional pricing information page.

The 15 counties part of the Office of Court Administration (OCA) are:

• Allegany

• Bronx

• Cayuga

• Chemung (added in September 2020)

• Cortland

• Fulton

• Hamilton

• Kings

• Montgomery

• Nassau

• New York

• Orleans

• Oswego

• Queens

• Richmond

For more information on Checkr fees, also see: What are these fees on my invoice?

Question

We need to change the billing contact for our organization. 

Answer

The billing contact can be updated within your Checkr account by a user with Admin permissions.

To update the billing contact email address:

• Navigate to https://dashboard.checkr.com/account/settings
• Enter the updated email address in the billing email field
• Select the green update my account button to save your changes
• Once updated, monthly invoices will be sent to the new billing contact listed

To update your payment information see Set up payment information

Question

Will I be charged if the candidate does not show up for their drug test?

Answer

If the candidate does not show up for their screening or never books a screening, the drug screening portion of the report will suspend, and you will not be billed for it. 

Question

A background check invitation I sent has now expired, will I be charged for it?

Answer

A report is only added to your invoice if it completes as "Clear", "Consider", "Canceled," or "Suspended". If an invitation expires, you will not be charged for that report. Simply send a new invitation out to initiate a new report. 

Question

If enabled for Account Hierarchy will I get different invoices for each Node?

Answer

No, only one invoice will be received when enabled for Account Hierarchy. The invoice will have a column delineating the Cost Center (node) which can be used to filter the charges.

Also see: Account Hierarchy Management User Guides

Question

My organization is tax-exempt. Who do I contact to remove sales tax from our invoice?

Answer

To comply with sales tax regulations, please email tax@checkr.com with your W-9 and Certificate of Tax Exemption. From there, we will review the documents provided and update your account accordingly. 

Question

Who do I contact about applying a non-profit discount to my account?

Answer

Please submit your organization’s 501(c)3 to Checkr Customer Support. Our team will review the provided documentation for a potential discount on criminal packages. 

Question

My payment has been processed and I never received a confirmation email. Where do I find a receipt for my payment?

Answer

Visit dashboard.checkr.com/account/invoices to view a list of Checkr-issued invoices for your organization. Each row will display the date of the invoice, the number of Reports included in the invoice, the amount owed, and the invoice status (pending or paid).

Question

I am set up for auto-pay and was wondering when I should use the Pay Now option?

Answer

Checkr provides a Pay Now link on customer invoices in the Checkr Dashboard, downloaded PDFs, and invoice emails. You may choose to use this option when you have an outstanding balance that you would like to pay outside the Checkr billing cycle. When set up for auto-pay, using the Pay Now link will not result in duplicate charges.

Question

There is an invoice on our account that says "pay now", but you have our debit card information. Will we be billed automatically as I believe we have the past?

Answer

As long as an active payment method remains on file your payments will continue automatically.

Question

What is a Pass-Through fee?

Answer

In addition to the cost of the background check, your reports may be subject to various third-party access fees, including county and state court access fees, DMV access fees, and employment/education verification fees. Rest assured, Checkr does not mark up any fees; instead we send them in your invoice at cost.

For more information, also see:

• Checkr's additional pricing information
• What are the different fees on our invoice?