Checkr

In short

Checkr is a screening platform for employers. It lists a Basic package, an Essential package, a Complete package and an Enterprise option with custom pricing, and it prices the first three per report. It also describes itself as an AI-powered verification platform for hiring, lending and risk decisions.

Does Checkr actually do background checks?

Checkr runs the searches itself and delivers a report to you. Depending on the package, that includes an SSN trace, sex offender registry, global watchlist search and national criminal search; the higher packages add identity verification, unlimited county criminal searches, state criminal searches and a federal criminal search.

The vendor also lists employment verification, education verification, civil court checks, credit checks, driving records and drug testing among the screening types it offers.

How fast is a Checkr background check?

Checkr says an employment check through a consumer reporting agency typically takes three to five business days, with large differences by check type. Criminal checks run from about a day to three days, driving records from just over an hour to a few business days, and lab-based drug tests take longest.

For a crew you need on a truck next week, start the check at the offer stage and tell the candidate to respond to requests quickly, since slow replies are a listed cause of delay.

Do you need the candidate's consent?

Yes. You notify the candidate and get written consent before ordering the check, a step the vendor says federal FCRA law requires when you use a provider. Checkr says it generates the required forms and communications and supplies compliance tooling.

This guide is not legal advice: state and local rules also apply, so check them for your state.

Should a trades business run driving record checks?

If a hire will drive a company truck, a motor vehicle record check is the relevant add-on. An MVR report shows license status and class, accident reports, traffic violations and driving-related convictions, and the vendor names field services among the sectors that commonly require them.

The published employer packages list motor vehicle records as an add-on, along with identity verification and drug screening.

Drivers of regulated vehicles may fall under Department of Transportation rules, which the vendor says make these checks mandatory in some industries.

Who it's for

Checkr suits a plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing or landscaping owner who hires technicians or helpers and wants a repeatable screening step. Its workforce packages are published for employers and priced per report, which suits irregular hiring.

Who should look elsewhere

Look elsewhere if what you need is payroll and HR rather than screening: Gusto and Rippling are covered in our catalog for that. Look elsewhere if you screen volunteers or run tenant or lending checks: the vendor has separate product pages for those, and this review only covers workforce hiring.

Limits to know

Pass-through fees apply separately and vary by location, so the per-report price is not the whole cost. Add-ons such as drug screening are priced separately. Checkr does not run payroll, scheduling or onboarding, so it is one step in a hiring workflow rather than the whole workflow.

Where it fits in the catalog

Our catalog tags Checkr under the payroll and HR task because the nearest category is HR, not because it runs payroll. If you need a tool to pay the crew after you hire them, see /tasks/payroll.

What to check on pricing

Packages are priced per report on the vendor's pricing page, but we have not recorded a verified amount in our table, so our page shows "vendor site". Add the pass-through fees for your state and any add-ons you need. See /tools/checkr/pricing.

Alternatives and when they fit

• Gusto if you want payroll, benefits and HR for a small business in one account.
• Rippling if you want payroll, HR and IT management in one modular platform.
• Paylocity if you run a growing team and want payroll and HR from one platform.

How we reviewed it

We read Checkr's homepage, pricing page, background check overview, motor vehicle record page and turnaround-time article. We did not use review sites, and we did not repeat the vendor's satisfaction or accuracy statistics, since we cannot verify them.