Background check software is priced per report or per candidate rather than per employee per month. Published US packages run from about $29.99 for a basic criminal search to $94.99 for a package that adds unlimited county and state criminal searches plus a federal search, which is the rate card both Checkr and GoodHire post [1][4]; First Advantage starts small business checks at $29, and backgroundchecks.com starts at $24.99 [5][10]. The one component that genuinely bills per person per month is continuous criminal monitoring, listed by Checkr at $1.70 per individual per month [1]. Pre-hire assessment platforms in the same category sell subscriptions instead: TestGorilla publishes $142 per month billed annually for Core and from $400 per month for Plus, while Criteria builds a quote around your headcount and publishes no prices at all [11][12]. Court and database access fees are passed through on top of every one of those numbers and run from roughly $3 to $95 per search depending on the jurisdiction [2][13].
\n","summary":"Screening is billed by the check rather than by headcount. Package rates sit at $29.99, $59.99, and $94.99 per report at Checkr and GoodHire, while First Advantage and backgroundchecks.com start near $25 to $29. Add-ons carry separate prices: a motor vehicle record at $9.50, a county criminal search at $25, drug screening from $10, and continuous monitoring at $1.70 per person per month. Court and database access fees pass through on top and run from about $3 to $95 per search. Assessment platforms such as TestGorilla and Criteria bill by annual subscription instead.","publishedAt":"2026-07-20T16:33:10.341","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","editorialStatus":"APPROVED","lastReviewedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","nextReviewDueAt":"2026-10-20T00:00:00","templateVersion":"v2","aliases":["How much does a background check cost per employee?","Background check software pricing 2026","Candidate screening software cost per candidate","Cost per background check for employers","Checkr and GoodHire pricing compared","Pre-employment screening cost per hire","How much do employers pay for background checks?","Employment screening software price list","Continuous criminal monitoring cost per employee","Pre-employment assessment software pricing","Background check add-on and pass-through fees","What does HireRight or Sterling charge per check?"],"confidenceScore":87,"confidenceLabel":"High","canonicalUrl":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"contributorOrganizationProfile":{"entityId":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","legalName":null,"description":null,"websiteUrl":null,"imageUrl":null,"slogan":null,"subtitle":null,"facts":[],"coiNote":null,"foundingDate":null,"numberOfEmployeesText":null,"contactPoint":null,"address":null,"headquartersText":null,"organizationType":null},"contributorPerson":{"slug":"answerstack-editorial-team","displayName":"AnswerStack Editorial Team"},"sections":[{"id":"163ab199-ad63-43eb-910a-1862827d02d6","sectionKey":"cost_overview","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"What does background check and screening software cost per employee?","introMarkdown":"Screening vendors bill by the completed report, so the honest unit is cost per candidate screened rather than cost per employee on payroll. A 300 person company hiring 45 people a year pays for 45 reports. Checkr and GoodHire, which operate under the same ownership, post identical US packages at $29.99 for Basic, $59.99 for Essential, and $94.99 for Complete [1][4]. First Advantage advertises small business checks from $29 with no setup fees and no minimums [5], and backgroundchecks.com starts at $24.99 with no setup fee, monthly platform fee, or contract minimum [10].\n\nThose package prices are a floor rather than an invoice total. Checkr notes that standard third party court and database access fees may apply and pass through at cost with no markup [1], and those fees run from roughly $3 to $95 per search [13]. Add-ons are priced separately, from $9.50 for a motor vehicle record to $25 for a county criminal search bought outside a package [1].\n\n### Where a real per employee per month price exists\n\nContinuous criminal monitoring is the one screening product genuinely priced by the person per month. Checkr lists it at $1.70 per individual per month [1], which is $20.40 per enrolled worker per year, or about $6,120 a year for a 300 person workforce enrolled continuously.\n\n### Assessment platforms price on a different basis\n\nPre-hire assessment software sells subscriptions rather than reports. TestGorilla publishes Core at $142 per month billed annually ($1,704 a year) and Plus from $400 per month ($4,800 a year) [11]. Criteria publishes no figures and asks for goals and headcount before quoting [12], which is the closest thing here to genuine per employee pricing.","introHtml":"Screening vendors bill by the completed report, so the honest unit is cost per candidate screened rather than cost per employee on payroll. A 300 person company hiring 45 people a year pays for 45 reports. Checkr and GoodHire, which operate under the same ownership, post identical US packages at $29.99 for Basic, $59.99 for Essential, and $94.99 for Complete [1][4]. First Advantage advertises small business checks from $29 with no setup fees and no minimums [5], and backgroundchecks.com starts at $24.99 with no setup fee, monthly platform fee, or contract minimum [10].
\nThose package prices are a floor rather than an invoice total. Checkr notes that standard third party court and database access fees may apply and pass through at cost with no markup [1], and those fees run from roughly $3 to $95 per search [13]. Add-ons are priced separately, from $9.50 for a motor vehicle record to $25 for a county criminal search bought outside a package [1].
\nContinuous criminal monitoring is the one screening product genuinely priced by the person per month. Checkr lists it at $1.70 per individual per month [1], which is $20.40 per enrolled worker per year, or about $6,120 a year for a 300 person workforce enrolled continuously.
\nPre-hire assessment software sells subscriptions rather than reports. TestGorilla publishes Core at $142 per month billed annually ($1,704 a year) and Plus from $400 per month ($4,800 a year) [11]. Criteria publishes no figures and asks for goals and headcount before quoting [12], which is the closest thing here to genuine per employee pricing.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":10},{"id":"831943b0-83de-4176-bc39-80640b11164e","sectionKey":"pricing_models_table","sectionType":"table_section","heading":"How is candidate screening priced?","introMarkdown":"Six pricing models cover almost every quote in this category. The unit being billed matters more than the headline number, since a $94.99 report and a $1.70 monthly fee are not comparable.","introHtml":"Six pricing models cover almost every quote in this category. The unit being billed matters more than the headline number, since a $94.99 report and a $1.70 monthly fee are not comparable.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{"rows":[{"cells":["Per report package","One completed report on one candidate","$24.99 to $94.99 per report [1][4][10]","Checkr, GoodHire, backgroundchecks.com, First Advantage [1][4][5][10]"]},{"cells":["A la carte search","Each individual search or verification","$4.49 to $35.99 per search [1][8]","Checkr add-ons, Certn self serve [1][8]"]},{"cells":["Per candidate bundle","One candidate, fixed set of checks","$42 to $183 per candidate [9]","Veremark Essential, Professional, Executive [9]"]},{"cells":["Per person per month monitoring","Each enrolled worker, every month","$1.70 per individual per month [1]","Checkr continuous criminal search [1]"]},{"cells":["Annual platform subscription","Seats and features, not candidates","$1,704 to $4,800 a year [11]","TestGorilla Core and Plus [11]"]},{"cells":["Custom enterprise quote","Negotiated rate card by volume","Not published [6][7][12]","HireRight, Sterling, Criteria, Checkr Enterprise [1][6][7][12]"]}],"columns":["Pricing model","Unit billed","Published range","Vendors using it"]},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":20},{"id":"9e2ec961-3b50-4dfc-83c3-49f1665e506f","sectionKey":"models_explained","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"How does each pricing model work in practice?","introMarkdown":"### Per report packages\n\nA per report package bundles a fixed set of searches into one price charged once per candidate. Checkr's Basic at $29.99 covers an SSN trace, sex offender registry, global watchlist, and national criminal search; Essential at $59.99 adds identity verification and unlimited county criminal searches; Complete at $94.99 adds state and federal criminal searches [1]. Unlimited is doing real work there, since a four county address history would otherwise mean four searches at $25 each [1].\n\n### A la carte searches\n\nBuying searches individually suits roles that need only one or two of them. Checkr prices identity verification at $4.99, federal criminal at $10, county criminal at $25, employment verification from $12.50, motor vehicle records at $9.50, and I-9 verification at $7 per form [1]. Certn's Canadian list works the same way, from a CAD $4.49 digital reference check to a CAD $35.99 driver's abstract [8].\n\n### Per candidate bundles\n\nVeremark sells fixed bundles by the candidate: Essential at $42 covers two reference checks and an identity check, Professional at $144 adds a three year employment check and a social media check, and Executive at $183 adds an academic check and a global sanctions check [9].\n\n### Per person per month monitoring\n\nContinuous monitoring is the only screening line that scales with headcount rather than hiring volume. Checkr charges $1.70 per individual per month [1]. Enrollment scope drives the bill more than the rate does: enrolling all 1,000 workers at an employer costs $20,400 a year, while enrolling only the 220 in safety sensitive roles costs $4,488. Settle that population before accepting a quote.\n\n### Annual platform subscriptions\n\nAssessment platforms charge for seats and features on an annual contract rather than per candidate. TestGorilla's Core plan is $142 per month billed annually, or $1,704 a year, for two seats and more than 350 tests; Plus starts at $400 per month, or $4,800 a year, and adds job simulations, ID verification, ATS integrations, and unlimited seats [11]. The free tier issues 10 credits a month, and each tool consumes one or two credits per candidate [11].\n\n### Custom enterprise quotes\n\nThe largest vendors publish nothing and quote against annual volume. HireRight's pricing page carries no rate card and routes buyers to sales [7]. Sterling, now owned by First Advantage, publishes only a client notice saying prices would rise by approximately two percent effective March 1 [6]. Criteria lists Assess, Interview, Hire, and Develop with no figures and asks for your goals and headcount [12]. Negotiated volume rates often land below published self serve rates, so comparing vendors here requires a formal bid.","introHtml":"A per report package bundles a fixed set of searches into one price charged once per candidate. Checkr's Basic at $29.99 covers an SSN trace, sex offender registry, global watchlist, and national criminal search; Essential at $59.99 adds identity verification and unlimited county criminal searches; Complete at $94.99 adds state and federal criminal searches [1]. Unlimited is doing real work there, since a four county address history would otherwise mean four searches at $25 each [1].
