What BackgroundChecks.com does

BackgroundChecks.com, operated by Clear Screening Technologies, LLC, is a US-based cloud employment background screening platform founded in 1999 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The platform provides employers with pay-per-report access to a comprehensive suite of screening products including national, county, statewide, and federal criminal searches; employment and education verification; motor vehicle records; drug testing via Quest Labs and LabCorp; and add-on modules for sex offender registry, global watchlists/sanctions, SSN verification, and bankruptcies/liens/judgments. Since 2025, the platform has been powered by the ClearChecks technology acquired by parent company HireRight, replacing the legacy system entirely with a mobile-first experience featuring digital signature collection, automated FCRA-compliant adverse action workflows, and sub-48-hour turnaround on 99%+ of reports.

The business operates on a self-serve, transaction-based revenue model with no contracts, no setup fees, and no monthly minimums, priced at roughly $25–$100 per report depending on package composition. Distribution is primarily digital and direct: employers self-onboard via the web platform, while mid-market and enterprise customers access the service through pre-built integrations with seven major ATS/HRIS platforms (Greenhouse, Lever, JazzHR, Jobvite, Workable, Ceipal, Paychex), low-code JavaScript embeddable widgets, and a full REST API for custom integrations. SOC 2 Type II certification, PBSA accreditation, and FCRA compliance constitute the platform's regulatory and security foundation.

The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HireRight, a major employment screening provider backed by private equity firms General Atlantic and Stone Point Capital. It serves over 100,000 companies across staffing, hospitality, retail, gig economy, transportation, manufacturing, and non-profit verticals, with a particularly strong SMB and mid-market orientation. The platform also offers a Personal Background Check (Self-Check) product directly to individual consumers.

Name

BackgroundChecks.com

Legal name

Clear Screening Technologies, LLC

Website

https://backgroundchecks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BackgroundChecks.com is a US cloud-based employment background screening platform serving 100,000+ employers across SMB and mid-market segments with pay-per-report criminal, employment, education, MVR, and drug screening, distributed via self-serve web, ATS integrations, and API.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employment Background Screening Software

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611), Investigation and Security Services (5616)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Pre-Employment Background Checks & Screening (BPAKAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Criminal Background Checks (National/State/County) (BPACALAA), Employee Verification & Background Check Coordination (BPAAAIAG)

Keywords

• Employment background checks
• Criminal record screening
• Pre-employment screening
• FCRA compliance checks
• Employee verification services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Pay-per-report background screening: Customers pay on a per-report basis with no setup fees, no monthly minimums, no contracts. Revenue generated from individual background check orders across criminal searches, verifications, MVR, and drug testing. Larger enterprise customers can negotiate custom pricing and volume discounts. Invoice billing available for high-volume customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BackgroundChecks.com operates a cloud-based background screening platform that enables employers to order criminal, employment, education, MVR, drug, and financial checks on candidates, while automating FCRA-compliant disclosures and adverse-action notices. Customers access the service through a self-serve web dashboard, embedded low-code JavaScript widgets, pre-built ATS/HRIS integrations, or a REST API, paying per report with no contracts or minimums. A consumer-facing Personal Background Check product allows individuals to self-screen and share results with prospective employers.

