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When the job interview goes great and you get a job offer you may be overjoyed. Suddenly, the interviewer says something that bursts your bubble. The offer is dependent upon your background check comes back clean. In there is a black mark, you may want to know about how many years does a background check go back?

When the job interview goes great and you get a job offer you may be overjoyed. Suddenly, the interviewer says something that bursts your bubble. The offer is dependent upon your background check comes back clean. In there is a black mark, you may want to know about how many years does a background check go back?

Background checks can differ greatly, according to the information for which the new employer is looking. For example, if the employer is talking about a credit check, most of this information is limited to a seven year reporting period. The exception in the credit report is judgments and bankruptcies. These are reported on your credit report for up to ten years, but are always of court record where the action was filed.

If you have a criminal record, the amount of time the record is kept varies by jurisdiction. Typically, felonies are kept much longer than are other misdemeanor charges. In addition, if you were found innocent, the charges should not be reported. If you were pardoned from the crime, they also should not be reported on the report.

If the background report is searching for things like social security fraud, these items are usually reported as current events only. If you were involved several years ago and escaped without criminal charges, it is likely that there will be no report filed. Thus your dark secret may remain in the dark.

Most employment verification records go back for seven years. While certain employers may keep records for much longer, a typical background check only checks records that go back for this length of time.

Background checks for education will often go back to your earliest educational experiences. If you have been honest on your application and resume, the employer should already know anything needed about your education.

How many years does a background check go back? The answer will vary according to what your future employer is looking to verify.

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