How Can I Obtain a Background Check: Full Guide

A restaurant owner in Nashville recently shared a story that every small business operator will recognize.

She had been hiring staff for three years the same way: a quick Google search, two references, a gut check over the interview table. Then she hired a line cook whose application looked clean — strong employment history, no red flags. Six weeks in, a former co-worker mentioned something that sent her searching. What she found: a theft conviction from a neighboring state that had never surfaced in her informal screening process.

She had no idea background checks could be so simple to run. She had no idea they could be so fast. And she had no idea how easy it had been to miss something that important.

That’s exactly the question this guide answers: how can you obtain a background check — quickly, legally, and at a cost that makes sense for your situation?

Whether you’re an employer screening a new hire, a landlord vetting a prospective tenant, an individual running a check on yourself before a job application, or a parent researching someone who will be around your family — the path to a reliable background check is shorter than most people expect.

Let’s walk through it.

Why Obtaining a Background Check Matters More Than Ever

Before the how, a brief word on the why — because the numbers make it impossible to ignore.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 96% of employers now conduct some form of background screening before making a hiring decision. That’s not a trend. That’s a near-universal professional standard.

And it exists for a reason. Research consistently shows that nearly half of all credential and reference verifications reveal some discrepancy between what an applicant claims and what records confirm. Not half of known bad actors — half of all candidates. Embellished employment dates, unverified degrees, out-of-state criminal records that name-based searches miss entirely.

The cost of getting this wrong is steep. A bad hire conservatively costs 30% of the employee’s first-year salary in lost productivity, retraining, and turnover — and that’s before any legal or reputational exposure is factored in.

But here’s the flip side: obtaining a background check has never been faster, more affordable, or more accessible. Platforms like ClearCheck have made it possible for employers of every size — and individuals with legitimate needs — to get comprehensive, verified results in as little as 30 seconds.

The only question is which path is right for you.

4 Ways to Obtain a Background Check

Not all background checks work the same way, and not all methods are equally practical. Here are your four main options, with an honest look at the tradeoffs for each.

Option 1: Search Public Records Yourself (DIY)

The most legally accessible option. Criminal court records, civil judgments, and certain government filings are public record in most U.S. states, meaning anyone can request them.

How it works: You’d need to identify every county, state, and federal court jurisdiction where the subject has lived or worked, then submit individual records requests to each — either online, in person at the courthouse, or by mail.

The reality: A single candidate who has lived in three states over the past decade could require records requests from a dozen or more courts. Many jurisdictions charge per-request fees, require specific forms, and don’t accept online submissions. Some county records are still only accessible in person. You’ll also need to cross-reference sex offender registries, federal criminal records, and state databases separately.

Best for: Narrow, one-time requests where you have a specific court or jurisdiction in mind and aren’t in a hurry.

Not ideal for: Comprehensive employment screening, multi-state candidates, or any situation where speed, accuracy, and FCRA compliance matter.

Option 2: Request Records Through Government Agencies

Several state agencies offer official criminal records search services for individuals and employers. In Texas, for example, the Department of Public Safety offers a $15 statewide criminal records search. In North Carolina, the State Bureau of Investigation offers a right-to-review record for individuals through a fingerprint submission process.

How it works: You submit a request (often with a fingerprint card for official state searches), pay the applicable fee, and wait for results — which can take days to weeks, depending on the agency’s processing queue.

The reality: Government-agency records searches are authoritative within their jurisdiction, but they’re jurisdiction-specific. A Texas DPS search only covers Texas. It won’t reveal a criminal record in Georgia. For anyone who has lived in more than one state — which is most people — a single-state government records search is incomplete by design.

Best for: Individuals who need an official state-level record for a licensing application or personal review, and who already know the candidate’s full residential history is confined to one state.

Not ideal for: Employment screening across multi-state candidates, or any situation requiring national criminal history.

Option 3: Use a Third-Party Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA)

This is the path that serves the vast majority of legitimate background check needs — and it’s the one this guide focuses on most.

A Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) is a company authorized under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to compile and provide consumer reports, including background checks, for permissible purposes. When you run a background check through a CRA like ClearCheck for employment, tenancy, or other FCRA-governed purposes, you’re protected by a compliance framework that:

Requires the CRA to use accurate, up-to-date data sources
Gives the subject rights to review, dispute, and correct their report
Establishes required procedures before you can take adverse action based on findings

Third-party CRAs aggregate data from thousands of national, state, county, and municipal sources — delivering results that would take weeks to compile through DIY public records research, delivered in seconds.

Best for: Employment screening, tenant screening, volunteer screening, and any situation where you need FCRA-compliant, multi-source, comprehensive results quickly and reliably.

Not ideal for: Curiosity searches on individuals without a permissible FCRA purpose. Background checks obtained through CRAs must be used for lawful, documented purposes.

Option 4: Run a Self-Background Check

If you’re a candidate preparing for a job application, a contractor pursuing a new client relationship, or anyone wondering what a background check will reveal about you — running a self-check first is one of the most practical moves you can make.

ClearCheck’s guide on how to run a background check on yourself walks through this in full detail, including what to look for, how to dispute errors, and why doing it before your employer does it can save you significant stress.

Best for: Individuals who want to preview what employers or landlords will see, identify and dispute errors before they matter, and go into screenings with confidence.

What Does a Background Check Actually Cover?

Before you can choose the right method, it helps to understand what a background check is actually designed to surface. The components depend on the package you select — and what’s relevant for the purpose of the check.

Criminal history is the foundation of most employment and tenant screening. A comprehensive criminal search covers national criminal databases (millions of records from courts across all 50 states), statewide criminal history filtered through applicable FCRA lookback rules, federal criminal records, and sex offender registry cross-references. ClearCheck’s detailed guide on what shows up on a background check is an excellent reference for what each layer reveals — and what’s legally excluded.

Identity verification comes before any search. A Social Security Number (SSN) trace confirms who the candidate is and generates an address history that guides where else to look. This step is what closes the door on candidates who attempt to avoid detection by withholding previous addresses or aliases.

Employment history verification confirms whether a candidate’s stated job titles, employment dates, and company names match what employers actually report. Given that employment verification discrepancies have risen significantly over recent years, this component is increasingly non-optional for professional-level hires.

Education verification confirms the degrees, certifications, and attendance dates a candidate claims — important for any role where credentials are either legally required or core to the hiring decision.

Financial and civil records are added for roles involving fiduciary responsibility. Bankruptcy filings, civil judgments, and tax liens are relevant when you’re hiring for financial oversight, accounting, or executive roles where financial integrity is a direct job requirement.

OFAC/sanctions screening flags candidates who appear on U.S. Treasury Department watchlists or global sanctions registries — a legal requirement in financial services, government contracting, and other regulated industries.

For a full breakdown of what each type of search reveals and how employers should interpret findings, see ClearCheck’s companion guide on what a background check shows.

How to Obtain a Background Check as an Employer

If you’re hiring, this is the path that matters most — and it has both legal requirements and practical steps.

Step 1: Establish Your Screening Policy

Before you run your first check, decide which positions require which level of screening. Entry-level roles may warrant a basic criminal check and sex offender registry search. Roles with financial responsibility should add bankruptcy and civil records. Executive hires and regulated-industry positions call for the most comprehensive packages.

Establishing your policy in writing — and applying it consistently across all candidates for a given role — is both an FCRA best practice and a defense against discrimination claims.

Step 2: Choose a CRA and Select Your Package

Select a background check provider that is FCRA-compliant and offers transparent, itemized pricing. ClearCheck offers four tiers:

Basic ($19.99): Sex offender registry (national + state) and statewide 7-year criminal history. No SSN required.
Standard ($29.99): Adds SSN verification, Death Index, nationwide criminal history, alias scans, and 20-year address history.
Professional: Adds financial records, professional license verification, and deep employment history. Best for mid-to-senior roles.
Elite: Full comprehensive screening — criminal, civil, financial, federal, and identity verification — for executive and high-trust positions.

