What Is the Cost of a Criminal Background Check?
Cindy Ellis - December 19, 2022
Figuring out what a criminal background check will cost you might be difficult thanks to the varying prices that different companies and state agencies offer. However, it’s important to be aware of a general cost for this process so you don’t end up getting scammed or paying more than you need to.
Our article helps you understand how much a criminal background check should cost and some of the factors that influence the overall pricing of this report.
What Do Criminal Background Checks Include?
In general, criminal background checks include information on criminal offenses that have been completed at the county or state level. This includes items such as misdemeanors, arrest records, convictions, certain traffic violations, and civil court issues like evictions and lawsuits. Felonies, violent crimes, and sex crimes are also typically visible on a criminal record.
More in-depth federal or international background checks might take longer to complete and include criminal offenses that have taken place overseas or those that might have been tried on a federal level. Generally, you will only be required to submit one of these more in-depth reports if you are applying for a specific government job or a position that works in security, with vulnerable populations, or needs a specific set of skills to complete.
Typical Costs for a Criminal Background Check
Because there are varying types of criminal background checks, such as general background reports, county or state-level reports, federal background checks, and international background checks, the costs of a criminal background report do vary a bit.
You may also experience variations in cost depending on the agency providing the criminal background report, how fast you want the report to be completed, and whether or not there are any bumps along the way, such as an individual using multiple names throughout their life, proper identify verifications, and required multi-state searching.
That being said, there is a general range that you can expect to pay for a criminal background check – most reports will stay in the range of $10 to $70 depending on the above factors. Keep in mind that you might also need to pay access fees for certain types of reports, but this also depends on the agency that you are obtaining criminal background checks from.
What Are Access Fees?
Access fees are an additional fee that you might be required to pay for a report on top of the fee for ordering a specific criminal background check report. Whether or not you’ll be required to pay an access fee depends on the reporting agency you are ordering reports from and the type of report.
It’s important to look up potentially required access fees ahead of time before you pay for a report so that you know the full cost of the criminal background check you’re ordering.
Will My Employer Pay for a Criminal Background Check?
If your employer requires a criminal background check as part of a pre-employment screening, they may ask you to obtain the report separately, in which case you will likely be asked to pay for your own report. In this case, you will have the option of selecting the agency that you obtain your report through, as long as you require the exact report required by the employer (such as a county or state-level criminal background check report).
Sometimes, an employer may have a chosen provider that they use for criminal background checks and will require you to obtain your report through that specific service. They may or may not pay for the report in this case.
It’s important to double-check with your potential employer and see what is required of you when it comes to obtaining a criminal background check report and whether or not you will be required to pay for this out of pocket. In most cases, you will be, but occasionally an employer will cover the cost.
Would a Criminal Background Check Ever Be Free?
Most criminal background checks from verified reporting agencies will not be free. This is because you are paying for the service to search public records for you and pull a report out of a database, saving you the time of searching for an individual’s criminal background history manually.
However, certain types of criminal background searches or identity verification searches might be free, such as running a search of an individual on the National Sex Offender Public Website or double-checking employment and education history. Keep in mind that reporting agencies that ask you to pay for things like this might be trying to get more money out of you than the criminal background check report might be worth.
Always perform research ahead of time so that you know which parts of a criminal background search might be free or low-cost, and which parts you will need to pay an agency for to gain an easily compiled report.
The Most Cost-Effective Criminal Background Check for You
When it comes to obtaining a criminal background check report, every individual wants to ensure they have something cost-effective and reliable, no matter if you are the one requesting the report or the person turning in a required criminal background check. Many criminal background check reporting services offer employer discounts and a breakdown of their costs, which are important to review if you want to ensure you are paying a fair price for this report.
Additionally, you can stay informed of what an individual might see on your own criminal background check report by running a primary search of your report via an online search tool. These search tools provide an easy way to review your personal background history without waiting for long turnaround periods and paying high fees to view your report.