\nBuying searches individually suits roles that need only one or two of them. Checkr prices identity verification at $4.99, federal criminal at $10, county criminal at $25, employment verification from $12.50, motor vehicle records at $9.50, and I-9 verification at $7 per form [1]. Certn's Canadian list works the same way, from a CAD $4.49 digital reference check to a CAD $35.99 driver's abstract [8].
\nVeremark sells fixed bundles by the candidate: Essential at $42 covers two reference checks and an identity check, Professional at $144 adds a three year employment check and a social media check, and Executive at $183 adds an academic check and a global sanctions check [9].
\nContinuous monitoring is the only screening line that scales with headcount rather than hiring volume. Checkr charges $1.70 per individual per month [1]. Enrollment scope drives the bill more than the rate does: enrolling all 1,000 workers at an employer costs $20,400 a year, while enrolling only the 220 in safety sensitive roles costs $4,488. Settle that population before accepting a quote.
\nAssessment platforms charge for seats and features on an annual contract rather than per candidate. TestGorilla's Core plan is $142 per month billed annually, or $1,704 a year, for two seats and more than 350 tests; Plus starts at $400 per month, or $4,800 a year, and adds job simulations, ID verification, ATS integrations, and unlimited seats [11]. The free tier issues 10 credits a month, and each tool consumes one or two credits per candidate [11].
\nThe largest vendors publish nothing and quote against annual volume. HireRight's pricing page carries no rate card and routes buyers to sales [7]. Sterling, now owned by First Advantage, publishes only a client notice saying prices would rise by approximately two percent effective March 1 [6]. Criteria lists Assess, Interview, Hire, and Develop with no figures and asks for your goals and headcount [12]. Negotiated volume rates often land below published self serve rates, so comparing vendors here requires a formal bid.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":30},{"id":"20e743db-29c7-4b68-97b2-d66e26a0e77d","sectionKey":"vendor_price_table","sectionType":"table_section","heading":"What do named screening vendors charge in 2026?","introMarkdown":"Pricing read from each vendor's own page on July 20, 2026 is below. A cell reading Not published means that page carries no dollar figures.","introHtml":"Pricing read from each vendor's own page on July 20, 2026 is below. A cell reading Not published means that page carries no dollar figures.
\n","outroMarkdown":"Screening rate cards change often, because the court and database access fees underneath them move independently of the vendor.","outroHtml":"Screening rate cards change often, because the court and database access fees underneath them move independently of the vendor.
\n","contentJson":{"rows":[{"cells":["Checkr","Packages plus add-on list","$29.99 / $59.99 / $94.99 per report","Per report; no platform or minimum fee [1]"]},{"cells":["GoodHire (a Checkr company)","Same three packages","From $29.99 / $59.99 / $94.99","Per check; third party fees extra [4]"]},{"cells":["First Advantage","Entry price only","From $29 per check","Pay as you go; no setup fee or minimums [5]"]},{"cells":["Sterling (First Advantage)","Client notice, no rate card","Not published","Contracted rates; about 2 percent increase from March 1 [6]"]},{"cells":["HireRight","No rate card","Not published","Quoted by package and annual volume [7]"]},{"cells":["backgroundchecks.com","Entry price and fee policy","From $24.99","No setup, platform, or contract minimum [10]"]},{"cells":["Certn (Canada)","Full self serve list","CAD $24.99 to CAD $59.99 by check type","Per check; pass through fees may apply [8]"]},{"cells":["Veremark","Three bundles","$42 / $144 / $183 per candidate","Per candidate; local currency indicative [9]"]},{"cells":["TestGorilla","Four plans","$0, $142/mo, from $400/mo, custom","Annual subscription with monthly credits [11]"]},{"cells":["Criteria","Package names only","Not published","Quote built around goals and headcount [12]"]}],"columns":["Vendor","What the vendor publishes","Published price","Pricing basis"]},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":40},{"id":"42693733-3953-4302-be75-4e5d6fc63bbb","sectionKey":"addon_costs","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"What do the common add-ons cost?","introMarkdown":"Add-ons are priced individually and routinely push a report past its package price. Adding a motor vehicle record, an employment verification, and a drug screen to Checkr's $59.99 Essential package brings one report to about $91.99 before access fees, roughly 53 percent above the package price [1].\n\n### Motor vehicle records\n\nA motor vehicle record is $9.50 at Checkr, and the issuing DMV charges its own retrieval fee on top [1][2]. Independent component pricing puts the underlying record at $3 to $10 with an access fee of $2 to $25 [13].\n\n### Drug screening\n\nDrug screening starts at $10 per test at Checkr, and the collection window can matter as much as the panel [1]. A $90 after hours fee applies when a test runs Monday through Friday between 7pm and 7am, or on a weekend [2], so scheduling collections inside business hours removes that surcharge.\n\n### County, state, and federal criminal searches\n\nA county criminal search costs $25 as a Checkr add-on, federal criminal is $10, and state criminal starts at $10 [1]. Independently published component costs run lower, at $5 to $20 per county [13], with the gap covering vendor margin and access fees. Candidates with long or multi state address histories generate more county searches, which is why unlimited county packages often work out cheaper per hire than they first appear.\n\n### Employment and education verification\n\nEmployment verification starts at $12.50 per check at Checkr [1], but the passthrough schedule holds the variance: employment verification fees range from $17.95 to $119.95, education verification from $3.95 to $50.00, and DOT verification from $7.00 to $70.00 [2]. Records held in The Work Number can exceed $100 per report [13]. Verifications break more per hire estimates than any other line, because the fee depends on which registry holds the record.\n\n### International checks\n\nInternational criminal and adverse media checks are priced by country. Checkr lists Canada at $27.00, India at $32.00, the United Kingdom at $68.00, Germany at $75.00, Australia at $81.00, and Japan at $100.00, with restricted countries receiving an adverse media check at $35.00 instead [3]. Global watchlist screening is $5.00 and education verification is $35.00 per institution [3].","introHtml":"Add-ons are priced individually and routinely push a report past its package price. Adding a motor vehicle record, an employment verification, and a drug screen to Checkr's $59.99 Essential package brings one report to about $91.99 before access fees, roughly 53 percent above the package price [1].
