Getting Started

Delivery times for our background checks vary depending on the type of searches run. A Basic Check returns results fastest – often almost instantly – because it searches online databases rather than physical records at a county courthouse. Other searches, like County Criminal Court Searches, may take longer due to the depth of the search. Some add-ons, like employment and education verifications, can take up to five days to complete.

We let you know the estimated delivery time on every background check you order, and we return the results as soon as they’re available. That means you can see the results of the National Criminal Databases Search, for example, even if employment verification isn’t yet complete.

Keep in mind: The first time you order a GoodHire background check, we must verify that your organization is a legitimate business, as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The company credentialing process typically takes less than 24 hours – often as little as one hour – depending on the clarity and completeness of the information you provide at signup.

If you would like to cancel a check and it has not started processing yet, you can do this from the Dashboard of your GoodHire account. To cancel, just follow the steps listed below:

• Find the check you'd like to cancel on the dashboard
• Expand the details by clicking on the arrow on the right side
• If the background check has not started processing, you will see a "Cancel" button
• Click the button and confirm cancellation
• Note: If your candidate was invited to enter their information or consent, they will be notified by email that the report was canceled and their invitations will be expired

If the background check has already started processing and you would like to cancel an individual search, please contact our Support Team as soon as possible.

• Call GoodHire Support at 888-906-4284

GoodHire's screening packages have been created specifically to yield quick, accurate results. However, additional consideration, such as industry or experience level might require different add-ons. View Types of Checks to understand your choices.

GoodHire partners with a variety of FCRA-certified providers whose comprehensive databases compile state and federal records. Our team of experienced court researchers conducts on-site court record checks, while a team of professional educational and employment search specialists pursue direct verification of candidate credentials.

Did you know that international checks require additional documents from your candidate? Learn more.

For resume verifications, such as completed degrees, past employers, or professional licenses, GoodHire investigates information provided about a candidate's background to verify claims made by the candidate. For further details about the process, please refer to our Verification Protocol.

To start a background check, you only need to provide your candidate’s legal name and email address. We’ll take care of the rest.

We email your candidate a link to a secure site where they can provide the rest of the information we need: Social Security number, date of birth, and current home address. Our digital consent process, with built-in electronic signature, keeps the entire process quick, easy, and accurate.

Of course, you can collect the candidate information yourself, if you prefer.

The SSN Trace determines the counties for the 7-Year County Criminal Court Search. We cross-reference the information the candidate provided with data from the major credit bureaus, which indicates counties where the candidate previously applied for credit. Matches for the three most recent counties (if applicable) are searched either electronically (if the records are available online) or in person via our network of professional court runners.

GoodHire needs your candidate’s email address to contact them and obtain their consent to run a background check. If you do not have your candidate’s email address, GoodHire cannot electronically obtain their consent on your behalf. Instead, choose to download the FCRA Candidate Disclosure and Authorization Packet directly from the GoodHire website and manually upload it once you’ve received the necessary signatures. Note, the manual option may delay the delivery of your results.

We use your candidates’ SSNs to check whether the number is valid and belongs to the name they provided. An SSN Trace also returns any aliases or name variations associated with the SSN along with a list of recent counties where the candidate lived or applied for credit. If you’ve ordered a background check that includes the 7-Year County Court Check, we use the three most recent addresses to determine which counties’ records to search.

Ultimately, SSNs help us return accurate information about the right person. If you can't or don't wish to collect sensitive information from your candidates, just send us the candidate’s legal name and email. We’ll work with the candidate directly to gather all remaining information and consent.

GoodHire requires the candidate’s date of birth (DOB) and Social Security number (SSN) in order to run a background check. An individual’s DOB and SSN is used as a primary identifier by nearly all American court systems and this information helps ensure the accuracy of our reports.

If you can't or don't wish to collect sensitive information from the candidate, you can request that the candidate securely provide his or her information to GoodHire directly through our e-consent process. Companies that choose this option will only need to submit the candidate’s legal name and email.

Accurate names are critical to retrieve criminal records. Industry best practice is to conduct background checks of each name used within the last seven years.

All required information must be provided before starting a background check. GoodHire provides employers the option to ask candidates to complete their own information, effectively offloading the often difficult task of collecting the information yourself.

If a candidate is unable to or prefers not to provide their information online, employers can request the required information from the candidates, and enter it manually during the ordering process. Be sure to use the GoodHire Candidate Information Form to gather the necessary information needed to run the background check. It is important to note that supplementary information may be required from the employer and/or the candidate for certain screening services.

When you sign up for GoodHire, you provide some basic information we use to verify that your organization is legitimate. Once verified, you can begin running background checks by selecting the pre-packaged check you need – and include any add-ons during checkout. We’ll ask for the legal name and email address of your candidate or employee, and that’s it. We gather all remaining information and consent directly from the candidate. You can view the results as soon as they’re ready. (Turnaround time varies depending on the type of background check you ordered.)

The FCRA requires that we verify your organization before we run any background checks for you. We make it easy, and you only have to do it once.

To make the process go quickly, be sure to have the following information ready at signup:

• The legal registered name of your company, as well as the DBA (Doing Business As)
• Your Employer Identification Number (EIN)
• Your work email address

Once we’ve verified your company, we’ll send an email to let you know. As long as we have all the candidate information and the signed consent form, your background check will begin processing right away.

You can see the prices of our pre-packaged background checks here and order them online. If you want to include add-ons, like Motor Vehicles Records Check or Drug Screening, you can add them during checkout.

We offer discounts on volume orders for as few as five checks. Sign up to get started.

If you have high-volume background check needs, our sales team will be happy to work with you to provide a custom quote.

Absolutely. All transmission of personal data uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), a robust protocol for encrypting data online (check your browser’s address bar for the “https://” prefix—this means you’re surfing with SSL protection). HTTPS connections are used throughout GoodHire’s checkout process for payment protection, and whenever you’re logged in to the site.

To protect your candidates’ privacy and ensure the security of their data, background check results will be available to both you and the candidate or employee on the GoodHire website. You’re automatically notified by email when results are ready. If you prefer not to be notified via email, it’s easy to turn off this feature in the Account Settings section.

This will depend on the status of the background check. Different parts of the check are processed at different times. GoodHire can only refund the portions of a background check that have not already been delivered.