Background checks are an essential part of the hiring process for many employers and even mandatory in some industries. These checks are conducted typically to ensure that the applicants are who they say they are on their applications. A background check may also be conducted for licenses and certifications that require clearance, like teaching or medical licenses.
With many industries requiring background checks, many wonder about the details that go into it, with some asking does an arrest record show up on a background check. In this article, we will provide an answer to this question while covering additional information to assist those who are wondering if arrest records are a part of background checks. Read on to learn everything you need to know about arrest records on background checks.
What Is a Background Check?
While the above already gives a summary, here’s more on what background checks are to better understand if an arrest shows up on the results of these checks. A background check refers to the process of obtaining information about a person and verifying their details. These checks are typically conducted as part of the hiring process by employers. However, it isn’t employers that conduct background checks.
Employers typically pay for a provider like consumer reporting agencies that charge them anywhere between $25 and $250, depending on the components that go into it, such as an arrest record as part of criminal history. The pricing of background checks reveals that there isn’t just one type, and based on what the requesting party wants to find out, what the service provider looks for varies.
Does an Arrest Show Up on a Background Check?
There are many components that go into a background check, and an arrest record may be a part of it as well. Therefore, to answer your question, does an arrest record show up on a background check, it may or may not. It depends on whether the party requesting the background check included this information in the request.
With this in mind, it is safe to say that whether a background check includes arrest records ultimately comes down to the party requesting the background check.
Does an Arrest Show Up on a Background Check for Employment?
When we get into background checks for specific purposes, such as employment, the answers become more clear. Background checks for employment almost always include arrest records. If you’ve had an arrest in the past, it will likely show up on the background check.
However, this doesn’t include expunged or sealed arrest records. These don’t appear on background checks. Also, there’s a time limit on how far back background checks can go to include arrest records. Other than expunged or sealed ones, arrest records that go back more than seven years are typically not included in employment background checks.
This is due to the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) regulations prohibiting background check service providers going back older than seven years for arrest records. Therefore, an arrest record may not appear on a background check if it happened more than seven years ago.
However, the same can’t be said for arrests that resulted in convictions – if the arrest resulted in a conviction, the seven-year rule won’t apply to your case.
Other Information That Shows Up on Background Checks
In addition to arrest records as part of criminal history, background checks provide other information, including employment history, identity verification, credit history, lawsuits, bankruptcies, and more. Once again, what shows up on a background check ultimately comes down to what’s included in the request by the requesting party, such as an employer.
Check Your Arrest Records
If you’re concerned about a specific arrest showing up on your background check, consider running a background check on yourself. Since you won’t be subject to some of the regulations set by the FCRA when running a background check on yourself, there are better ways than paying for a service provider to do it for you.
People search sites, like Public Record, are the best places to run a quick background check on yourself to see if the arrest record you’re concerned about will show up. Online tools like Public Record pull data from federal, state, and local public databases and web pages to compile a comprehensive report that works the same as a background check.
Since the source of the information is from the same place as background checks, it is an excellent way to find out if a particular arrest will appear on a background check, whether it is for employment or other purposes.
