Background checks are one of the most important parts of hiring a candidate or making sure your record is clean enough to get hired by a company. In fact, in 2022 more than 31.6 million background checks were registered by the FBI and this doesn’t account for all of the other types of background checks being run. Therefore, it’s a huge deal to know how long your background will appear on your record or if a candidate is lying about something.
The good news is that background checks last for a while, so you don’t always have to worry about getting updated information. Still, it’s important to understand how long they’re good for moving forward. Read on to learn everything you need to know.
What Is a Background Check?
Before covering how long a backyard check lasts, it’s important to understand what it is. Background checks aren’t just a single document that gets handed to a person, instead, it’s a combination of all of your public records. In fact, the process of a background check usually requires companies to comb through millions of databases to compile your information into a readable report, hence the long wait time of 2-4 weeks for most background checks.
What Information Appears on a Background Check?
Background checks reveal a lot of information about people. That said, they don’t always reveal the same information because it depends on the past and the role that someone is applying to. We list some of the most common things that appear on a background check below:
- Driving records (if you’re applying for a position that requires driving)
- Criminal records most jobs
- Court records most jobs
- Financial records (if you’re applying to a bank or financial institution. The FBI and other government agencies may also be included)
- Personal records and identity verification via your social security number
- Education background
- Work history
- Verification of references
Most of this information will appear on your background check, along with more refined results if the job you’re applying for calls for it.
How Long Does a Background Check Last?
Background checks can be good for up to seven years, but state and local regulations will impact how long a background check is good for. That said, in most cases, information has to come off a background check after seven years because the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) dictates that background checks are handled in this way.
Different information may also fall off a background check first, which is important to note if you’re looking for something specific. For example, some things on a driving record might fall off faster than criminal charges.
Do Background Checks Expire?
Background checks don’t expire. Instead, they become outdated. While they don’t technically expire, that doesn’t mean that you can use the information from a background check you ran on them ten years ago. This is because information has to come off the person’s record after seven years unless they’re a sex offender.
How Often Employees Should Be Screened
Whether you’re a company or someone who’s been on the job for a while, employees should be screened every two to five years. Screening employees this way avoids the issue of using outdated information and will catch minor infractions that are driving or financial because these things fall off background checks faster.
If you’re an employee, the best you can do is keep your record clean to stay prepared.
How to Run a Background Check
When it’s time to run a new background check on an employee or applicant, the process is simple when you have the right tools.
One of the best ways to run a background check is to run one using a comprehensive online people search tool. When using a people search tool all you need is their full name, address, and state to compile all of their public records in one place. Plus, a reputable free people finder, like FreePeopleSearch, will notify you if anything changes, so you don’t have to worry about running one again.
When using a tool like FreePeopleSearch, always make sure your employees or applicants consent first to avoid legal problems. You can also use this tool to run a background check on yourself to make sure everything is in order and to be notified about potential changes.
Say Goodbye to Outdated Background Checks
Background checks don’t expire technically, but they do become outdated after a set number of years, so it’s important to avoid holding old information against employees. We always recommend using a tool like FreePeopleSearch to get background checks when you need them because of the constant updates and notifications that occur when information changes; in this day and age, being prepared is one of the most important things you can do.
