Top Choice
Instant Checkmate
Criminal-record and social-profile search option.
View RecordsBackground Checks
All Background Checks
Separate personal criminal-history review from court-case research and from a check required by an employer or licensing authority.
Direct answer
What to use for all background checks
“All background checks” does not name one universal record. Choose the questions to answer and list the separate sources required; one criminal-history response cannot establish civil-court coverage or every other record category.
Compare
Choose the background-check layer you actually need
Federal/state route.
FBI Identity History Summary Checks.. FBI Identity History Summary requests are fingerprint based.
Rights or scope check.
FBI - Identity History Summary Checks Review.. The FBI states that personal Identity History Summary review is for review or correction and may not substitute for an authorized employment or licensing process.
Navigation layer.
USAGov - State and local governments.. USA.gov provides a directory for locating state and local government websites; the directory itself does not establish record-specific access rules.
Common noncriminal categories
For an employment check, ask which categories are actually required. FTC guidance identifies employment history, education, criminal or other public records, financial/credit history and public social-media activity as distinct possible categories; local law may limit criminal or credit inquiries. A job-related list is not a reason to collect every category for every person.
Identify the source and permission for each claim
For work and education claims, make a verification plan with the employer’s designated screening process: identify the prior employer/HR contact or school/registrar, the dates or qualification to verify, and the applicant authorization needed. Where a role requires a professional license, add the issuing regulator and exact license type/number to the plan; do not treat an educational credential as proof of an active occupational license. CareerOneStop’s License Finder identifies state issuing agencies; confirm the actual license with that agency. Ask the school which records can be disclosed and what release is needed rather than assuming every educational record is public.
Credit only when relevant and permitted
If credit history is relevant and permitted, it is a separate consumer-report layer. For your own review, the FTC directs readers to AnnualCreditReport.com to obtain a free credit report and dispute mistakes. Do not substitute a criminal-history response for credit information, or obtain another person’s report merely because you know their name.
Check
What to verify before treating the result as complete
- Verify the person. Match the person with the strongest identifiers the source provides: compare name spelling, date of birth, source jurisdiction, and filing or booking number so later review can reproduce why the match was accepted.
Important
A background check is not one universal record
Choose the record layer. Name the official record layer before opening sources.
Make the coverage list explicit
Separate personal criminal-history review from court-case research and from a check required by an employer or licensing authority. The FBI personal route uses fingerprints. PACER supplies federal case and docket information, while state and local court research needs the relevant jurisdiction’s own route. A government directory locates an office; it is not another completed check.
For each needed layer, write down the jurisdiction, date range, identity inputs, source queried and unresolved gaps. Ask the organization requiring a report which product it accepts. Do not mark the whole list complete merely because one source returned nothing or a product calls itself comprehensive.
Official guidance: PACER: find a federal case.
For an employer’s third-party background report, the employer must give a standalone written disclosure and obtain written permission before ordering. Before an adverse decision based on the report, the person must receive the report and the FCRA Summary of Rights. After a denial based on the report, the person has dispute rights and may request an additional free report from the reporting company within 60 days. Those consumer-report rights are separate from asking a court clerk to correct a court record.
Related Record Guides
Sources
Authoritative next stops
Official federal source; United States
FBI Identity History Summary Checks
FBI Identity History Summary personal review process and fingerprint-based identity history.
United States
Official federal law-enforcement source; United States
FBI - Identity History Summary Checks Review
FBI states Identity History Summary review is for personal review/correction and may not substitute for an authorized employment/licensing process.
United States
Official federal directory; United States
USAGov - State and local governments
Directory only: identifies and links state and local government websites; does not establish record-specific rules.
United States
Official source
U.S. Department of Education: directory-information disclosure limits
Supports the specific request, coverage or verification guidance above; checked October 2, 2026.
Scope-specific guidance
Official source
FTC: Employer Background Checks and Your Rights
Supports the specific request, coverage or verification guidance above; checked October 2, 2026.
Scope-specific guidance
Official source
CareerOneStop: License Finder help
Supports the specific request, coverage or verification guidance above; checked October 2, 2026.
Scope-specific guidance