Checkr uses advanced technology to help employers run background checks quickly and compliantly while reducing the opportunity for human error or bias. They are focused on empowering companies to make equitable and informed hiring decisions.
When you connect Checkr to Gusto, you can send and track background check requests for candidates, employees, and contractors right from Gusto.
Check out our blog to learn more about state-specific background check laws and what to consider when running a background check.
Follow the steps below to connect to Checkr from your Gusto admin account. Then you can start sending and tracking background check requests.
You must be a full access admin or an admin with the hire & onboard permission to set up and run background checks in Gusto.
The same packages and pricing are available whether you sign up from Gusto or you already have a Checkr account. Below are the default packages you can access from Gusto.
If the below default packages don’t fit your needs, reach out to Checkr to discuss custom packages and additional screenings. If a custom package has already been set up directly in your Checkr account, it will be available via the Gusto integration.
Education can be verified for colleges, universities, high schools, and GED equivalency exams—see Checkr's help center for more information. You can enable international education verification if needed, though these verifications take longer and additional fees apply. To enable international education verifications, contact Checkr.
| Education verification | Current employment | Education + current employment | Education + full employment |
| $12.50 + access fees | $12.50 + access fees | $25 + access fees | $47.50 + access fees |
| • Education verification | • Employment verification (current employer) | • Education verification • Employment verification (current employer) | • Education verification • All previous employment verification |
| Standard package | Pro package | Standard + MVR | Pro + MVR |
| $39.99 + access fees | $54.99 + access fees | $49.49 + access fees | $64.49 + access fees |
| • SSN trace / Address History • Sex offender check • Global watchlist check • National Criminal Database search • Current county search | • SSN trace / Address history • Sex offender check • Global watchlist check • National Criminal Database search • Unlimited county search (7-year lookback) | • SSN validation/trace • Sex offender search • Global watchlist check • National Criminal Database search • County criminal search (Current County) • Motor vehicle report (MVR) | • SSN validation/trace • Sex offender search • Global watchlist check • National Criminal Database search • County criminal search (unlimited counties, 7-year lookback) • Motor vehicle report (MVR) |
Access fees are charged by counties, states, and DMVs to access to someone's records. These fees are not marked up by Checkr or Gusto.
Click here for a list of access fees by state, county, and DMV.
Access fees are not displayed before a check is run because they're unknown at the time the check is requested. They depend on which counties and agencies end up providing the records.
Criminal check access fees
Access fees range in cost from as little as $0.75 in some Colorado counties to $95 in some New York counties.
The number of access fees incurred on a given background check also can vary widely. For example, assuming that a record is not found via the National Criminal Database search, if a candidate has lived in 5 different counties over the past 7 years, that background check will incur 5 access fees if the Pro package is selected, but will only incur 1 access fee if the Standard package is selected.
Education or employment verification access fees
These screenings incur third-party access fees charged by industry verification databases.
For employment verifications, Checkr first searches available databases—such as The Work Number for Everyone—that charge a fee when the verification is successfully completed with that database.
For education verifications, Checkr searches known education databases, such as National Student Clearinghouse.
You can view specific employment and education access fees on your invoice.
If you want to run background checks for more than one Gusto company, you’ll need a Checkr account for each company, each under a different email address. Follow the steps below for each of your Gusto companies to connect them to a Checkr account. There is no additional cost associated with this method since checks are charged per order.
Important: Checkr requires each account to have a unique email address—you cannot use the same email for more than one Checkr account. You may use email aliases if your email provider supports them.
If your company already has a Checkr account, follow these steps to connect it to Gusto.
Once you connect the integration, you can run your background checks right from Gusto. Any checks you've run before connecting the integration do not sync to Gusto—you can still view previous checks in Checkr.
Now you can start running background checks. Head to the “Running background checks” section below for next steps.
Heads up: If you initiate a background check from Checkr (instead of from Gusto), information about that check will not sync to Gusto. You can track the check’s status in Checkr then onboard the new hire to Gusto when you’re ready.
