Personal background check, on yourself or someone else.
Run a background check on yourself before your next job interview — or on a nanny, babysitter, in-home contractor, tenant, or anyone you have signed consent to screen. The same FCRA-compliant report employers run, ordered directly by an individual. Reports back in 1–3 business days, starting at $39.
Why run a personal background check?
Most job seekers don't think about background checks until an offer is rescinded. By then, it's too late to fix a wrong arrest record, an unreported expungement, or an old charge that was dismissed but still appears in commercial databases. A personal background check lets you see your record the way an employer will see it — before they see it.
The same product is also the right tool when you're hiring inside your own life — checking a potential nanny before they care for your kids, screening an in-home contractor before you hand over a key, or vetting a tenant before you sign a lease. The candidate signs an FCRA-compliant consent statement on a secure intake link before the check runs, so you stay on the right side of federal law without needing to be a corporate HR department.
What's Included in a Personal Background Check?
The Standard package ($39) includes:
- National criminal database search (7-year lookback)
- Sex offender registry search (lifetime, all 50 states)
- Identity verification (SSN trace, address history)
- Terrorist watchlist / OFAC search
The Premium package ($69) adds:
- County-level criminal court searches in your residence county
- Employment verification (up to 3 prior employers)
- Education verification (highest degree)
- Extended 10-year lookback where state law permits
How personal checks differ from employer checks
The data sources are the same — same court records, same registries, same databases. The legal and process framing is what differs:
- You order it, you own it. The PDF is yours. Save it, share it, reference it during interviews or hiring decisions.
- FCRA consent is captured at intake, not paperwork. Whether you're checking yourself or someone else, the subject of the check signs an electronic consent on a secure intake link before the check runs. No corporate HR system or vendor account required.
- You fix errors before they hurt anyone. Disputes go through the data source. Most resolve in 30 days. After resolution, you can re-run the check and have a clean copy.
- Same starting price as a corporate report. $39 standard, $69 premium — no individual / corporate price difference.
Common scenarios people order this for
Screening yourself
- Job hunting — see what HR will see during pre-employment screening
- Apartment applications — many landlords run background checks; know what's there
- Professional licensing — some boards require self-disclosed background reports
- Verifying expungements — confirm a court-ordered expungement actually cleared from commercial databases (it often doesn't until you push)
- After identity theft — confirm no fraudulent records were filed under your name or SSN
- Personal peace of mind — know your record
Screening someone else (with their signed consent)
- Hiring a nanny or babysitter — before they care for your kids, with the candidate's signed FCRA consent
- Hiring a household contractor — handyman, housekeeper, in-home health aide, dog walker
- Vetting a tenant — small landlords, room renters, sublet hosts
- Renting on a peer-to-peer platform — short-term rental hosts screening guests
- Volunteer organizations — small nonprofits, religious groups, sports leagues, scout troops checking adult volunteers around minors
- Caregiver hiring — adult-children screening in-home caregivers for an aging parent
For all these cases, the subject of the check signs an FCRA-compliant electronic consent on a secure intake link after you pay. The check runs once consent is captured. The PDF report comes back to whoever paid. Nobody is screened without their knowledge.
Your Privacy and Data
Your personal background check report is delivered to you and only you. We don't share it with employers, marketers, or data brokers. Reports are stored encrypted in your account for 90 days, after which they are deleted unless you save a local copy first.
Ready to order? Two ways to start
Order now — fastest path. Go straight to checkout on our order portal. You\'ll pay, complete the FCRA-compliant identity step (driver\'s license + electronic consent signature) through our verified intake partner, and we\'ll deliver your PDF report in 1 to 3 business days.
Or — questions first? Use the form below and we\'ll reply within one business day. Helpful if you\'re verifying a recent expungement, recovering from identity theft, or want to confirm what package fits before paying. Or call (602) 899-3611 to start by phone.
Questions we hear daily
What is a personal background check?
A personal background check is a one-off report ordered by an individual rather than a corporate employer or HR system. The most common use is self-screening — running a check on yourself before a job interview, apartment application, or licensure submission. The same product also covers ordering a check on a nanny, babysitter, in-home contractor, tenant, or any other person you have signed consent to screen. Personal checks include criminal record searches, sex offender registry, identity verification, and (with the premium package) employment and education history.
Can I run a background check on someone else, like a nanny or babysitter?
Yes — as long as the person being checked signs an FCRA-compliant consent statement before you order. After you pay for the check on the order portal, the subject of the check (the nanny, babysitter, contractor, tenant, etc.) receives a secure intake link. They complete identity verification, sign the consent form electronically, and provide their identifiers. Once consent is captured, the check runs and the PDF report is delivered to the email of whoever paid. This is the same FCRA-grade consent process employers use — federal law (15 U.S.C. § 1681b) requires the subject's written authorization before any consumer reporting agency can run a check on them, regardless of who is paying.
How is this different from a check my employer would run?
The data sources are the same. The difference is who orders and pays. A personal check is ordered by an individual (yourself, a parent screening a nanny, a small landlord screening a tenant), paid by that individual, and the report is delivered to that individual. An employer's check is ordered through their HR or screening vendor, requires the candidate's written FCRA consent, and the employer is the only party legally entitled to the result. Many job seekers run a personal check first to know what an employer will see and to correct any errors on their record before applying.
Can I share my personal background check with an employer?
You can — and many candidates do. A personal report from VerticalID Screening is a PDF you can email or upload to an employer portal. That said, most employers will still run their own check during the hiring process because they need an FCRA-compliant report tied to their consent paperwork. Treat your personal check as a preview, not a replacement.
How long does a personal background check take?
Most personal checks return in 1 to 3 business days. Statewide instant criminal database searches return in minutes. County criminal searches take 1 to 3 business days. Employment and education verifications can take up to 5 business days because we contact prior employers and schools directly.
How far back does a personal background check go?
Standard personal checks search the past 7 years of criminal history at the county and national database level, plus the lifetime sex offender registry. Some states (California, Massachusetts, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Washington) limit reports to 7 years total under state FCRA rules. Premium packages can extend to 10 years where state law permits.
Will errors on my background check disappear if I order one?
No — but you'll see them, which is the first step to fixing them. If your personal report shows incorrect information (an arrest that wasn't yours, a charge that was dismissed but still appears, an old conviction that should have been expunged), you have the right under FCRA Section 611 to dispute it directly with the data source. We provide instructions in your report on how to file a dispute. Most disputes resolve within 30 days.
How much does a personal background check cost?
Standard personal background checks start at $39 (criminal records + sex offender registry + identity verification, 7-year national lookback). Premium adds employment verification, education verification, and extended county searches for $69. Volume isn't available — this is a one-off self-screening product.
Run a Check on Yourself
On yourself, or on a nanny, contractor, tenant, or anyone else with their signed consent. Pay, the subject completes FCRA-compliant identity verification, report back in 1–3 business days. Or scroll down if you'd rather start by asking a question.