FCRA-Compliant Background Check Companies

The firms against the FCRA steps

These 7 firms were all on PBSA's accredited list on October 22, 2026, and are read here against the steps the law puts on you and the features that help you meet them. A word is what the firm's own pages say; “Check with the vendor” means they did not say. Scroll the table sideways for every column.

PBSA-accredited screening firms against the FCRA steps, read October 22, 2026
Vendor	PBSA accreditation	Pre-adverse and adverse notice workflow	Individualized assessment support	Stand-alone disclosure and consent	Dispute handling	Continuous monitoring	MVR	Drug testing	ATS and HRIS integrations	Data retention controls
CheckrBest overall	AccreditedUS Accredited, listed Oct 22, 2026	Built inTracks waiting periods	Built in	Built inTemplate forms	DocumentedCandidate portal	Add-onCriminal and MVR, sold separately	Add-on	Add-on	DocumentedATS partners and API	Check with the vendor
HireRight	AccreditedUS Accredited, listed Oct 22, 2026	Built inCompliance Workbench	Documented	Documented	DocumentedCandidate dispute path	DocumentedCriminal, arrest and MVR	Documented50 states and DC	Documented	DocumentedATS and HCM	Check with the vendor
Accurate Background	AccreditedUS Accredited, General Accredited, listed Oct 22, 2026	Built inSent on your behalf	Documented	Built inBy job and location	DocumentedOnline dispute form	DocumentedNear real-time alerts	Documented	Documented	DocumentedATS and API	Check with the vendor
Protect My Ministry	AccreditedUS Accredited, listed Oct 22, 2026	Check with the vendor	Check with the vendor	DocumentedOnline authorization	DocumentedCompliance portal	DocumentedCriminal and sex offender records	Documented	Via partnerLabCorp, Quest	DocumentedChurch software	Check with the vendor
Verified First	AccreditedUS Accredited, listed Oct 22, 2026	Built inPre-adverse step	Check with the vendor	Check with the vendor	Check with the vendor	Check with the vendor	Documented	Documented	Documented150+ listed; Workday, ADP, Salesforce	Check with the vendor
DISA Global Solutions	AccreditedUS Accredited, listed Oct 22, 2026	DocumentedEmail notifications	Check with the vendor	DocumentedeConsent	DocumentedApplicant dispute links	DocumentedExclusion lists	DocumentedState driving records	DocumentedIncluding DOT	DocumentedATS and HRIS	Check with the vendor
Asurint	AccreditedUS Accredited, listed Oct 22, 2026	Check with the vendor	Check with the vendor	Check with the vendor	DocumentedOnline dispute form	DocumentedMVR monitoring	Documented	Via partnereScreen, CRL	DocumentedATS, HCM and API	Check with the vendor

What FCRA-compliant means, and whose job it is

Under the FCRA, a firm that sells background reports to employers is a consumer reporting agency (15 U.S.C. § 1681a(f)), and the law gives it duties of its own. Most of the steps that trip employers up are not the firm's, though. They are yours. A firm can only make them easier to do on time.

What the screening firm must do	Cite
Follow reasonable procedures for maximum possible accuracy	15 U.S.C. § 1681e(b)
Give you a written notice of your duties as a user of reports	15 U.S.C. § 1681e(d)
Tell the applicant when it reports a court record, or keep strict procedures so the record is complete and current	15 U.S.C. § 1681k(a)
Reinvestigate a dispute, generally within 30 days	15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(1)

What you, the employer, must do	Cite
Give the disclosure on its own page and get written permission	15 U.S.C. § 1681b(b)(2)(A)
Certify to the firm that you did, and will follow the adverse-action steps	15 U.S.C. § 1681b(b)(1)
Before deciding against someone, send a copy of the report and the Summary of Rights	15 U.S.C. § 1681b(b)(3)(A)
After deciding, send the final notice naming the firm, with the 60-day free-copy and dispute rights	15 U.S.C. § 1681m(a)

Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq., read October 22, 2026

The rule

The disclosure must be “in a document that consists solely of the disclosure”. The signature line for permission may sit on that page; nothing else should. Our FCRA disclosure checker tests a draft against that rule, and the disclosure form generator builds a clean one.

Waiting period

No federal rule fixes the gap between the two notices. FTC staff ask for a “reasonable period”; a 1997 FTC staff letter found five business days reasonable, which is where the usual wait of at least five business days comes from. State and city windows can be longer. Plot yours with the adverse action timeline.

15 U.S.C. § 1681b(b)(3)(A); FTC staff letter, June 27, 1997

Send two letters, not one: the pre-adverse notice first, the final notice after the wait. The adverse action letter generator drafts both, and the adverse action notice guide walks through what each must say. Where the decision turns on a criminal record, EEOC guidance also asks for an individualized assessment: weigh how serious the offense was, how long ago it was, and what the job involves.

