7 Best Background Check Companies in 2020

Background checks are often overlooked, but they are essential for employers. There is no reason to wait until 2020 when you can start pre-screening potential employees today. These 7 companies offer the best background check services in 2020, whether it be criminal records or employment history verification.

Companies that do employment background checks confirm that the individual you’re employing is who they say they are and that they are safe to hire. For roles that demand that level of scrutiny, the top background check businesses can verify resumes, identities, and personal histories, as well as provide compliance credit checks, drug screens, and even healthcare background checks. The cost of a background check package varies from $30 to $200.

How Did We Assess Employee Background Check Firms?

Pre-employment background checks, as well as employment termination, should be part of every onboarding strategy (if background checks are a normal practice) (if there is a concern of substance use). We prioritized background check firms that cover the majority of the services an employer would want, assuming that a small business would prefer to engage with one organization rather than numerous. The ones we recommended are reasonably priced and enable you to choose from a variety of background check packages or just one sort of test, such as a pre-employment drug test, when that’s all that’s required.

We examined the following factors based on small enterprises that need background check services:

• Price: We identified reasonable background check firms with packages ranging from $30 to almost $200. Some companies charge fixed prices for one-time exams.
• We only included top-rated background check businesses based on user comments.
• Background check businesses that were certified by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and/or the National Association of Professional Background Screeners were given top priority.
• Types of background checks: We examined all-inclusive background check businesses to save you time confirming identities, resumes, drug screening, and more.
• We looked for companies that provided job screening, résumé verification, identification, and personal background checks, as well as permission forms for compliance.
• Other background checks: Credit checks, drug screening, foreign screening, and healthcare sanctions screening are also available via most of these companies (for medical professionals).
• Forms and status monitoring: We discovered background check firms that provide printable permission forms as well as progress tracking. Some feature smartphone applications that you may use to track your progress.
• Software integrations: We discovered background check companies that can exchange data with your current HR software, saving you time by avoiding redundant data input.

Which Background Check Company Is Best for You?

As the premier job background check business, GoodHire maintains its lead. The company won the top rank because of its low package prices, simple permission forms, and a wide variety of background check services, which include drug testing and foreign applicant screening. GoodHire is simple to use, provides excellent customer service, and generates positive comments from clients who like the user-friendly dashboard.

GoodHire is the best employment background check company

We believe that GoodHire is the greatest overall employment background check provider for small and big enterprises in a variety of sectors, including healthcare, construction, and nonprofits. It works with a variety of popular software programs. It also offers specialized background checks for businesses that have distinct safety and security needs, such as child care and home health care.

In addition to applicant education and employer verification, GoodHire provides additional services like fingerprints, 4-10 panel drug testing (panel = kind of substance), and worldwide criminal history checks. Even for organizations that do less than 50 background checks each year, these services are available in cheap bundles.

Pricing

GoodHire delivers the finest value for money across the board when it comes to background check services. Its background check packages range from $29.99 to $79.99, including a one-time setup charge. To pay court expenses, state fees, and motor vehicle record fees, third-party fees are applied (with no markup).

Packages

May include third-party costs that are not subject to markup by GoodHire. If you want to do more than 50 background checks per year, you’ll need to get a quotation from GoodHire directly.

Features

If you own a small company in the finance, accounting, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, in-home service (such as massage treatment), or child care sectors, you must do background checks on your personnel to comply with industry-specific rules. GoodHire is an excellent option since it performs everything in one place and gives you a dashboard view of all the background checks you’ve ordered.

• Employment Screening: The amount of days it takes GoodHire to perform employment screening ranges from one to ten days, depending on the number of background checks you need. Drug screenings, as well as any screening that necessitates a request for court papers, often take the longest (they provide 4-, 5-, 7-, and 10-panel drug testing).
• Extra Background Checks: Sensitive areas such as finance and insurance may demand additional background checks such as credit reports, licensure, or foreign screening. With our healthcare sanctions check, GoodHire can ensure that medical professionals (doctors, dentists, and nurses) are in good standing.
• GoodHire, unlike some of the other companies on our list, has a mobile app. Your compliance documentation, as well as downloadable forms such as consent and dispute documents, are all included. This helps you stay in compliance with EEOC, credit, and drug testing rules, which require you to get prior clearance from applicants before hiring them.
• Software Integrations: GoodHire connects with a variety of HR platforms, including applicant tracking systems and recruiting software. If you have HR software that isn’t one of the 16 GoodHire interfaces, it can interact with it through an application interface (API).
• Email help is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and live chat and phone assistance are available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time. The live chat function on GoodHire is polite and speedy, enabling you to obtain immediate answers to your background check queries right on the website.

Cons

The only drawback to GoodHire is that it takes a little longer to get the findings than some of the less thorough background check providers, such as AccurateNow. It might take up to 10 business days if you sign up for the Premium level check or run thorough drug test panels, and some data will come back sooner than others. Basic background checks, for example, are often completed the same day.