Product overview

BackgroundChecks.com is a cloud-based employment background screening platform offering a comprehensive suite of checks organized as a core platform with modular add-ons. The core platform is powered by ClearChecks technology (acquired and merged in 2025) and provides National Criminal Records, County Criminal Searches, Statewide Criminal Records, Federal Criminal Searches, Employment Verification (ClearWork™), Education & Degree Verification (ClearDegree™), Motor Vehicle Records, and Drug Testing as primary screening products. Additional add-on modules include Sex Offender Registry Searches, Global Watchlists & Sanctions, SSN Verification & Address History, and Bankruptcies, Liens & Judgments. The platform also offers a Personal Background Check service for individuals to self-screen. Developer capabilities include a REST API and low-code Connect Widgets for integration. All services feature FCRA compliance, SOC 2 security, and are available through pre-built ATS/HRIS integrations or direct API access, with pricing based on a pay-as-you-go model with no contracts or minimums.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Criminal Records Multi-jurisdictional nationwide search covering millions of records from courts, corrections, and law enforcement sources across the United States, designed for employers screening candidates before hiring.
• County Criminal Searches Direct source-level manual search of criminal court records at the county level across all U.S. jurisdictions, marketed as the most accurate county-level criminal background check for employer hiring decisions.
• Statewide Criminal Records Source-level criminal checks aggregating records from all counties within a state, providing comprehensive statewide coverage where available for employer pre-employment screening.
• Federal Criminal Search Search of U.S. District Court PACER records covering federal offenses such as fraud, embezzlement, and tax crimes, used by employers to flag candidates with federal-level criminal records.
• Employment Verification (ClearWork) Verification of a candidate's employment history, including employer name, job title, and dates of employment, using multiple methods such as SSN-based database validation, payroll login, pay stub verification, and call center verification, with optional non-notification to the current employer.
• Education & Degree Verification (ClearDegree) Verification of degrees, diplomas, and certifications directly with over 5,300 universities, colleges, junior colleges, and trade schools in the United States, branded as ClearDegree for employers validating candidate credentials.
• Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) Direct records from state DMVs across all 50 states, including driver license status, endorsements, class type, points, violations, and complete driving history for employees who operate company vehicles.
• Drug Testing Nationwide drug screening service through Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp with 13,000+ walk-in locations, offering multiple panel options (5-panel, 9-panel, 10-panel with and without THC and MDMA), breath alcohol testing, and tuberculosis testing.
• Bankruptcies, Liens & Judgments Financial background search uncovering bankruptcies, tax liens, and civil judgments through court records, used by employers as a financial risk indicator in pre-employment screening.
• Personal Background Check (Self-Check) Consumer self-check service that lets individuals order, complete, and view their own background check, then print or share the report with prospective employers, with the ability to revoke access at any time.
• Sex Offender Registry Search Scan of national and state sex-offender databases to confirm employees are not registered offenders, used by employers in pre-employment screening.
• Global Watchlists & Sanctions Detection of risky or sanctioned individuals from federal and international agencies including FBI, terrorist watch lists, OFAC, INTERPOL, and OIG sanction list, used as a compliance screening layer for employers.
• SSN Verification & Address History Social Security Number verification with names, aliases, date of birth, and address history trace, used by employers to confirm identity and detect potential fraud.
• Developer API Full-featured REST API enabling custom integrations for creating orders, retrieving status updates, managing compliance steps, and securely pulling completed background check results.
• Connect Widgets Low-code JavaScript widgets allowing customers to embed background screening into their own applications by adding a tag and a few lines of code, supporting account creation, applicant invitations, and embedded workflow rendering.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99%+ of background check reports returned in less than 48 hours
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Quest Diagnostics (Quest Labs)coreTechnology or IntegrationDrug testing partnership providing over 13,000 walk-in clinic locations nationwide offering multiple drug panels (5-panel, 9-panel, 10-panel with and without THC and MDMA), breath alcohol testing, and TB testing.
• LabCorpcoreTechnology or IntegrationDrug testing partnership providing over 13,000 walk-in clinic locations nationwide offering multiple drug panel options alongside Quest Diagnostics.
• GreenhousecoreTechnology or IntegrationPre-built ATS integration enabling automated background check ordering, status updates, and compliance workflows directly within the Greenhouse hiring platform.
• LevercoreTechnology or IntegrationPre-built ATS integration enabling automated background check ordering and status updates within the Lever talent acquisition platform.
• JazzHRcoreTechnology or IntegrationPre-built ATS integration for automated background screening workflows within the JazzHR hiring platform.
• JobvitecoreTechnology or IntegrationPre-built ATS integration for automated background screening within the Jobvite talent acquisition platform.
• WorkablecoreTechnology or IntegrationPre-built ATS integration for automated background screening within the Workable hiring platform.
• CeipalcoreTechnology or IntegrationPre-built ATS/HRM integration for automated background screening workflows within the Ceipal platform.
• PaychexcoreTechnology or IntegrationPre-built integration with Paychex HR and payroll platform for streamlined hiring and background screening workflows.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GoodHire: Direct competitor in SMB-friendly online background screening with pay-per-check pricing, FCRA-compliant workflows, and ATS integrations. Competes head-to-head for small business and mid-market employer accounts.
• Checkr: Direct competitor offering AI-driven, API-first background screening with national, county, and federal criminal searches, plus employment and education verifications. Targets similar SMB and enterprise customers with comparable self-serve and integration-heavy model.
• Sterling: Direct competitor (referenced in BackgroundChecks.com's own comparison pages) offering enterprise and mid-market background screening including criminal, employment, education, drug testing, and MVR.
• Accurate Background: Direct competitor in employment background screening with similar product breadth (criminal, verifications, drug testing, MVR) and enterprise/mid-market customer overlap.
• First Advantage: Direct competitor providing comprehensive employment background screening, identity verification, and drug testing. Operates at similar scale with overlapping product suite including criminal, MVR, and verifications.

Broad incumbents

• HireRight: Parent company and broader incumbent; a global screening provider serving enterprise clients with a wider portfolio (criminal, verifications, immigration, medical). Portfolio parent of BackgroundChecks.com.
• Pinkerton: Broader incumbent offering corporate background screening and investigations as part of a larger security and risk services portfolio; overlaps with pre-employment screening use cases at enterprise scale.
• ADP Screening and Selection Services: Broader incumbent bundling background screening within ADP's payroll and HR suite. Overlaps indirectly via ATS/HRIS distribution and competes for enterprise accounts seeking single-vendor HR stacks.

Emerging players

• Veremark: Emerging international background screening provider with API-driven approach; comparable product breadth but differentiated by global coverage - useful contrast as a regional/international peer BackgroundChecks.com does not directly serve.
• Certn: Emerging modern background screening platform with API-first design targeting SMB and mid-market customers. Competes on speed and developer experience; included on BackgroundChecks.com's own comparison pages.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/249906373242
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clearchecks/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true
• Xx.com/bgc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BackgroundChecks.com