How Long Does an Employment Background Check Take? Full List of Jobs

When entering job market for the first time in a while, a common question is how long does an employment background check take?

The fact is that the length of time required for a background check can vary, based on a number of different factors, including the company and the varieties of background checks being run.

For example, the type of job or position can dictate how long does a background check take…and a person’s record can also play a role. Other common situations that impact how long a background check takes for employment include:

• Whether the job is regulated by federal or state agencies (like for positions that involve working with children, such as a background check for child abuse, background check for nannies, or daycare background check for daycares)
• Whether the employment includes access to sensitive information (like with a government-related position)
• Whether the job involves specific driving tasks, which would require an inquiry into a personal driving record and MVR report
• If the job involves a high level of responsibility (like an executive-level position or work in the financial sector)

Basically, the level of trust connected to the position has a whole lot to do with how long the background check can take because it impacts the type of check that needs to be performed (namely a level 1 background check or a level 2 background check that uses fingerprints, or even a level 3 background check or higher).

Fortunately, with the continuous digitization of records taking place, these checks are faster than ever and will usually take less than a week for most jobs, depending on the job description.

That’s why it is handy to have a list of jobs (and industries) like the large one below, that outline how long the average employment background check takes.

How Long Does an Employment Background Check Usually Take?

How long an employment background check takes will depend entirely on the job that is being applied for. Obviously, certain jobs will require more intensive background checks, especially if these jobs deal with sensitive information or sensitive groups.

On average, an employment background check will take less than a week to complete, around 1-3 days in most cases. This will depend on a large variety of factors but for jobs that do not run any special checks because of the industry or if the job deals with sensitive information then less than a week should be expected.

For other more intensive employment background checks for industries like nursing or child care,¹ the background check will take much longer.

Although most databases are online, sometimes various checks must be performed by hand or may require the individual conducting the check to contact someone else directly.

For example, some jobs will require references, and will need to talk to these individuals directly. In this case, the length of the background check is at the mercy of the individual, employer, or university, that the individual needs to contact.

Still, it is rare for a background check to take more than two weeks, even in situations where fingerprints are required. Although there are a few exceptions such as working for the FBI,² background checks are almost always completed in less than two weeks.

How Long Does an Employment Background Check Take To Complete?

The level of the background check will have the biggest impact when it comes to “how long does an employment background check take? The most common kind of background check is what is often referred to as a Level 1 background check.

This will include all the information that many will view as standard on a background check. Level 1 checks will be what individuals can expect for retail jobs, food-industry jobs, general office jobs such as those in advertising, and other service industry jobs. The following checks can be expected:

• Identity Verification
• Name-based criminal history search

Other checks can be run as part of a level 1 check, such as employment or education verification as well.

Beyond a level 1 check, the types of checks being run, and subsequently how long the background check takes, will depend on the job. Different industries have different background check standards and in some cases, they will even have legal requirements when it comes to what checks they must perform.

There are a few common checks that will affect the timeline for a background check:

• Fingerprint-based criminal history check (Usually adds a week to the check, as fingerprints must be gathered and sent to the proper agency)
• Education, Employment, Reference Checks (Can add a few extra days as many times these institutions or employers must be contacted directly, so the background check is at the mercy of their response.)
• Special Databases (Certain industries will require checks of special databases, in this case, the check is at the mercy of the government branch, etc. that maintains the database. This can add a few extra days but often will not add any additional time.)

As mentioned, the biggest factor when it comes to “how long does an employment background check take?” is the job position. Certain jobs will simply require more checks for various reasons, resulting in the check taking longer.

Beyond this, the employer will also play a part as certain companies may have established background check practices for all employees. In some fields, the employer will also make a difference because the individual is dealing with sensitive information.

For example, an engineer working for a private company will have different background checks than an individual doing the same job for a company that works with the U.S. military.

How Long Does It Take for an Employment Background Check by Job and Profession?

The typical minimums are given in the table below.

How Long Does It Take for an Employment Background Check in Each State?

How long does an employment background check take? Each state has its own stipulations and rules concerning when and how long a background check can take.

Whether or not what state the check is being performed in makes a difference depends on two factors:

• Does the employer require an official state background check?
• And does the state background check require fingerprints?

Basically, employers who are conducting background checks on their employees have 3 options to complete the background checks.

Option 1: Manual Search

The first is to DIY the check, which means checking various public databases, such as court records, and finding any relevant information themselves. This method is fairly time-consuming and requires a huge amount of effort to remain compliant with federal Fair Credit Reporting Act rules.

Option 2: State Issued Search

The second option is to perform background checks using the background check services offered by state or local law enforcement. In this case, the applicant’s information will be given to the agency in charge of performing background checks, and the state or local police will perform the check and return the results.

Official state background check practices vary from state to state, however, it is fairly common for the state police to require fingerprints to perform the background check. This is done so they can perform a more accurate and comprehensive background check using both state fingerprint databases and the fingerprint database that is maintained by the FBI.

Since fingerprints have to be taken, sent to the proper agency, and checked against multiple databases, the process can take longer than a name-based check.

Option 3: Approved Background Check Agency Contract

The final and most common option used by employers to perform background checks is to work with a private background check company (some offer 7-day free trial background screening). This option is the most common for most employers because it is generally the cheapest and the fastest option, making it a must in certain industries that deal with high turnover rates for their employees.

(Image: FBI Jobs⁶)

In this case, the employee’s information is given to the background check company which performs checks of numerous online databases. Since this check is done using online information, it can be completed in less than 24 hours and is almost always completed in less than 3 days.

With all that being said, although the state can impact the answer to “how long does an employment background check take?” it usually is not an issue. As long as the employer is not requiring an official state background check, which is required for certain industries, then the timeline of the background check should not be affected by the state.

Below is the average background check time for each state.

Getting a background check performed can be a scary process, especially for individuals who don’t know what to expect. Luckily, most background checks are fairly simple allowing for a simple answer to the question: How long does an employment background check take?

Frequently Asked Questions About How Long Does an Employment Background Check Take