Intellicorp: The Best Background Check Company for Healthcare and Nonprofits

Employment verifications, criminal background checks, credit checks, driving record reviews, and drug screening are all services provided by Intellicorp. Its award-winning service verifies medical licenses, assuring that its applicants have never been involved in medical malpractice or fraud. It also checks against the National Practitioner’s Databank (DPDB) to make sure there are no Medicare or Medicaid penalties. IntelliCorp’s price packages are tailored to the pre-employment needs of charitable and medical organizations.

Pricing

Intellicorp has a number of packages (one of which is displayed below) and does not give pricing without a quotation (which is why it didn’t make our top ten list). Third-party sources, on the other hand, claim that its background checks cost anything from $20 to $100 or more. Because you may add modifications like former name searches, adverse action letters, and an arrest history report to their base package options. As a result, your individual pricing may differ.

Features

Intellicorp offers the same basic background checks as GoodHire, including civil, credit, criminal, and employment checks. It can also help you with I-9 forms and E-Verify, as well as verifying a worker’s or volunteer’s Social Security number and address, even if they’re from another country. If you operate with volunteers and don’t have HR or payroll software, this might be useful.

• Employment Screening: You’ll need to upgrade to IntelliCorp’s mid-tier plan to receive employment screening features. Some of the forms are available in Spanish from Intellicorp. This is advantageous in the medical and home care sectors, which often employ multilingual employees.
• Extra Background Checks: If you’re mainly verifying nonprofit and healthcare personnel in sensitive areas like child care, elder services, or medical fieldwork like disaster response, IntelliCorp’s additional background checks, and add-on capabilities may be a better match for you. Multi-county screening, worldwide screening, healthcare sanctions, credit checks, and drug testing are among the services offered.
• Forms and Status Tracking: Intellicorp supplies federal and state regulatory authorities with acknowledgment and disclosure forms. If you need to hire union employees outside of the US, it also comes with a European Union (EU) Acknowledgement. However, unlike GoodHire, it lacks a user-friendly dashboard and mobile app, forcing you to download and send forms to potential workers and volunteers.
• Intellicorp offers a number of software interfaces with organizations such as VolunteerMatters and job portals such as SmartRecruiters. Aside from that, it lacks GoodHire’s standard HR and applicant tracking connectors. Only bigger business solutions employing software tools like HRNX and iCIMS have pre-built interfaces to these platforms.
• Customer assistance is available by phone and email from Intellicorp. A blog, FAQs, online forms, training, and videos are all available for online customer assistance.

Cons

Intellicorp does not have a mobile app. It doesn’t have the same slick UI as GoodHire and only has a few program connections. It also lacks upfront pricing, making it difficult to determine if it’s an economical alternative for your company without first signing up and through a sales call and demo.

AGoodEmployee.com; Best Background Services for Heavily Regulated States

Employee background checks that are compatible with harsher legislation in areas like California, New York, and Massachusetts are handled by AGoodEmployee.com. Employee protections for casual drug users and reformed offenders are provided in these states. With similar pricing, it provides fewer kinds of background checks than Intellicorp or GoodHire. However, in areas where background checks might land you in trouble if they’re not done correctly, it’s a good alternative.

Pricing

Background check packages from AGoodEmployee.com run from $29.95 to over $200. Its most popular package costs $79.95 per report and includes verification of education and employment, as well as a criminal history check and Social Security number verification.

Packages

You’ll have to switch to a more expensive Premier plan ($199.95) if you require drug tests, reference checks, or a search of federal court records. Some of these services are also available, however, they are all charged separately. A 10-panel drug check, for example, may be added to a basic package for $99.95, which is still much more than GoodHire costs.

Features

Many of the same job verifications are available from this employee background check provider, including personal history, identification, and resume validation. It also includes credit checks and drug tests, as well as documents that can be downloaded and testing procedures that are compliant. There are no screening methods for overseas employers, and there is no means to check for healthcare sanctions, unlike Intellicorp and GoodHire.

• Employment Screening: AGoodEmployee features Telecheck check verification, which isn’t available in GoodHire or IntelliCorp, to guarantee that the individual you’re recruiting doesn’t have a history of writing bad checks. (This is a feature that is more beneficial to landlords.) Otherwise, it checks common background information like Social Security numbers and previous addresses.
• Additional background checks are available, but they are not free. You don’t have the same flexibility with drug testing as you have with GoodHire. You’ll need to subscribe to a roughly $200 per month plan if you want to examine federal court records or personal references.
• Forms and Status Tracking: From candidate consent forms to a statement of rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, AGoodEmployee.com has you covered. Although the forms are free, you will need to print them and have applicants personally sign them.
• Software Integrations: AGoodEmploye.com can link with your applicant tracking system, but this will need a conversation with its sales staff and will very certainly incur additional charges to create and test the interface. We couldn’t find any typical integrations. While the reports are printable, we were unable to find any data export options.

