First Advantage background check

First Advantage is a background screening company, founded in 2003 and based in Atlanta, that provides employment background checks, identity checks and verification services.^1,2,3

First Advantage describes its work as global employment background checks, identity and verification solutions. Its candidate support page is for people who are going through a background check that an employer or other organization ordered.

First Advantage completed its acquisition of Sterling Check Corp. on Oct. 31, 2024, in a deal it valued at $2.2 billion including Sterling's outstanding debt.^2,3

Sterling's candidate help site is now branded "Sterling, a First Advantage company," and sends disputes to First Advantage, so a background check that once came from Sterling may now be handled through First Advantage. See the Sterling section below.

First Advantage runs a screening status page at fadv.com/screening-status. People who applied for a job pick "View Case Status"; people already registered with Profile Advantage can see real-time status there instead.^4,5

First Advantage's candidate page answers "When will my report be done?" by pointing to this status page. For other help, it says to visit help.fadv.com and choose "Chat with a live agent."

First Advantage says: "Delivery time for a background check varies based on the requested searches and locations. 90% of First Advantage U.S. criminal screens close in one day."⁵

That figure is First Advantage's own and covers U.S. criminal screens only. The company does not give a time for other parts of a check, such as employment or education verification.

First Advantage says an "eligible" result means the report meets the employer's criteria for hiring or housing, and a "decisional" result means the employer set the check to require extra review by the employer.⁵

First Advantage says it does not decide or control those criteria. Its candidate page tells people with questions about their results to contact the employer.

First Advantage says U.S. candidates are entitled to one free copy of their First Advantage report within 12 months, and to more in some cases.^5,6,7

The extra cases it lists are: you were told of an adverse action or denied housing or employment based on your file within the past 60 days; you live in a state that gives more than one free copy a year; you suspect fraud or identity theft in your file; or you are unemployed or on public assistance. First Advantage lists phone (800.845.6004), email (consumer.documents@fadv.com) and mail (First Advantage Consumer Center, P.O. Box 105292, Atlanta, GA 30348-5292) as ways to ask. The CFPB's listing for the company also says it provides one free report every 12 months on request.

To dispute an error in a First Advantage report, you can submit a dispute on its candidate page, call 800-845-6004, or email consumer.documents@fadv.com. First Advantage says reinvestigations are generally completed within 30 days of receipt.^5,7

The CFPB's listing for the company adds that under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, companies must investigate a dispute free of charge.

First Advantage's candidate support line is 800.845.6004, its email is consumer.documents@fadv.com, and its candidate page is fadv.com/candidates.^5,6,7

First Advantage's free report page gives a mailing address of First Advantage Consumer Center, P.O. Box 105292, Atlanta, GA 30348-5292. The CFPB lists the same phone number, (800) 845-6004, and the same mailing address.

If an employer turns you down because of information in a background report, the FTC says the employer must tell you that you have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information with the background reporting company, and the right to an additional free report if you ask within 60 days of the decision.⁸

The FTC says the employer must also give you the name, address and phone number of the background reporting company, and tell you that the company did not make the decision and cannot give reasons for it. Before deciding, the employer must give you a copy of the report and a "Summary of Rights".

The FTC says to dispute a mistake by contacting the background reporting company, explaining the mistakes and asking that they be fixed, with any supporting documentation.⁸

After the company revises your report, the FTC says to review it to make sure the mistakes are gone, ask the company to send a copy of the corrected report to the employer, and tell the employer about the mistake. The FTC also asks people to tell it if they think a background check company included errors in their report, and to report an employer that got a report without permission or turned them down without the required notices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a consumer reporting agency must conduct a reasonable investigation within 30 days of being notified of a dispute, and the investigation is free.^7,9

The FTC's description of the law says the agency must record the status of the information or delete it, and must tell you the results in writing within five days of finishing. The CFPB says companies must investigate a dispute free of charge.