\nA motor vehicle record is $9.50 at Checkr, and the issuing DMV charges its own retrieval fee on top [1][2]. Independent component pricing puts the underlying record at $3 to $10 with an access fee of $2 to $25 [13].
\nDrug screening starts at $10 per test at Checkr, and the collection window can matter as much as the panel [1]. A $90 after hours fee applies when a test runs Monday through Friday between 7pm and 7am, or on a weekend [2], so scheduling collections inside business hours removes that surcharge.
\nA county criminal search costs $25 as a Checkr add-on, federal criminal is $10, and state criminal starts at $10 [1]. Independently published component costs run lower, at $5 to $20 per county [13], with the gap covering vendor margin and access fees. Candidates with long or multi state address histories generate more county searches, which is why unlimited county packages often work out cheaper per hire than they first appear.
\nEmployment verification starts at $12.50 per check at Checkr [1], but the passthrough schedule holds the variance: employment verification fees range from $17.95 to $119.95, education verification from $3.95 to $50.00, and DOT verification from $7.00 to $70.00 [2]. Records held in The Work Number can exceed $100 per report [13]. Verifications break more per hire estimates than any other line, because the fee depends on which registry holds the record.
\nInternational criminal and adverse media checks are priced by country. Checkr lists Canada at $27.00, India at $32.00, the United Kingdom at $68.00, Germany at $75.00, Australia at $81.00, and Japan at $100.00, with restricted countries receiving an adverse media check at $35.00 instead [3]. Global watchlist screening is $5.00 and education verification is $35.00 per institution [3].
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":50},{"id":"2791ba59-9297-4448-b281-e2494e22cf28","sectionKey":"passthrough_fees","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Why is the invoice higher than the package price?","introMarkdown":"Third party access fees are added to a large share of reports and appear in no published package price. Checkr states that standard third party court and database access fees may apply and pass through at cost with no markup [1], and its passthrough overview describes them as non marked up third party fees imposed by courts, DMVs, and databases [2]. GoodHire carries the same warning [4], and Certn notes that pass through access fees apply to some services [8].\n\nThe amounts are jurisdiction specific. The Pennsylvania State Police charges $22 for access to its criminal history database [2], and across courts, states, DMVs, and data providers the fees run from about $3 to $95 per search [13].\n\nVendors differ on markup rather than on whether the fees exist. Checkr and backgroundchecks.com both state that court fees pass through at cost with no markup [1][2][10]. Getting that commitment in writing matters, because on a report touching two high fee jurisdictions the access fees alone can exceed the package price [13]. A sample invoice on a real multi county candidate compares bidders better than a rate card.","introHtml":"Third party access fees are added to a large share of reports and appear in no published package price. Checkr states that standard third party court and database access fees may apply and pass through at cost with no markup [1], and its passthrough overview describes them as non marked up third party fees imposed by courts, DMVs, and databases [2]. GoodHire carries the same warning [4], and Certn notes that pass through access fees apply to some services [8].
\nThe amounts are jurisdiction specific. The Pennsylvania State Police charges $22 for access to its criminal history database [2], and across courts, states, DMVs, and data providers the fees run from about $3 to $95 per search [13].
