“I know I just put in the request for the background check today, but this person needs to start tomorrow!”
“The deal closes in a week. How quickly can you get the background check done?”
We get requests like this all the time, and we do our best to meet our clients’ needs. Will you have a background check in your hands before that new employee starts? Will you have all of the due diligence you need before that deal closes?
The answer is: maybe.
Many employment background checks can be completed in 1-3 business days. Deeper dive due diligence checks can take as many as 7-12 business days.
It all depends on what information you need. Some is readily available. Other information can take several days. Many factors affect how quickly you can get results. We describe several common variables below.
How much do you want to know?
More information usually means more time. A simple driver’s license check won’t take long. A thorough search of criminal and civil court records, creditworthiness, education, employment, media, and social networking can take much longer. Some of these records may not be available online, depending on how far back you want to search. Obviously, the more in-depth the background check, the longer it will likely take.
How mobile is the person? How common is the name?
A person who’s lived at the same address for 20 years is relatively easy to check. A person who’s lived in 10 places in six states over the past 20 years will likely require more time to verify. The individual’s name can also affect turnaround time. For background checks that include civil searches and media, reviewing the records for someone with an uncommon name, such as Forhad Razzaque, won’t take much time. For someone named “John Smith,” we’ll have to review and cross-check many more records to ensure the information is related to the person you want investigated.
What is their education and employment history?
Many colleges, universities and employers provide information on automated verification systems, where information is available almost instantaneously. However, in the cases where they are not, completion of the checks are at the mercy of the employer or educational institution, which can take longer.
If the person you’re checking was educated overseas, or worked outside the U.S., your background check may face significant delays. Many of these entities only communicate by regular mail, require additional information, and have schedules that make it very difficult to obtain answers.
Do you want to check criminal history?
A check of criminal records can take a few seconds or several days, depending upon the jurisdiction. For example:
- Florida. Searches can be conducted online and in-person with few restrictions.
- Santa Clara County, California. Searches can be conducted at the court. If a “hit” is found, requests for more information must be made at the court clerk, and response times will vary.
- New Hampshire. All searches must be submitted to the court clerk, who then conducts the search and provides results. Again, response times will vary.
If the clerk’s office is busy, delays may be significant.
Case Studies
Here are three background checks we recently did for a client. One was completed the same day. One took 10 days. All three were employment background checks that asked for the following information:
- Social Security Verification and Address Locator
- County/State Criminal Searches (7-year searches at all jurisdictions for the past 5 years)
- Sex Offender Registry
- Department of Motor Vehicles
Applicant #1
Address History: Miami-Dade County (FL)
Flags: None
Turnaround Time: Same business day
Comments: All information was available easily and quickly.
Applicant #2
Address History: New York County (NY), Midland County (TX)
Flags: None
Turnaround Time: Two Business Days
Comments: A criminal hit was found on the New York State Office of Court Administration search. However, the record appeared to be incomplete. We contacted the county clerk’s office and left a message. We received no response and left a message the following day. We received a call-back two business days after the original request.
Applicant #3
Address History: New York County (NY), Los Angeles County (NY), Gallatin County (MT)
Flags: Yes (Criminal records in Gallatin County)
Turnaround Time: 10 Business Days
Comments: All searches were completed within 24 hours of the request being received except for the criminal search in Gallatin County, MT. This is a mercy of court jurisdiction, meaning we requested information from the court and the timing was outside our control. At the time of the request, two court employees were out sick, and the court had received a large influx of requests.
Know what to expect
In short, you should allow several days for a background check whenever possible. If you need an estimated turnaround time for a specific background check, we can usually tell you how long a search will take.
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