Add-on searches (OFAC Terrorist Search, Federal Civil Records, Bankruptcy Search — each $7.00) can be layered onto any package for targeted coverage.

Step 3: Obtain Written Consent Before You Start

This is the step most employers get wrong — and the one that creates the most legal exposure.

Under the FCRA, you must provide the candidate with a standalone written disclosure that a background check will be conducted before initiating any search. This document must be separate — not buried in an employment application or onboarding packet. The candidate must sign authorization before you submit their information.

Washington University in St. Louis’s HR Background Check Policy at hr.wustl.edu/items/employment-background-check-policy offers a thorough institutional framework for how written consent, criminal history review, and adverse action procedures are structured in a professionally compliant hiring environment.

ClearCheck’s platform handles consent documentation automatically within the workflow — so compliance is built into every step, not bolted on afterward.

Step 4: Submit the Check and Receive Results

Enter the candidate’s required information — name, date of birth, U.S. state to search, and SSN (for Standard and above). ClearCheck queries real-time court data directly from federal, state, county, and municipal sources. Results arrive in as little as 30 seconds for most standard checks.

All reports are stored securely on your private ClearCheck dashboard, accessible from desktop, tablet, or mobile. For organizations running checks on multiple candidates or across multiple locations, ClearCheck’s bulk background check packages are designed for exactly this scale — delivering professional-grade, multi-layer screening without slowing down your hiring cycle.

Step 5: Review Results and Follow FCRA Adverse Action Protocol

If the report is clean, proceed with confidence. If it reveals a concerning finding, you must follow the FCRA adverse action workflow before taking any negative action:

Send the candidate a pre-adverse action notice that includes a copy of the report and a summary of their FCRA rights
Allow a reasonable response window (typically at least five business days) for the candidate to review and dispute any inaccuracies
Conduct an individualized assessment — the EEOC requires you to consider the nature of the offense, how long ago it occurred, and how it relates to the specific role
Only then issue a final adverse action notice if you decide not to proceed

Skipping any of these steps — even with good intentions — creates real legal exposure. ClearCheck’s FCRA-compliant workflow guides you through each stage automatically.

How to Obtain a Background Check on Yourself

Running a background check on yourself isn’t just for candidates who have something to worry about. It’s one of the most practical steps anyone can take before a major application, a new client engagement, or a professional licensing review.

Here’s why it matters: background check errors are more common than most people realize. Expunged records sometimes still appear. Records from another person with a similar name can be mixed into your file. An old dismissed case might still show as “pending” due to database lag.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have the legal right to review information about yourself, dispute inaccuracies, and require investigation and correction. But you can only exercise those rights if you know what’s in your record — before an employer or landlord sees it first.

ClearCheck’s Standard package covers the core components of a self-check: SSN verification, nationwide criminal history, alias scans, sex offender registry, and 20-year address history. It gives you the same view a professional employer-level screening provides — so there are no surprises.

For a detailed walkthrough of what to look for and how to dispute errors if you find them, see ClearCheck’s complete guide on how to run a background check on yourself.

How to Obtain a Background Check for Personal Use

Beyond employment and self-checks, there are common personal-use scenarios where obtaining a background check is both legitimate and important.

Hiring a caregiver, nanny, or home service provider. When someone will have regular access to your home, your children, or an elderly family member, a background check isn’t paranoia. It’s basic due diligence. A national criminal history check and sex offender registry search provides meaningful peace of mind for this decision.

Screening a potential roommate. Moving in with someone you don’t know well is a significant personal and financial commitment. A basic background check can surface criminal history that wouldn’t come up in a casual conversation.

Screening a potential business partner. Before you sign a partnership agreement, a civil records and financial background check can reveal litigation history, judgments, or bankruptcy filings that are directly relevant to the financial trust you’re placing in someone.

Volunteer screening for organizations. Nonprofits, faith-based organizations, youth sports programs, and community groups that work with vulnerable populations have an ethical obligation — and in many cases a legal one — to screen volunteers as carefully as they screen paid staff.