\nVendors differ on markup rather than on whether the fees exist. Checkr and backgroundchecks.com both state that court fees pass through at cost with no markup [1][2][10]. Getting that commitment in writing matters, because on a report touching two high fee jurisdictions the access fees alone can exceed the package price [13]. A sample invoice on a real multi county candidate compares bidders better than a rate card.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":60},{"id":"9ad19b79-b671-4d89-82c9-4f62e018a566","sectionKey":"budget_math","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"How do you turn per check pricing into a per employee budget?","introMarkdown":"Multiply annual hires by a blended cost per report, then add monitoring for whatever population you enroll. Headcount enters the calculation only through monitoring and assessment subscriptions.\n\nA worked example for a 300 person US employer hiring 45 people a year at published Checkr rates [1]:\n\n- 45 Essential packages at $59.99: $2,699.55\n- 45 employment verifications at $12.50: $562.50\n- 12 motor vehicle records at $9.50 for driving roles: $114.00\n- 12 drug screens at $10: $120.00\n- Court and database access fees, planned at $25 per report: $1,125.00\n- Continuous monitoring for 60 safety sensitive roles at $1.70 per person per month: $1,224.00\n\nThat totals roughly $5,845 a year, which is about $130 per hire and about $19.50 per employee on payroll. The per employee figure moves with turnover rather than with anything a buyer controls, so it misleads in a vendor comparison. Add a subscription on top if the same employer runs pre-hire assessments: TestGorilla Core at $1,704 a year works out to about $37.87 per hire at that volume [11].\n\nThe $25 per report access fee is a planning placeholder, since real fees run from $3 to $95 per search and one candidate can trigger several searches [13]. Volume changes the rate too, since contracted rates get renegotiated and adjusted over time [6].","introHtml":"Multiply annual hires by a blended cost per report, then add monitoring for whatever population you enroll. Headcount enters the calculation only through monitoring and assessment subscriptions.
\nA worked example for a 300 person US employer hiring 45 people a year at published Checkr rates [1]:
\nThat totals roughly $5,845 a year, which is about $130 per hire and about $19.50 per employee on payroll. The per employee figure moves with turnover rather than with anything a buyer controls, so it misleads in a vendor comparison. Add a subscription on top if the same employer runs pre-hire assessments: TestGorilla Core at $1,704 a year works out to about $37.87 per hire at that volume [11].
\nThe $25 per report access fee is a planning placeholder, since real fees run from $3 to $95 per search and one candidate can trigger several searches [13]. Volume changes the rate too, since contracted rates get renegotiated and adjusted over time [6].
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":70},{"id":"4050af3d-0e15-412d-8df5-d92bfb994d6b","sectionKey":"trade_offs","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"What should you check before signing a screening contract?","introMarkdown":"### Published rates are not the same as your rate\n\nSelf serve list prices are written for low volume accounts. Checkr, GoodHire, and backgroundchecks.com publish rates and state there are no minimums [1][4][10], while HireRight, Sterling, and Criteria publish nothing and price against volume [6][7][12]. At a few hundred reports a year a negotiated rate card often beats the published one, so treat posted numbers as a ceiling.\n\n### Turnaround time carries its own cost\n\nSlower checks often price lower while holding requisitions open longer. Checkr's international schedule shows Canada at one to two business days against Germany at 25 to 31 for a comparable check [3], and a start date delayed by three weeks costs real money that never appears on a screening invoice.\n\n### Compliance handling is bundled by some vendors and priced by others\n\nConfirm whether adverse action handling is included before comparing per check prices. backgroundchecks.com states that adverse action processing and FCRA compliance tools are included in every account at no additional charge [10]. Federal law requires written permission from the applicant before you obtain a report, a pre adverse action notice including a copy of the report you relied on, and a final adverse action notice naming the company that sold it [14]. The same joint EEOC and FTC guidance directs employers to apply identical standards to every applicant regardless of protected characteristics [14]. This is general information rather than legal advice, and state and local rules add requirements above the federal baseline.\n\n### What a per employee screening quote usually means\n\nA vendor quoting a per employee price is almost always selling continuous monitoring or an assessment seat rather than the background check itself. Checkr's continuous criminal search at $1.70 per individual per month is the clearest example of the first [1], and Criteria's request for headcount before quoting is an example of the second [12]. A background check priced in dollars per employee per month deserves a question about the bill in a year when hiring stops.","introHtml":"Self serve list prices are written for low volume accounts. Checkr, GoodHire, and backgroundchecks.com publish rates and state there are no minimums [1][4][10], while HireRight, Sterling, and Criteria publish nothing and price against volume [6][7][12]. At a few hundred reports a year a negotiated rate card often beats the published one, so treat posted numbers as a ceiling.
\nSlower checks often price lower while holding requisitions open longer. Checkr's international schedule shows Canada at one to two business days against Germany at 25 to 31 for a comparable check [3], and a start date delayed by three weeks costs real money that never appears on a screening invoice.
\nConfirm whether adverse action handling is included before comparing per check prices. backgroundchecks.com states that adverse action processing and FCRA compliance tools are included in every account at no additional charge [10]. Federal law requires written permission from the applicant before you obtain a report, a pre adverse action notice including a copy of the report you relied on, and a final adverse action notice naming the company that sold it [14]. The same joint EEOC and FTC guidance directs employers to apply identical standards to every applicant regardless of protected characteristics [14]. This is general information rather than legal advice, and state and local rules add requirements above the federal baseline.