What to do

Ask each firm which of the employer steps above its software runs, and which stay with you.
Keep the disclosure on its own page, whatever form the firm supplies.
Use the CFPB's current Summary of Rights (the March 2023 version, required since March 20, 2024).

What PBSA accreditation tells you

The Professional Background Screening Association runs the Background Screening Organization Accreditation Program. An outside auditor checks a firm against PBSA's U.S. Employment Screening Standard, which centers on FCRA and Driver's Privacy Protection Act compliance. Accreditation is renewed every five years, with an interim audit in year three.

PBSA's directory listed 131 accredited firms when we read it on October 22, 2026. Every firm on this page was on that list, under the name shown on its card. Our directory of PBSA-accredited screeners copies the whole list with each firm's home state.

What it does not prove

Accreditation is voluntary. The FCRA does not require it, and it does not certify a firm's accuracy rate or that every package it sells suits your jobs. It tells you an auditor found the firm's procedures met the standard. Your own duties as the employer stay the same either way.

The firms one by one

Screening platform

Checkr

A screening platform with online adverse-action notices that track the waiting period for you, individualized-assessment tools and template disclosure and consent forms. Candidates fill in forms and raise disputes in a mobile portal.

Employers who want the notice steps run by the software rather than by hand.

On PBSA's list as Checkr, Inc.AccreditedUS Accredited
Adverse-action workflowBuilt inTracks waiting periods
Stand-alone disclosure and consentBuilt inTemplate forms
Dispute handlingDocumentedCandidate portal
Continuous monitoringAdd-onCriminal and MVR, sold separately
Form I-9 and E-VerifyAdd-onSeparate product; partner Tracker I-9

Screening and Form I-9

HireRight

A global screening firm whose compliance services cover the disclosure and consent, adjudication, individualized assessments and the pre-adverse and adverse notices through its Compliance Workbench. It also runs a web-based Form I-9 with E-Verify, including remote I-9 options.

Employers who want screening, Form I-9 and E-Verify from one firm.

On PBSA's list as HireRight, LLCAccreditedUS Accredited
Adverse-action workflowBuilt inCompliance Workbench
Stand-alone disclosure and consentDocumented
Dispute handlingDocumentedCandidate dispute path
Continuous monitoringDocumentedCriminal, arrest and MVR
Form I-9 and E-VerifyBuilt inRemote I-9 options

Screening platform

Accurate Background

A screening platform that shows candidates the forms and notices for their job and location, handles electronic disclosure and authorization, and can send pre-adverse and adverse notices for you. Its adjudication service supports an individualized assessment.

Employers hiring across many states who want location-aware forms and E-Verify inside their ATS.

On PBSA's list as Accurate BackgroundAccreditedUS Accredited, General Accredited
Adverse-action workflowBuilt inSent on your behalf
Stand-alone disclosure and consentBuilt inBy job and location
Dispute handlingDocumentedOnline dispute form
Continuous monitoringDocumentedNear real-time alerts
Form I-9 and E-VerifyVia partnerGryphonHR; direct E-Verify link

Volunteer screening

Protect My Ministry

A screening firm for churches and volunteer-based groups, with online authorization forms, child-safety training and continuous court-record monitoring. Checks can be ordered from church management software such as Planning Center.

Churches, youth programs and nonprofits screening volunteers as well as staff.

On PBSA's list as Active Screening dba Protect My Ministry, Protect Youth Sports, U.S. Information SearchAccreditedUS Accredited
Adverse-action workflowCheck with the vendor
Stand-alone disclosure and consentDocumentedOnline authorization
Dispute handlingDocumentedCompliance portal
Continuous monitoringDocumentedCriminal and sex offender records
Form I-9 and E-VerifyNot published

Screening platform

Verified First

A screening firm built around integrations with hiring, payroll and talent software, including Workday, ADP and Salesforce. It automates the pre-adverse step and offers drug testing, driving records and digital I-9s.

Teams that want to order checks from inside the HR software they already use.

On PBSA's list as Verified FirstAccreditedUS Accredited
Adverse-action workflowBuilt inPre-adverse step
Stand-alone disclosure and consentCheck with the vendor
Dispute handlingCheck with the vendor
Continuous monitoringCheck with the vendor
Form I-9 and E-VerifyDocumented

Drug testing and screening

DISA Global Solutions

A drug-testing and background-check firm with DOT compliance services and state driving records. Corporate customers get email notifications for the adverse action steps.

Employers with drivers or safety-sensitive roles who test as well as screen.

