Will Changing Your Date of Birth Pass a Background Check?
Dave Moore - April 26, 2024
Background checks are a process that has become more in-depth and common over the years. Since the creation of the internet, there has never been more information available for people to verify.
What’s more, schools, workplaces, and government agencies all run background checks to verify your identity or your education level and determine if you’re a safe candidate for their workplace. In fact, you might need to pass a background check to purchase a firearm or enter into a graduate program.
Due to the high demand for background checks, and of course, the demand to pass them, people have tried to get creative. This poses the question; will changing your date of birth pass a background check? The short answer is no but the long answer is one you’ll want to stick around for. Read on to learn more below.
What Is a Background Check?
First, it’s important to understand what a background check is to determine if changing your birth date can help. Simply put, background checks involve companies or organizations looking into your public records to verify your identity.
Background checks can also extend to driving records or criminal records, so it’s not always a matter of verifying your identity or previous employers.
For this reason, it’s important to learn more about what might be on a background check to determine if you might pass.
What Information Is on a Background Check?
Background checks contain a lot of information about the people they’re being run on. Comprehensive background checks contain detailed information that covers the entirety of someone’s public records. For this reason, most background checks include the following information:
- Full name and Social Security verification
- Reaching out to previous employers or education professionals
- Checking someone’s criminal records
- Looking into court details
- Reaching out to friends and family to understand someone’s personality
- Sex offender status
- Checking social media profiles and online presence
Some background checks will also go into detail about a person’s specific history. For example, some jobs may require you to submit to a driving records search or credit report check. While less common, these types of background checks are common in the financial sector or when driving people around or transporting goods.
Additionally, drug tests can also be used alongside other types of background checks to ensure that employees are refraining from using drugs.
Reasons You Might Fail a Background Check
Background checks are an important part of applying for a job, and failing one might be the difference between getting hired versus being overlooked.
However, it’s important to understand what it means to fail a background check. This is because background checks don’t pass or fail. Ultimately, it’s about the information that shows up on them and how employers interpret that information. Still, some things will typically lead to failure more so than others.
Criminal Records
Not all criminal records will result in you failing a background check but violent felonies, sex offenses, and some misdemeanors might prevent you from getting hired. If a background check reveals this information, there’s a chance that an employee might not hire you.
That said, some states have lookback periods that go back seven years. For non-violent felonies, companies can only see criminal records from within 7 years; keep this in mind when applying.
Inconsistencies
Inconsistencies in your records can flag you during a background check. For example, if you were to change your date of birth on a background check and the company finds a different one, this will flag you as failing. It can also lead to more questioning. If everything is accurate on your end, there’s a chance that it was just a clerical error.
This is why we always recommend checking your public records before applying for a job, so you can check for any inconsistencies.
Drug Tests
Drug tests are common. Some companies will run these drug tests before employment, especially jobs that require operating vehicles or dealing with people.
Companies will often run these tests more than once as well and may conduct annual drug tests. Unlike some other types of background checks, these are mostly pass or fail. The company will have drugs they don’t allow on the test, and if they show up in your system (usually urine), you’ll fail the drug test.
Bad References
This is one of the less common reasons to fail a background check but it can happen. While you’re encouraged to list references on your resume, bad references can result in you not getting approved for a position.
For example, if an employer contacts your references and your references don’t speak highly of you, you can fail the background check. If anything with your references doesn’t line up it’s also possible for you to fail the background check.
Not Meeting Specific Requirements
Some jobs will have specific requirements. Whether it’s having the necessary experience or education on your resume or having problems with your credit history, it’s possible to not meet the requirements of a job listing.
Another example of failing to meet requirements can be having a DUI when you apply for an Uber or taxi job. Jobs where you work with money will also require you to have a healthy credit profile, or you can end up failing the check.
Will Changing Your Date of Birth Pass a Background Check?
Changing your date of birth will not pass a background check.
The purpose of a background check is to look for inconsistencies in information about your past to verify your identity. Therefore, there’s a good chance that a background check will discover that you changed your date of birth or attempted to change your date of birth. This can also get you into trouble with the authorities.
Is Changing Your Date of Birth to Pass a Background Check Legal?
No, changing your date of birth to pass a background check is not legal. In fact, it can land you in jail due to fraud. Even if changing your date of birth to pass a background check works initially, that doesn’t mean it won’t catch up with you down the line.
From the point that you fraudulently change your date of birth, you’re at risk of getting in trouble due to fraud. This can happen if your current employer finds out or if another employer finds out during another background check. Therefore, you should never resort to changing your date of birth to try and pass a background check.
Are There Situations Where Changing Your Birth Date Is Allowed?
Yes, you can change your birth date without getting into trouble. That said, this only applies if there was a clerical error on a document like a passport or license. Otherwise, you should never change your date of birth, especially to pass a background check. The legal consequences are not worth the risk.
Alternatives to Changing Your Date of Birth to Pass a Background Check
Changing your birth date is not the best way to pass a background check. Thankfully, you don’t have to resort to fraud to pass a background check the legal way.
With some careful preparation and proactivity on your end, you can pass a background check without getting into trouble with the law. Learn about tips for passing a background check below.
Come Prepared
It’s essential to come prepared for a background check. For this reason, we recommend using one of our background check tools to see what will appear on your background check before you apply. This can help you determine if you have to have anything that shouldn’t be on your record removed.
What’s more, it can give you a chance to speak with the interviewer or company about your background check before they see it. Doing this can give you a chance to explain yourself if you have anything that might not allow you to pass.
Avoid Using Drugs Prior to a Background Check
Drugs can fail you immediately, so it’s a good idea to avoid using them prior to your background check.
Most employers will surprise you with a drug test or mention it after the first few interviews, so you won’t always have adequate time to prepare. To prevent any problems or stress, avoid taking any non-prescribed substances two weeks to one month prior to interviewing or taking a background check.
Have Felonies Removed From Your Record
Felonies don’t have to remain on your criminal record forever. While states with lookback periods will have felonies unavailable on background checks after a predetermined number of years, you can also be proactive.
It’s possible to expunge some non-violent and non-sex crimes from your record. You’ll have to make an appeal and consult with a lawyer to go through the legal process, but it’s a better alternative to changing your birth date to pass a background check.
Pass Your Next Background Check Today
Passing a background check isn’t always easy. Unfortunately, employers and government agencies are great at verifying your public records to get a comprehensive picture of who you are.
While desperate people may consider changing their date of birth to pass a background check, this is something you should never engage in. Not only will it hurt your chances of passing the background check, but it can also result in you ending up in jail due to fraud.
Instead of resorting to changing your date of birth, we recommend following our tips for passing a background check for the best results. We also have additional resources on specific background checks like NACI background checks to help you prepare for your next interview.