\nA vendor quoting a per employee price is almost always selling continuous monitoring or an assessment seat rather than the background check itself. Checkr's continuous criminal search at $1.70 per individual per month is the clearest example of the first [1], and Criteria's request for headcount before quoting is an example of the second [12]. A background check priced in dollars per employee per month deserves a question about the bill in a year when hiring stops.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":80},{"id":"6f194182-a337-4dc7-ac42-6300dc1da7ad","sectionKey":"contributor_perspective","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"How this answer was researched","introMarkdown":"Every price in this answer was read directly from the vendor's own pricing page on July 20, 2026 rather than from a review aggregator or a recollection of older figures. Where a vendor publishes nothing, this answer says so instead of quoting a secondhand estimate, because third party figures for quote only vendors such as HireRight and Sterling usually reflect one account's contracted rate from an unknown year. The component and court access fee ranges come from a screening provider's published breakdown and are labeled as such, since no neutral registry of court access fees exists.\n\nScreening rate cards move. Court and database access fees change by jurisdiction through the year, and vendors adjust contracted rates annually. HR practitioners working from current invoices, and vendors whose published pricing has changed since the verification date above, are invited to submit corrections with documentation.","introHtml":"Every price in this answer was read directly from the vendor's own pricing page on July 20, 2026 rather than from a review aggregator or a recollection of older figures. Where a vendor publishes nothing, this answer says so instead of quoting a secondhand estimate, because third party figures for quote only vendors such as HireRight and Sterling usually reflect one account's contracted rate from an unknown year. The component and court access fee ranges come from a screening provider's published breakdown and are labeled as such, since no neutral registry of court access fees exists.
\nScreening rate cards move. Court and database access fees change by jurisdiction through the year, and vendors adjust contracted rates annually. HR practitioners working from current invoices, and vendors whose published pricing has changed since the verification date above, are invited to submit corrections with documentation.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":"This answer was written and reviewed by the AnswerStack Editorial Team, which has no commercial stake in the products, companies, or methods discussed. Every claim is cited inline and verified on the dates shown.","noteHtml":"This answer was written and reviewed by the AnswerStack Editorial Team, which has no commercial stake in the products, companies, or methods discussed. Every claim is cited inline and verified on the dates shown.
\n","sortOrder":90}],"citations":[{"title":"Pricing and Packages","url":"https://checkr.com/pricing","excerpt":"Standard third-party court and database access fees may apply, passed through at cost with no markup.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Basic $29.99, Essential $59.99, Complete $94.99 per report; add-on prices for MVR, identity, drug, employment verification, federal, state, county; continuous criminal $1.70 per individual per month; I-9 $7 per form; no subscription, platform, setup, or minimum fee; pass-through footnote","domain":"checkr.com","publisherName":"Checkr"},{"title":"Passthrough fees","url":"https://checkr.com/pricing/passthrough-fees-overview","excerpt":"non-marked up, third-party fees","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Definition of passthrough fees; PATCH $22; employment verification $17.95 to $119.95; education verification $3.95 to $50.00; DOT verification $7.00 to $70.00; $90 after hours drug testing fee; Canadian MVR $0.00 to $25.00 by province","domain":"checkr.com","publisherName":"Checkr"},{"title":"International background check pricing","url":"https://www.checkr.com/pricing/international","excerpt":"Canada: $27.00; United Kingdom: $68.00; Germany: $75.00; Japan: $100.00","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Country-level criminal and adverse media prices; global watchlist $5.00; identity document validation $22.00; education verification $35.00 per institution; India education $12.00 and employment $10.00; turnaround ranges by country","domain":"checkr.com","publisherName":"Checkr"},{"title":"Background Check Pricing","url":"https://www.goodhire.com/pricing/","excerpt":"Additional third-party fees may apply.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Basic from $29.99, Essential from $59.99, Complete from $94.99 per check; custom packages for businesses running fewer than 50 checks a year; additional third-party fees may apply","domain":"goodhire.com","publisherName":"GoodHire (a Checkr company)"},{"title":"Small Business Background Checks","url":"https://fadv.com/solutions/small-business-background-checks/","excerpt":"pay-as-you-go background checks for as little as $29","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Pay-as-you-go small business checks from $29; no account setup fees, no hidden fees, no minimums","domain":"fadv.com","publisherName":"First Advantage"},{"title":"Pricing Notice","url":"https://www.sterlingcheck.com/pricing/","excerpt":"Effective March 1st, prices will increase by approximately two percent (2%), which will be reflected on your invoice scheduled to go out early April.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Sterling publishes no rate card; client pricing notice announcing an approximately 2 percent increase effective March 1, reflected on the invoice going out in early April","domain":"sterlingcheck.com","publisherName":"Sterling (First Advantage)"},{"title":"Pricing","url":"https://www.hireright.com/pricing","excerpt":null,"quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"HireRight's pricing page carries no published rate card or dollar figures and routes buyers to a sales contact","domain":"hireright.com","publisherName":"HireRight"},{"title":"Pricing","url":"https://certn.co/pricing/","excerpt":null,"quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Canadian self-serve price list in CAD: basic criminal $24.99, enhanced $29.99, Quebec SOQUIJ $39.99, OneID $4.99, social media $59.99, credit $12.99, public records $9.99, employment/education/credential verification $29.99 each, digital reference $4.49, phone reference $39.99, driver's abstract $35","domain":"certn.co","publisherName":"Certn"},{"title":"Pricing","url":"https://www.veremark.com/pricing","excerpt":"$42 PER CANDIDATE","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Per candidate bundles: Essential $42, Professional $144, Executive $183; single checks from $14 to $23; prices listed in USD with local currency indicative","domain":"veremark.com","publisherName":"Veremark"},{"title":"Background Check Pricing in 2026","url":"https://www.backgroundchecks.com/news/background-check-pricing","excerpt":"no setup fees, no monthly platform fees, and no long-term contract minimums","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Pricing starts at $24.99; no setup fees, no monthly platform fees, no long-term contract minimums; court pass-through fees charged at cost with no markup; adverse action processing and FCRA compliance tools included at no additional charge","domain":"backgroundchecks.com","publisherName":"BackgroundChecks.com"},{"title":"Pricing","url":"https://www.testgorilla.com/pricing/","excerpt":"$142/mo ... $1,704 billed annually","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Free plan $0 with 10 credits a month and 1 seat; Core $142 per month billed annually ($1,704) with 2 seats and 350+ tests; Plus from $400 per month ($4,800 a year) with unlimited seats, ATS integrations, ID verification, job simulations; Enterprise custom; tools consume 1 to 2 credits per candidate","domain":"testgorilla.com","publisherName":"TestGorilla"},{"title":"Plans and Pricing","url":"https://www.criteriacorp.com/plans-and-pricing","excerpt":"Tell us your goals and headcount, and we'll build the right package and add-ons","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Four packages (Assess, Interview, Hire, Develop) with no published dollar figures; pricing is quote-only and built around stated goals and headcount","domain":"criteriacorp.com","publisherName":"Criteria Corp"},{"title":"Cost of Pre-Employment Screening in the US","url":"https://peopletrail.com/cost-of-pre-employment-screening-in-the-us/","excerpt":"Access fees established by courts, states, DMVs, and other data providers can range from $3 to $95 per search.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"SUPPORTING","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Component cost ranges: county criminal $5 to $20, national database $5 to $15, state repository $9 to $20, federal $6 to $15, MVR $3 to $10, credit $5 to $20; court, state, DMV and data provider access fees $3 to $95 per search; statewide repository access $3 to $65; MVR access $2 to $25; The Work N","domain":"peopletrail.com","publisherName":"Peopletrail"},{"title":"Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know","url":"https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/background-checks-what-employers-need-know","excerpt":"Get the applicant's or employee's written permission to do the background check.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","supportsText":"Written permission required before a background check; pre-adverse action notice including a copy of the consumer report; adverse action notice naming the company that sold the report; equal application of standards across protected classes; no medical questions before a conditional offer","domain":"eeoc.gov","publisherName":"U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Federal Trade Commission"}],"revisions":[],"relatedAnswers":[{"id":"72492b35-0af1-4a64-9156-e4f70d3a5618","slug":"ai-resume-screening-software-actually-work","question":"Does AI resume screening software actually work, and is it worth it (bias, accuracy)?","publishedAt":"2026-07-21T21:20:44.609","confidenceScore":82,"confidenceLabel":"High","industry":{"id":"e1a1da3c-52a8-4e99-88ad-d08ef17d7c3f","slug":"hr-technology","label":"HR Technology","description":"ATS, HRIS, payroll, and workforce management"},"topic":{"slug":"candidate-screening-assessment","label":"Candidate Screening & Assessment","description":"Background Checks, Pre-Employment Testing, Reference Checks, Skills Assessment","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"Independent audits find language-model resume rankers favor some demographic groups on otherwise identical resumes. The deeper issue is what these tools are trained to predict, usually a past hiring decision rather than job performance, so a high accuracy score can mean only that the model agrees with last year's recruiters. AI screening holds up on high-volume roles with concrete requirements, used to rank rather than reject, with human review and monitored adverse impact.","url":"/q/ai-resume-screening-software-actually-work"},{"id":"8b7d74e4-7ae0-4d1e-8cff-6b3dcda9e3d4","slug":"candidates-cheat-on-online-skills-assessments-and-does-proctoring","question":"Do candidates cheat on online skills assessments, and does proctoring / anti-cheat actually stop it (including AI/ChatGPT)?","publishedAt":"2026-07-21T21:20:42.255","confidenceScore":78,"confidenceLabel":"Medium","industry":{"id":"e1a1da3c-52a8-4e99-88ad-d08ef17d7c3f","slug":"hr-technology","label":"HR Technology","description":"ATS, HRIS, payroll, and workforce management"},"topic":{"slug":"candidate-screening-assessment","label":"Candidate Screening & Assessment","description":"Background Checks, Pre-Employment Testing, Reference Checks, Skills Assessment","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"Cheating on remote skills assessments is real, and generative AI widened it for coding challenges and knowledge questions. Proctoring catches tab switching, pasted code, proxy test takers, and leaked items, and it cannot see a phone outside the webcam frame. Every published detection rate is a vendor figure. Biometric identity checks and recorded video also carry Illinois BIPA and AI Video Interview Act exposure.","url":"/q/candidates-cheat-on-online-skills-assessments-and-does-proctoring"},{"id":"7c1df232-4afc-4f90-acc6-373bb41cf94d","slug":"screening-background-check-software-integrate-with-my-ats","question":"Does