What Is an Equifax Background Check?

An Equifax background check is a consumer report that Equifax generates when a third party - such as an employer, landlord, or licensing agency - requests it, and it may include credit information, employment history, criminal records, and public‑record data, whereas a standard credit report usually shows only credit‑account activity.

For example, a hiring manager may order an Equifax background check to verify that a candidate's disclosed job dates match the data Equifax holds, and a property manager may use the same report to see whether a prospective tenant has recent bankruptcies or evictions. In both cases, the requester typically must obtain the applicant's written consent before Equifax releases the report.

• An Equifax background check typically contains your full name, date of birth, Social Security number, and current and prior addresses.
• It may include a credit summary such as account types, balances, payment history, and any delinquencies (credit summary details).
• Public records that often appear are bankruptcies, tax liens, civil judgments, and criminal convictions if reported to credit bureaus.
• The report can contain employment and education verifications gathered from third‑party sources, showing employer names, job titles, dates of employment, and schools attended.
• Some checks also list consumer statements you've added to dispute or explain items on your credit file.

Equifax background checks differ from regular credit reports in scope and purpose; they typically bundle employment, education, and public‑record data that a lender wouldn't see, and they are ordered with the applicant's explicit consent for hiring or tenancy decisions. For example, a background check may include a verification of past job titles, a review of court filings, or a scan of professional licenses, depending on the employer's screening package (Equifax worker screening services).

Regular credit reports focus almost exclusively on credit‑related activity: open and closed accounts, balances, payment history, and recent inquiries, and they are generated primarily for lenders, insurers, or utility providers. They do not contain employment history or criminal records, and they are accessed under the Fair Credit Reporting Act without the same consent requirements that apply to background checks. Understanding consumer credit reports

Employers order an Equifax background check mainly to verify identity, assess financial responsibility, and uncover relevant public‑record issues before finalizing a hire, and they must obtain your written consent under the FCRA.

• Positions that handle money, credit, or sensitive data typically trigger the check (e.g., loan officers, accountants, IT security staff).
• The check may include your credit score, payment history, bankruptcies, liens, and, if the employer requests, publicly available criminal or civil judgments.
• Unlike a consumer credit report, the Equifax background check can bundle employment‑verification data and specific public records chosen by the employer.
• You have the right to receive a pre‑adverse‑action notice, review the report, and dispute any errors within 60 days; your rights under the FCRA protect you.
• Expect a turnaround of 2 - 5 business days and a cost typically covered by the employer, not you.

When landlords order an Equifax background check, they typically request a tenant‑screening report that includes credit scores, rental‑payment history, eviction filings, and relevant public‑record data - information that differs from the standard credit report you might see on a bank statement. The landlord must first obtain your written consent, as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), before the report is generated.

If the landlord decides not to rent to you based on that report, they must provide an adverse‑action notice and give you up to 60 days to request a free copy of the report or a summary of it; the tenant does not automatically receive the report within 15 days. This right follows the FCRA's adverse‑action requirements and ensures you can verify the information that influenced the decision.

You have a handful of legally protected rights whenever an Equifax background check is used for employment, housing, or credit. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) limits how the report can be obtained and mandates specific notices and remedies.

• Written consent is required before any Equifax background check can be run; employers, landlords, or lenders must keep your signed authorization on file.
• If the check leads to an adverse decision, you must receive a pre‑adverse‑action disclosure that includes a copy of the report and a summary of your FCRA rights.
• After an adverse decision, a separate 'adverse‑action notice' must explain how to dispute inaccurate information.
• You may request a free copy of the Equifax background check once every 12 months, and you are entitled to a free copy within 60 days of receiving an adverse‑action notice.
• Inaccurate or outdated entries can be disputed; the reporting entity must investigate and correct any errors, typically within 30 days.
• Information that is more than seven years old (or ten years for bankruptcies) must be excluded from most employment‑related checks.
• A credit freeze does not block a permissible‑purpose Equifax background check, but you can still place a fraud alert to prompt additional verification.

Knowing these rights lets you give informed consent, challenge mistakes, and protect your reputation before you move on to request your Equifax background check. For a complete guide, see the Fair Credit Reporting Act overview.

You can get your own Equifax background check directly from Equifax by following a simple, FCRA‑compliant process.

1. Confirm you're eligible - Any U.S. resident may request an Equifax background check for personal use, as the Fair Credit Reporting Act guarantees this right.
2. Gather required IDs - Have your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, and a current mailing address ready; a driver's license or passport copy may be requested for verification.
3. Visit the official site - Go to the Equifax consumer portal for background checks and select 'Request a background check.'
4. Complete the online form - Fill in your personal information, confirm consent for Equifax to retrieve your data, and answer any security questions.
5. Pay the fee, if any - Equifax typically charges a modest fee for a background check; however, a free copy may be available if you request it as part of a statutory report.
6. Choose delivery method - Opt for encrypted email, secure portal download, or certified mail; most requests are fulfilled within 5 - 7 business days.
7. Review and store - When you receive the report, check it against the data sections covered earlier in this article and keep it for at least 60 days in case you need to dispute errors later.

File a dispute with Equifax within 60 days of receiving the Equifax background check. Use the online portal or mail a signed letter to the address on the report, because prompt action forces the agency to investigate under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Include a clear identification of the inaccurate item, any supporting documents (pay stubs, court orders, or letters), and a request to delete or correct the entry. Equifax must acknowledge the dispute within 5 business days and complete its investigation within 30 days; they'll send you the results and a free copy of the updated check. For step‑by‑step guidance, see the FTC's dispute instructions.

An Equifax background check typically costs between $15 and $50 and arrives in 1‑3 business days.

• Standard consumer orders run about $15‑$30 per check; bulk employer or landlord portals usually charge $25‑$40 each.
• Typical turnaround time is 1‑3 business days for regular processing; expedited (same‑day or overnight) service may add a $10‑$20 surcharge.
• Requests for corrected reports or post‑dispute copies can extend processing by 2‑5 business days and may incur an additional $10‑$20 fee.

Expunged records typically do not appear on an Equifax background check, but they may still show up if the source data hasn't been refreshed. The check pulls from public‑record databases that rely on timely updates from courts and law‑enforcement agencies. When a court orders expungement, the original entry should be removed, yet some repositories keep legacy copies for weeks or months.

If a background check runs before the update propagates, the expunged event can surface as a misdemeanor, arrest, or conviction. This lag is more common with older or multi‑jurisdictional cases, where each database follows its own update schedule. Employers who see such an entry should treat it as a potential error until confirmation.

You can request correction by filing a dispute with Equifax and providing the court order that sealed the record. For detailed steps, see the official expungement guidance. This ties back to the rights discussed in the 'your rights and consent under the FCRA' section and sets up the next question about whether a credit freeze blocks these checks.

A credit freeze typically blocks any Equifax background check that requires a permissible‑purpose inquiry, so a landlord or employer will receive a 'frozen' notice unless you temporarily lift the freeze with your PIN or password; a fraud alert, by contrast, does not stop the check but adds a step where the requester must verify your identity, which may delay the report but still allows the inquiry to proceed.

This distinction builds on the earlier discussion of what data Equifax includes and sets up the next section on your rights under the FCRA.