Cons

Affordable drug testing isn’t available on AGoodEmployee.com. It also lacks a user-friendly dashboard and an app. It’s set up like a traditional menu-driven database. Furthermore, most small firms want their data to interact with current company tools to save time. You’ll almost certainly be entering duplicate data for applicants using AGoodEmployee.com.

HireRight is the best background check service for HR departments.

When it comes to employment background check businesses that integrate with current HR software, HireRight comes out on top. HR professionals will appreciate the ability to send data directly from HireRight to their applicant tracking system, HR software, payroll system, or timekeeping program. It even works with business systems such as SAP, ADP, and Paychex.

Pricing

One of the reasons HireRight didn’t reach the top of our list is that package pricing isn’t available online. It’s only offered on the basis of a quotation. To view the packages they provide, you must first fill out a form with information about your location, how many workers you have, and how many background checks you’re likely to require each year or contact the sales staff.

HireRight does, however, provide a small company option called HireRight Express, which costs $29.95 to $64.95 and includes very basic features such as rapid ad hoc background checks. BackgroundChecks.com owns HireRight Express (albeit it may be accessed via the HireRight website menu).

Here’s how much HireRight Express costs (and what you receive for it):

Features

HireRight provides all of the necessary background screening solutions for a growing company, making it simple for your HR staff to screen prospective prospects. Identity checks, I-9 and E-Verify, worldwide screening, driving records, criminal background checks, and other services are included. Transportation, healthcare, education, financial services, retail, and other sectors are all included.

• HireRight’s employment screening includes a wide range of capabilities, such as social media background checks and compliance with “ban the box” laws. It covers, among other things, criminal records, county searches, education, work history, and references.
• Additional Background Checks: HireRight offers over 150 background screening services in over 200 countries and territories, making it an excellent choice for HR professionals in almost any sector or location. Candidates also get a copy of the report, have the opportunity to contest its correctness, and receive advice if they are unsure what to fill out on the form.
• HireRight makes it simple for you as an HR professional to get background check information directly from candidates, either via your current HR business software or by email. You may save background check data alongside applicant data in your ATS, HR, or payroll software via the interfaces, minimizing data security concerns and various web storage sites.
• HireRight offers the most software integrations, making it the ideal choice for HR professionals who are already familiar with integrated systems like HRIS systems or recruitment software. Some examples are Greenhouse, Cornerstone, SmartRecruiters, Kronos, and Workday.

Cons

You won’t find it inexpensive for small company customers until you go to HireRight Express, which is now part of BackgroundChecks.com. It’s a more enterprise-focused solution for HR professionals who manage background checks as part of a standardized hiring process.

AccurateNow

AccurateNow is ideal for businesses of all sizes. Because it offers popular add-on background checks including motor vehicle records (for your field sales team), professional license verification for your certified employees, and low-cost employment and education verification alternatives, it’s a popular choice. As a result, you may personalize your screening to the prospective hire’s work description.

Pricing

AccurateNow is a good option for HireRight and IntelliCorp if cost is a major consideration. It offers a $25 startup cost, which makes it less expensive than GoodHire, but it doesn’t have as many background check capabilities. The packages range in price from $29.95 to $74.95. Each one-time add-on report costs between $5 and $9.95. The cost of drug testing is determined on a case-by-case basis. AccurateNow can help you if you’re in professional services rather than a sensitive sector.

Features of AccurateNow

Background checks for your recruiting staff are simple with AccurateNow. They will be able to fill out a form with applicant information, and they will get a report after the check is completed. They’ll also be able to view updates on the progress of each check as it’s completed. It might take a few days to verify court records in a city like New York, for example, if you’re recruiting somebody.

• AccurateNow offers the same employment background checks as GoodHire, HireRight, and the majority of other background check providers. The only reason it wasn’t ranked higher is that it lacks a search of health check sanctions and no pre-built interfaces for storing the resultant candidate background data.
• Additional Background Checks: AccurateNow offers professional license verification, a motor vehicle report, and a search of US District Court records in addition to the basic services it provides as an employment background check business. Each of these add-ons is simply $9.95 per a report, enabling you to buy a lower-tier bundle and add on ad hoc reports later.
• Forms and Status Tracking: You must buy the $5 add-on and combine it with an existing report package to acquire forms such as a pre-adverse or adverse action letter.
• AccurateNow does not provide any software integrations with your recruiting or applicant tracking tools, except giving you an electronic copy of the background check report. To store the report, either electronically attach it to a protected employee data file or physically put a copy in the candidates’ hiring folder.