Here's how billing works when you start running checks from Gusto:
If your company does not have a Checkr account yet, follow the steps below to create an account and connect it to Gusto.
Fairness filters
Background checks run through the integration have fairness filters applied by default. These help eliminate bias when reviewing background check results. To view and adjust these filters, log in to your Checkr account and choose the Assess menu item.
Data syncing
Heads up: If you sign in to Checkr directly to run a background check (instead of running it from Gusto), information about that check will not sync to Gusto. Track the check’s status in Checkr then onboard the new hire to Gusto when you’re ready.
Create your Checkr password
If you want to sign in to Checkr directly after creating your account from Gusto, follow these steps to set up your login credentials.
Before you start running background checks, consider setting up an adjudication matrix to help you make more efficient and compliant hiring decisions.
Adjudication is the process when you're deciding whether to hire someone based on their background check results and your company's hiring standards. Making hiring decisions based on a background check is time-intensive and can subject you to legal risk if done inconsistently. Setting up filters in Checkr ahead of time can help save you time and reduce your compliance risk. Filtered records will be listed in a separate section of the report or you can hide them entirely.
You can run background checks right from Gusto. If you signed up for a new Checkr account from Gusto and you want to sign in to the Checkr website directly, here’s how to set up your login password:
If you sign in to Checkr directly to run a background check (instead of running it from Gusto), information about that check will not sync to Gusto. You can track the check’s status in Checkr then onboard the new hire to Gusto.
When you’re ready to move forward with a candidate employee, you can either send them a conditional offer letter and a background check request, or just a background check request.
When you’re ready to send a candidate employee a conditional offer letter and background check request, follow the steps below.
Once you click Add candidate, we send the offer letter to the candidate's personal email. After they sign the offer letter, we’ll email them a request to authorize a background check. The background check will begin once the candidate authorizes it.
You can check your candidate’s progress in the Team members section under the Candidates tab. Their status will update when they sign their offer letter and begin their background check. Once they authorize the background check and provide their personal information, their status will be “Background check in progress” and we’ll provide you an estimated turnaround time. We’ll notify you when the candidate signs their offer and once their background check is complete.
You can view, update, or rescind offers from the Hiring tools section.
You can continue onboarding the candidate while the background check is still being processed—go to the Team members tab and click a candidate's actions ⋮ menu to be taken to their onboarding checklist.
Follow the steps below to send a background check request to a candidate employee without a conditional offer letter. Keep in mind that many states require a background check request to includes a conditional offer letter.
The background check will begin once the candidate authorizes it. You can track your candidate’s progress in the Team members section under the Candidates tab. Once they authorize the background check and provide their personal information, their status will be “Background check in progress” and we’ll provide an estimated turnaround time.
You can check your candidate’s progress in the Team members section under the Candidates tab. Once they authorize the background check and provide their personal information, their status will be “Background check in progress” and we’ll provide you an estimated turnaround time. We’ll notify you when the candidate signs their offer and once their background check is complete.
You can view, update, or rescind offers from the Hiring tools section.
You can continue onboarding the candidate while the background check is still being processed—go to the Team members tab and click a candidate's actions ⋮ menu to be taken to their onboarding checklist.
Follow these steps to send a background check to an existing employee or contractor:
Your team member will receive an email inviting them to authorize the background check. You can follow your the report progress in the Background checks tile. Once they authorize the background check and provide their personal information, their status will be “Background check in progress” and we’ll provide you an estimated turnaround time. We’ll notify you once their background check is complete.
The time to complete a check varies, but most are completed within 5 business days. Admins are notified via email if more information is needed and when a report is complete.
Timing depends on how quickly the person provides their personal identifiable information, the turnaround time of the counties and agencies required to complete the report, and whether records have to be physically retrieved from agencies. If a background check is taking longer than expected, it's most likely due to unexpected processing delays at the county courts or motor vehicle records offices. Click here for a list of known US closures and delays impacting background check timelines.
