For job seekers
Background checks for job seekers: your rights, in plain English
If an employer is checking your background, the law gives you rights: to know, to see the report, to respond and to fix mistakes. These pages explain each one, with the law behind it.
Reviewed
Primary sources
Free · Not legal advice
Start here
- What happens during a background check for a job
The steps in order, your rights at each one, and how long it takes. - You got a pre-adverse action notice: what now?
What the notice means and how to respond before the employer decides. - How to dispute a background check
Getting a wrong report fixed, for free, on a federal deadline. - What shows up on a background check, and how far back
What may appear, the time limits, and how to see your own file. - Your rights with a criminal record, by state
Fair chance laws, city and county rules, and limits on reports, for all 50 states and DC.
Tools you can use too
- How far back a background check goes
Pick a state and pay to see what may be reported. - Waiting period calculator
The minimum time an employer must wait after a pre-adverse action notice. - Background check laws by state
Every state’s rules, with sources.
General information, not legal advice.