The Background Check – What Does it Cost?
“How much is a background check?” is one of the first questions asked of most providers by a company looking to start or change its employee screening process.
This is a somewhat complicated question to answer because a lot of the cost depends on how reliable the company wants its information to be.
There are web sites where users can go online, sign up, and get a “National Background Check” for as little as $9.99. The results obtained from this type of check are going to be unreliable at best and damaging at worst. The information contained in this type of report is generally available instantly, so no recent activity could possible be on it, and it is prone to missing legitimate records while posting false positives on others. But many companies use them, thinking they are protecting themselves from thieves and violent offenders. Never depend on information found in an “Instant National Criminal Database”, or you are likely be disappointed.
So why should a company pay $20 and up for a simple criminal history check? First, at the county level, someone has to actually go to at least one courthouse and sometimes more, to check the name index for the applicant and retrieve the record if it exists. In addition to compensation for this individual, some clerks and courts charge fees just to access the information, and some, known as “Clerk Search Courts” charge for the time the clerk spends retrieving the record, sometimes by appointment only. Currently, the most extreme example of an add-on fee is in the state of New York, which charges $62.00 to access their court records.
Other jurisdictions are discovering that this can be a good source of income in a down economy.
A good number of states that offer access to the statewide repository of criminal information (some are better and more accurate that others) also charge varying amounts to those who access the records.
Then, the records are reviewed for accuracy of identifiers and any restricted information.
Most background check providers charge a fair price and pass on court fees to the end user. Be sure you are aware up front of any potential fees that you may be charged.
The question is, are you comfortable that the results you receive from your background company accurate and reliable, or are you receiving a commodity, information bought and sold without regard to its content?
To discuss your background check program, call 770-426-0547 or click here.