Admins can view the status of a background check in Gusto:
The status of each background check report can be seen in the "Status" column of this page. A more specific return date is shown once the candidate authorizes the check. Check the tables below to learn what each invitation and report status means.
| Status | Meaning |
| Invitation sent | An invitation has been sent to a candidate and they have 7 days to complete the invitation |
| Invitation expired | An invitation has expired and no report will be run unless a new invitation is sent to the candidate |
| Invitation canceled | An invitation was canceled before any information was collected from the candidate |
| Background check invitation errored | Background check was sent to an invalid email address |
Q: I'm seeing an "exception" on a background check I ran. What do I need to do?
A: An exception means something is preventing the background check from being processed. You can view the exception details and upload any required information in the Checkr dashboard. If you have any further questions about the specifics of an exception, reach out to Checkr.
For more questions about the status of a check, contact Checkr.
If a candidate doesn’t consent to a background check and provide their personal information within 7 days of the invitation being sent, the request will expire and you will not be charged.
If a background check invitation is expired or canceled, here’s how to resend it:
If the candidate has not yet filled out their personal information and given consent, you can cancel a background check without being charged for it.
The candidate will not be emailed that the background check has been canceled, but if they click the original invitation they were sent, they'll be told the request was canceled.
Once a background check is complete, admins are notified when their report is available in both Gusto and Checkr.
Detailed background check information is stored in Gusto for 30 days. After 30 days, to protect privacy and personal information, detailed background check information is no longer accessible in Gusto. It is available on Checkr indefinitely.
Once you’re notified that a candidate’s background check is complete, here’s how to view the full report in Gusto.
Check out Checkr's guide to reviewing a completed report. There you can also find next steps for your hiring decisions.
Hiring a candidate
If you choose to move forward with a candidate, onboard them to Gusto and add them to payroll.
Choosing not to hire a candidate
If you choose not to move forward with a candidate based on the results of a background check, take adverse action in Checkr to stay compliant. If you have questions on adverse action, contact Checkr.
Your company is billed on a per-check basis—there are no monthly fees.
When you run a background check through Gusto, you’ll see a Checkr line item on your Gusto invoice 2 months later. You’ll be billed with the same method you use to pay your Gusto invoice (separate payment methods are not supported).
If you run a background check in Checkr directly (instead of running it from Gusto), you’ll receive a separate bill from Checkr. Your company will not receive a duplicate invoice for any given check—Checkr bills you for checks you run from Checkr, and Gusto bills you for checks you run from Gusto.
Q: I received an invoice from Checkr. Why isn’t this on my Gusto invoice?
A: If you run a background checks in Checkr directly and not in Gusto, Checkr will bill you directly at a separate time from your Gusto invoice.
Q: How do I update my payment method, or can I use a separate payment method for background checks?
A: The ACH information used in Gusto is also used to bill for background checks. It is not currently possible to use a separate payment method for background checks.
Q: Why did this background check cost what it did?
A: A background check's cost consists of the base fee plus access fees. You can view a breakdown of the base fee plus access fees on your Gusto invoice. See the "Packages and pricing" section above for a breakdown of standard packages.
Each time you run a background check from Gusto, one package is shown as your default but you can choose any package for that candidate.
Here’s how to change the default package:
The next time you run a background check from Gusto, your chosen package will be shown as the default. You can still choose any other package for each candidate.
If needed, you can run recurring background checks directly through Checkr. The integration does not currently support running recurring background checks from Gusto or syncing the results to Gusto.
If you cancel your Gusto account, you'll still have access to your completed background checks in Checkr. You'll also be able to run background checks through Checkr directly once you add billing information to their platform.
Since background checks appear on your Gusto invoice 2 months after the check is run, you may see up to 2 additional monthly invoices after canceling your Gusto account. These invoices would include any checks you run during the second to last and last months with Gusto.
For more information and how-tos, check out Checkr's Help Center articles: