Does Aldi hire people with felonies?

What Aldi has said

Aldi US hasn't published a statement on hiring people with criminal records, and it is not on the Second Chance Business Coalition member list. Its applicant privacy policy says Aldi may run background and reference checks where applicable, and asks for criminal background information only after a conditional job offer, when applicable and allowed by law. Aldi postings say employment may depend on a job-related drug test and a motor vehicle report, as applicable and allowed by law.

We didn't find a public statement from Aldi about hiring people with records: not on its careers site, in its reports, or in its announcements. That doesn't mean it won't hire you. It means there's nothing on the record to point to.

Does Aldi do background checks?

Aldi runs background checks for some roles after a job offer. Aldi's applicant privacy policy (effective October 6, 2025) says it may run employment, background and reference checks where applicable, with consent, using third-party screening companies, and requests criminal background information only after a conditional offer. Aldi postings add that employment may depend on a drug test and motor vehicle report, as applicable.^1,2

• Criminal history
• Past jobs
• Driving record
• Drug screen

• How long a background check takes

Does Aldi drug test?

Aldi drug tests for some roles. Aldi postings say employment may be contingent on an acceptable, job-related drug test, as applicable and permitted by law. We saw this in two postings (Store Manager Trainee, Indianapolis; Security Coordinator I, Aurora, IL). Aldi doesn't publish which roles are tested.^2,3

Rules for specific jobs

• All Aldi jobs

  Aldi says employees must be at least 18.⁴

• Store and warehouse operations jobs

  Aldi's hiring-process page says operations candidates complete pre-employment screenings after receiving an offer, and that candidates usually hear back within two weeks of applying.⁵

Your rights, and how far back a check can go

• Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), an employer must get your written permission before it gets a background report about you from a background screening company.^7,8,9
• Before an employer decides not to hire, keep, or promote you because of something in a background report, it must give you a copy of the report and a document called "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act."^7,8
• You have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your background report directly with the company that made it.^7,10
• The FCRA's seven-year limit does not apply to criminal convictions, so under federal law a conviction can show up on a background report no matter how old it is.^11,12
• Under the FCRA, background and credit reports generally cannot include arrest records, civil lawsuits, or civil judgments that are more than seven years old (or older than the statute of limitations, if that is longer).^11,13

Your full background check rights

Before you apply

• You can ask a background screening company for the information it has on you, and the CFPB keeps a list of consumer reporting companies, including employment screening companies, with their contact details.^7,10,14
• According to the Clean Slate Initiative, 14 states and Washington, D.C. have passed Clean Slate laws that meet its criteria for automatically clearing eligible records: Pennsylvania, Utah, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware, Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, and Missouri, plus D.C.¹⁵
• The Federal Bonding Program, run by the U.S. Department of Labor, lets states give employers free fidelity bonds that protect them against losses from a newly hired worker's dishonest acts, for job seekers with past justice involvement or in recovery from substance use.^16,17

See whether you can clear your record in your state