How to get a copy of your own background check, free

You have a right to see your own background check and it costs nothing. The overwhelming majority of people have never exercised it, which is why most people discover an error only after they have already been rejected — and frequently are never told the report was why.

Difficulty

✓Easy

Time

1 hour to request, 2–4 weeks to receive

Cost

Free

Steps

6

1. 01Know which right you are usingFCRA § 609 entitles you to a full file disclosure from any consumer reporting agency. It is free once every twelve months, and free any time you have been denied employment or housing because of a report.
2. 02Request from the employment screening companiesCheckr, Sterling, HireRight, First Advantage, Accurate Background, Cisive and GoodHire each maintain a consumer portal for this. Each holds its own database, so you need to ask each one.
3. 03Request from the tenant screening companies too, if you rentCoreLogic Rental Property Solutions, RealPage and TransUnion SmartMove. Eviction-record errors are extremely common and extremely damaging.
4. 04Request from Equifax Workforce SolutionsThe Work Number holds detailed payroll and employment history that most people do not realise exists. It is FCRA-regulated, so the same right applies.
5. 05Read what comes back against four specific testsIs anything not yours? Is any non-conviction information older than seven years? Is any dismissed or reduced charge recorded as a conviction? Is any expunged or sealed record still present? Each of those is independently disputable.
6. 06Dispute in writing, and keep the 30-day clockWritten dispute, documentation attached, request written confirmation. They have 30 days.