Cons

AccurateNow has fewer background check choices than organizations like GoodHire and HireRight, which provide more comprehensive background checks. It also lacks healthcare-industry inspections, making it unsuitable for healthcare enterprises. Finally, it lacks pre-built integrations, but it does provide an API if you wish to create your own via its developer site.

InfoMart is the best background check company for businesses.

InfoMart offers a complete variety of background check services, from monitoring how applicants use social media to motor vehicle records and criminal histories. It caters to a wide range of sectors, including automotive, catering, healthcare, hotel, and retail. However, the true value is for businesses that use an enterprise software platform, which comes with pre-built interfaces to the most popular workforce management systems like Workday and PeopleSoft.

Pricing

The cost of working with InfoMart as an ERP integration partner is determined by the industry and the size of the firm. Pre-employment screening costs for a communications firm with 50 workers varied from $30 to $80, with education and employment only accessible at the upper price tier. As a result, you’ll need to contact the InfoMart sales team and tell them what software you’re using, how many checks you’ll likely need, and what industry you’re in before you can have a good idea of how much InfoMart will cost.

Features

InfoMart offers a comprehensive background screening service that includes Social Security ID verification, multi-state criminal history, and a search of the sex offender database. It also includes tools for occupational health background checks, sanctions searches, screening audits, and social media, as well as a comparison of applicant data with verified watch lists.

• Basic employment screening services ensure that your candidate’s identification and employment are verified, as well as that their educational background matches. To save time, candidates may use the ASAP ID mobile app to submit their data and a picture (for biometric verification).
• Additional Background Checks: InfoMart provides a comprehensive background check service. For example, any inflammatory or aggressive conduct, as well as sexually explicit postings, are revealed via its social media platforms. It may also be used to reveal acts of bigotry or prejudice. An audit to evaluate how reliable your current background check firm is one of the fascinating services it offers new business customers.
• Forms and Status Tracking: You may monitor the status of your forms and background checks online. Indeed, processes may be created to handle screening services depending on the position. InfoMart also supports a variety of languages.
• Greenhouse, Workable, and Taleo are just a few of the major software applicant tracking systems that InfoMart interacts with. It can also communicate data across corporate platforms like PeopleSoft, Workday, and ADP Virtual Edge, removing the need to manage background check data in several software systems.

Cons

HR and payroll connectors with standard software, which are more likely to be utilized by small enterprises, are missing from InfoMart (Gusto and Indeed, for instance). If you require interfaces, you’ll have to locate someone who knows how to use the API to create one.

ShareAble for Hires: Best Background Check Company for Financial Firms

ShareAble for Hires provides basic background, identification, resume verification, and employment screening, as well as credit checks for candidates. Because it’s part of the TransUnion system, it can provide these services quickly and completely online. It’s ideal for guaranteeing that your finance and accounting new workers don’t arrive with debt and credit concerns.

Pricing

ShareAble for Hires is one of the most reasonable background check packages, with checks ranging from $35 to $60. The fact that you don’t have to join a membership or pay any setup costs is a plus. You may obtain a background check for a candidate by going online.

Features

You’ll probably want the Pro package, which validates past employment and addresses if you’re looking for the best package for employment. Payment history, installment debts, and revolving credit are all part of the pre-employment credit checks. While they are intended to assist landlords in the screening of renters, they may also assist you in the screening of any workers who will be handling money in your company.

• Employment Screening: The basic package’s employment screening options include identity and criminal background checks that are compatible with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. You’ll need to upgrade to the Pro plan if you want to verify your Social Security, previous work, or previous residences.
• ShareAble for Hires does not yet provide foreign background screening, healthcare sanctions checks (needed for medical practitioners), or drug testing, in addition to thorough credit reports and criminal records.
• ShareAble for Hires offers you printed reports as well as forms and status tracking. It will be your responsibility to store and attach such papers to your employee records in your HR software or in your paper personnel files.
• Software Integrations: ShareAble for Hires does not provide any software integrations due to the online approach and speed of the background checks. Save a printed (or PDF) copy of the report and attach it to your HR or payroll system, or save it in a secure employee personnel file as a workaround.

Cons

If you need to check driving records or drug tests, ShareAble for Hires does not provide an all-in-one background check solution. It compensates for this, however, with a low-cost web-based system that requires no sign-up or setup expenses. You may obtain a report online whenever you need one.

Conclusion

Background check businesses ensure that the folks you’re recruiting have no red flags in their background that might harm you or your company. The best employment background check firms provide an all-in-one background screening solution that includes online report storage and a dashboard that can exchange data with your other HR software, making your total employee recruiting process simpler, more consistent, and more lawful.

Finally, a polite reminder that you should not get background information on an applicant from any vendor or on your own until the individual has been offered a job. Although federal law does not ban companies from performing background checks prior to making a job offer, several state laws have explicitly stated limitations (note that the “Ban the Box” campaign is related to this problem).