Important note on personal-use checks: if you’re running a background check on another individual for personal reasons, you still need to follow FCRA requirements if you’re using a CRA. This means you need a permissible purpose, and in most personal hiring scenarios, you need the subject’s knowledge and consent. The FCRA protects the people being checked as much as it serves the people doing the checking.

For state-specific guidance on how FCRA requirements interact with local employment and screening laws, ClearCheck’s guide on criminal background checks in North Carolina is a useful model for understanding how the layers of law interact at the state level.

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Obtaining a Background Check

The process is simple. These mistakes are common enough to be worth calling out explicitly.

Mistake 1: Not getting written consent before running the check. If you’re using a CRA for employment or tenant screening, written, standalone consent is legally required before you start. Running a check without it is an FCRA violation — even if the candidate would have consented if asked.

Mistake 2: Using a non-FCRA provider for employment purposes. Many consumer-facing background check websites are explicitly for personal use only and specifically state they cannot be used for employment decisions. Using a non-FCRA check for hiring exposes you to serious legal liability. Always use an FCRA-compliant CRA for employment screening.

Mistake 3: Treating a clean report as the complete picture. A clean report reflects what’s legally searchable and reportable under FCRA guidelines in the databases searched. It’s meaningful — but it doesn’t mean the candidate has no history. Some records are expunged, sealed, or in jurisdictions with incomplete reporting. Use background checks as a powerful tool, not an infallible one.

Mistake 4: Skipping the adverse action process. If a background check finding influences a negative hiring decision, the full FCRA adverse action workflow is required: pre-adverse notice, candidate review period, individualized assessment, final adverse action letter. This process exists to protect candidates from being denied opportunities based on errors — and skipping it exposes employers to claims of FCRA violations.

Mistake 5: Using the same package for every role. A basic sex offender registry search is appropriate for an entry-level warehouse position. It’s wholly insufficient for a CFO hire or a role with unsupervised child access. Match your screening depth to the actual trust exposure of each role — and document why.

What Does It Cost to Obtain a Background Check?

Cost is one of the most common questions — and the range is wide enough to cause real confusion.

Here’s the practical landscape for 2025:

DIY public records research: Technically free, but requires significant time investment, multiple agency fees ($15–$65 per courthouse in some jurisdictions), and produces incomplete, non-FCRA compliant results
Government agency records: $15–$25 per request, jurisdiction-specific only, turnaround time of days to weeks
Professional FCRA-compliant screening (ClearCheck):
- Basic: $19.99 — criminal history + sex offender registry
- Standard: $29.99 — adds national criminal history, SSN, aliases, address history
- Professional: includes financial records, license verification, deep employment history
- Elite: full comprehensive package for high-trust and executive roles
- Add-ons: OFAC search, federal civil records, bankruptcy search — each $7.00

The real cost comparison isn’t between $0 and $19.99. It’s between $19.99 and the cost of a bad hire that a proper background check would have prevented — which averages 30% of the employee’s first-year salary, and can reach far higher for senior positions.

For organizations running checks at scale, ClearCheck offers volume packages that reduce per-check cost while maintaining the same quality of data and compliance workflow. Full pricing is at clearcheck.app/background-check-pricing.

Final Thoughts

The question isn’t really “how can I obtain a background check?” — the process is genuinely straightforward. The better questions are: what do I actually need to verify, who has the legal right to run it, and what’s the fastest and most reliable way to get results I can act on?

For employers, the answer is a FCRA-compliant third-party provider with real-time data, built-in compliance workflows, and transparent pricing. For individuals, the answer is a self-check from the same type of platform — so you know exactly what the world sees when it searches your name.

ClearCheck delivers both. In 30 seconds. Starting at $19.99.

Positions Fill Fast — Get Your Background Check Before the Next Interview

Every unverified candidate is a risk you’re choosing to accept. Stop choosing.

ClearCheck delivers FCRA-compliant background checks — national criminal history, federal records, identity verification, employment history, and more — in as little as 30 seconds. No waiting days for results. No complex government forms. No subscription required. Just verified, actionable data for your next hire, tenant, or personal decision.

Starts at $19.99. Money-back guarantee. ISO 27001:2013 Certified.