How long does a background check take?

Checkr, a large screening company, says employment background checks "typically take three to five days" on average, and that most take one to five business days. Its candidate help page says "Most background checks take 3 to 7 business days to complete, but some may take longer."^1,2

Checkr's article says checks may take "anywhere from minutes to several business days." It lists criminal checks at 1-3 days and employment verification at 1-3 minutes for a quick verification or 2-7 days when done by manual entry. Its candidate page adds that the estimated completion date shown to applicants is not guaranteed.

Checkr says 89% of its criminal checks are completed within one hour.¹

This is Checkr's own figure, not an independent measurement. Checks that need a court researcher to pull records by hand take longer.

The FBI lists processing times for a request for your own FBI record, called an Identity History Summary. Online requests take within 48 hours of getting electronic fingerprints at a U.S. Post Office, or about 15 days after the FBI receives a mailed fingerprint card. Mail requests take up to 50 days.³

The FBI says the fastest option is to submit the request online at edo.cjis.gov. The fee is $18 per person, and the FBI says you cannot pay extra for faster service.

County court searches are a common cause of delay. Checkr says a county criminal search "may take longer if the court required manual retrieval by a court researcher."^1,4

Checkr's help page says "a surprising number of courts" in the U.S. do not keep electronic records, so researchers must pull paper records in person, and that staff shortages and demand for records have caused backlogs. It names courts in California and Massachusetts as known for being slower than the norm.

A check can stall when the screening company is waiting on you. Checkr's help page lists "We are waiting for a piece of information from you" as a reason a check is still running.^1,4

Checkr's article says errors such as transposed digits in a birth date can lead to mismatches and delays, and that a slow response from the applicant or delays in delivering notices and securing authorization can extend the process.

Employment and education verifications can add time. Checkr's help page says a check that includes a screening such as employment or education verification can take longer.^1,4

Checkr's article puts employment verification at 1-3 minutes when it is quick and 2-7 days when it is done by manual entry.

A name-based check searches records using a name and other identifying details. A fingerprint-based check searches using fingerprints. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says that for state record checks, "submissions may be based on a name (and other descriptors) or fingerprints."⁵

FDLE describes Florida's Level 1 screening as a state-only name-based check and Level 2 as a state and national fingerprint-based check.

The FBI's Identity History Summary, often called a criminal history or "rap sheet," is built from fingerprint submissions the FBI keeps that relate to arrests. You can request your own.³

To request it, the FBI says to go to edo.cjis.gov or mail an application, fingerprint card and payment to its CJIS Division in Clarksburg, WV. The card must be a current one, not a previously processed card, with rolled impressions of all 10 fingers. The fee is $18 per person.

The FBI says that if you believe your Identity History Summary has incorrect information, you can request a change or correction.³

The FBI says that under federal law you can use your Identity History Summary to review, correct, or update your own record.

In Florida, Level 1 screening is a state-only, name-based check, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.^5,6

The term comes from Florida law. Fla. Stat. § 435.03 says Level 1 screening includes employment history checks, statewide criminal correspondence checks through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and a check of the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, and may include local criminal records checks.

Level 2 screening under Fla. Stat. § 435.04 requires fingerprints for a statewide criminal history check through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and a national criminal history check through the FBI.^5,6

The statute also calls for local criminal records checks and a search of sexual predator and offender registries for any state where the person lived in the prior five years. Section 435.04(2) lists the disqualifying offenses. It covers a finding of guilt or a guilty or no contest plea, and also an arrest still awaiting final disposition.

Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration, working with the Department of Law Enforcement, runs the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse, a secure web-based system created by Fla. Stat. § 435.12.^7,8

The statute provides that fingerprints of people in the Clearinghouse are retained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and by the FBI.

DoorDash

DoorDash says it uses accredited third-party providers, including Checkr, to run Dasher background checks. It says most checks are completed within a day, but waits of one to two weeks are not uncommon when DMV or county offices are slow.⁹

DoorDash says that because Checkr performs the checks, DoorDash is unable to expedite them or give estimates on wait times. Elsewhere on the same page, under checking your status, DoorDash says the process "can take 5-7 business days," sometimes longer.

DoorDash

DoorDash says reviews of a "Consider" result are typically completed within 5 business days and that disputed checks can take up to 30 days.⁹

DoorDash says that after a Pre-Adverse Action notice you have 14 days to dispute the results of your background check.

Checkr's help page says a check is waiting when "Checkr is waiting on information or documentation from you to continue with your report." It says a report is usually suspended because Checkr, or the company you applied to, has requested information.^2,4

Checkr's page does not define the Consider and Clear labels. DoorDash's help page, covered below, explains how those labels work for its applicants.

DoorDash's help page says Clear means "Your background check is clear and you are ready to move on to the next step in the sign-up process." It says Consider "means that Checkr has processed your background check, but the results require additional review."⁹

DoorDash lists Pending as a check still being processed by Checkr, Disputed as a dispute being reviewed by Checkr, and Canceled as a check that could not be completed with the information provided. DoorDash says a Canceled check cannot be reviewed further because there is no report to review, so a new check must be ordered.⁹

DoorDash says Complete is a term Checkr uses to show it has finished compiling the information on a report. A Complete report has not necessarily been reviewed or given a Clear status.

There is no single rule for how long a background check is good for. One official example is Florida's Clearinghouse: the Agency for Health Care Administration says retained fingerprints must be renewed every 5 years to keep eligibility for employment.^7,8

AHCA says providers may start a renewal 60 days before the retained prints expiration date, and that if the employer does not start a renewal, the employee's prints will no longer be retained. The statute provides for resubmitting retained fingerprints for an FBI national criminal history check every 5 years until the FBI retains them.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, an employer must get your written permission before getting a background report. Before it rejects you or takes other adverse action based on the report, it must give you a copy of the report and a summary of your rights.¹⁰

The FTC says this advance notice gives the person the opportunity to review the report and tell the employer if it is correct.

After an adverse action, the employer's notice must tell you about your right to dispute the accuracy or completeness of any information in the report, according to the FTC.¹⁰

Checkr says that once a report is complete you can download it by logging into its Candidate Portal, and that you can request your own copy there.²

Checkr's page points to its support page and Candidate Help Center for other questions.