On PBSA's list as DISA Global Solutions, Inc.AccreditedUS Accredited
Adverse-action workflowDocumentedEmail notifications
Stand-alone disclosure and consentDocumentedeConsent
Dispute handlingDocumentedApplicant dispute links
Continuous monitoringDocumentedExclusion lists
Form I-9 and E-VerifyDocumented

Screening platform

Asurint

A screening firm with an automated adjudication assistant that scores reports against your own criteria, MVR monitoring and a Smart I-9 and E-Verify product. Candidates can file a dispute online.

High-volume and staffing employers who want consistent first-pass review of records.

On PBSA's list as AsurintAccreditedUS Accredited
Adverse-action workflowCheck with the vendor
Stand-alone disclosure and consentCheck with the vendor
Dispute handlingDocumentedOnline dispute form
Continuous monitoringDocumentedMVR monitoring
Form I-9 and E-VerifyDocumented

Questions to ask before you sign

A sales page rarely answers the questions that matter at an FCRA audit. Ask each firm in writing, and keep the answers in your vendor file.

Ask the firm

Are you on PBSA's accredited list today, under which company name?
Does your system send the pre-adverse notice with the report and the Summary of Rights, then hold the final notice until the wait you set has passed?
Can we record an individualized assessment against the candidate's file?
Is your disclosure form a stand-alone document, and can we see the state add-ons you attach to it?
How does a candidate dispute a record, and who tells us when a reinvestigation changes the report?
If we turn on continuous monitoring, how do you collect the employee's consent?
Which of our ATS or HRIS systems do you connect to, and who maintains the link?
How long do you keep reports and consent forms, and can we set or shorten that?

If you hire drivers, add the driving record questions in our MVR guide. If you also need Form I-9 and E-Verify, compare the dedicated tools in the I-9 and E-Verify software comparison. For the whole federal sequence in one place, read FCRA background check rules for employers.

Quick reference

Stand-alone disclosure and written permission: Before the report15 U.S.C. § 1681b(b)(2)(A)
Pre-adverse notice: Report + Summary of Rights15 U.S.C. § 1681b(b)(3)(A)
Federal waiting period: None fixed; 5 business days commonFTC staff letter, 1997
Final notice: Firm's details, 60-day free copy15 U.S.C. § 1681m(a)
Firm reinvestigates a dispute: Generally 30 days15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(1)
PBSA accreditation: Voluntary, renewed every 5 yearsPBSA Accreditation FAQ

How we compared

We read each vendor's own public pages and the lists named below on October 23, 2026. A word in the table is what the vendor publishes. Where a vendor does not publish a feature, the table says “Check with the vendor” or “Not published”: ask them before you rely on it. Verdicts are by use case, never by price.

A firm is listed only if it appeared on PBSA's accredited-firms page when we read it, and its card shows the name PBSA prints. The columns follow the FCRA steps an employer owns, then the services that support them. Firms whose public pages we could not read that day are left out rather than filled in from memory.

Verdicts are editorial: no vendor can buy a verdict position or displace another vendor.

Sources read October 23, 2026

Questions employers ask

Is any background check company FCRA certified?

No government body certifies screening firms under the FCRA. The closest thing is PBSA accreditation, a voluntary industry audit against a standard built around FCRA compliance. Check a firm on our PBSA-accredited directory before you sign.

If my screening firm is FCRA compliant, am I covered?

No. The disclosure, the written permission, the certification to the firm and both adverse-action notices are the employer's duties under 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681b and 1681m. A good platform sends them on time, but you answer for them.

How long must I wait between the pre-adverse and the final notice?

The FCRA sets no number of days. FTC staff say a reasonable period must pass, and a 1997 FTC staff letter called five business days reasonable. California and New York City set their own windows by law. The adverse action timeline shows the dates for your location.

Why is a firm I know not in the table?

We list firms that were on PBSA's accredited list on the day we read it and whose own public pages we could read that day. Leaving a firm out is not a judgement on it. For a wider field, see the best background check services for employers.

Which firm should a church or volunteer program use?

Volunteer programs need volunteer packages, links to church software and ongoing alerts more than a large enterprise feature set. Our background check companies for churches page compares the firms that serve them.

What does “Check with the vendor” mean in the table?

The firm's public pages did not say, on the day we read them, whether it offers that feature. It may well do so. Ask before you rely on it, and keep the answer in writing.

FCRA-Compliant Background Check Companies (PBSA-Accredited)

The firms against the FCRA steps

What FCRA-compliant means, and whose job it is

What PBSA accreditation tells you

The firms one by one

Checkr

HireRight

Accurate Background

Protect My Ministry

Verified First

DISA Global Solutions

Asurint

Questions to ask before you sign

How we compared

Questions employers ask

Keep reading