screening / background check software integrate with my ATS or HRIS?","publishedAt":"2026-07-21T21:20:40.075","confidenceScore":88,"confidenceLabel":"High","industry":{"id":"e1a1da3c-52a8-4e99-88ad-d08ef17d7c3f","slug":"hr-technology","label":"HR Technology","description":"ATS, HRIS, payroll, and workforce management"},"topic":{"slug":"candidate-screening-assessment","label":"Candidate Screening & Assessment","description":"Background Checks, Pre-Employment Testing, Reference Checks, Skills Assessment","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"Screening and assessment vendors ship certified ATS and HRIS connectors, so ordering, status, and results move without rekeying. The mechanics that decide whether the integration helps are narrower: where the FCRA disclosure and authorization are hosted, what writes back, who can read results, and whether adverse action fires from the screening platform or your ATS.","url":"/q/screening-background-check-software-integrate-with-my-ats"},{"id":"ef2314e9-45b8-4867-adcb-bb8bb029b6e7","slug":"pre-employment-assessments-and-background-checks-legal-eeoc-ada-fcra","question":"Are pre-employment assessments and background checks legal (EEOC, ADA, FCRA, disparate impact)?","publishedAt":"2026-07-21T21:20:37.515","confidenceScore":86,"confidenceLabel":"High","industry":{"id":"e1a1da3c-52a8-4e99-88ad-d08ef17d7c3f","slug":"hr-technology","label":"HR Technology","description":"ATS, HRIS, payroll, and workforce management"},"topic":{"slug":"candidate-screening-assessment","label":"Candidate Screening & Assessment","description":"Background Checks, Pre-Employment Testing, Reference Checks, Skills Assessment","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"Screening is lawful in principle and regulated in the details. Third-party background reports trigger FCRA disclosure, authorization, and a two-step adverse action sequence. Tests and criminal-record screens face Title VII adverse impact analysis under the Uniform Guidelines. The ADA restricts what you may ask or examine before a conditional offer. Fair-chance, salary history, credit, and automated hiring tool rules vary by state and city. A June 2026 federal opinion narrowed enforcement posture on disparate impact without repealing the statute.","url":"/q/pre-employment-assessments-and-background-checks-legal-eeoc-ada-fcra"}],"contributorStats":{"verifiedAnswers":224,"openDisputes":0},"schemaJson":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Question","name":"How much does background check / candidate screening software cost per employee?","text":"How much does background check / candidate screening software cost per employee?","url":"https://www.answerstack.io/q/how-much-does-background-check-candidate-screening-software-cost","answerCount":1,"datePublished":"2026-07-20T16:33:10.341","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"AnswerStack Editorial Team","worksFor":{"@type":"Organization","name":"AnswerStack"},"url":"https://www.answerstack.io/contributors/answer-stack"},"about":[{"@type":"Thing","name":"Candidate Screening & Assessment"},{"@type":"Thing","name":"HR Technology"}],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Background check software is priced per report or per candidate rather than per employee per month. Published US packages run from about $29.99 for a basic criminal search to $94.99 for a package that adds unlimited county and state criminal searches plus a federal search, which is the rate card both Checkr and GoodHire post [1][4]; First Advantage starts small business checks at $29, and backgroundchecks.com starts at $24.99 [5][10]. The one component that genuinely bills per person per month is continuous criminal monitoring, listed by Checkr at $1.70 per individual per month [1]. Pre-hire assessment platforms in the same category sell subscriptions instead: TestGorilla publishes $142 per month billed annually for Core and from $400 per month for Plus, while Criteria builds a quote around your headcount and publishes no prices at all [11][12]. Court and database access fees are passed through on top of every one of those numbers and run from roughly $3 to $95 per search depending on the jurisdiction [2][13].","url":"https://www.answerstack.io/q/how-much-does-background-check-candidate-screening-software-cost","upvoteCount":0,"datePublished":"2026-07-20T16:33:10.341","dateModified":"2026-07-20T00:00:00","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"AnswerStack Editorial Team","worksFor":{"@type":"Organization","name":"AnswerStack"},"url":"https://www.answerstack.io/contributors/answer-stack"},"citation":[{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Pricing and Packages","url":"https://checkr.com/pricing"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Passthrough fees","url":"https://checkr.com/pricing/passthrough-fees-overview"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"International background check pricing","url":"https://www.checkr.com/pricing/international"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Background Check Pricing","url":"https://www.goodhire.com/pricing/"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Small Business Background Checks","url":"https://fadv.com/solutions/small-business-background-checks/"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Pricing Notice","url":"https://www.sterlingcheck.com/pricing/"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Pricing","url":"https://www.hireright.com/pricing"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Pricing","url":"https://certn.co/pricing/"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Pricing","url":"https://www.veremark.com/pricing"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Background Check Pricing in 2026","url":"https://www.backgroundchecks.com/news/background-check-pricing"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Pricing","url":"https://www.testgorilla.com/pricing/"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Plans and Pricing","url":"https://www.criteriacorp.com/plans-and-pricing"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Cost of Pre-Employment Screening in the US","url":"https://peopletrail.com/cost-of-pre-employment-screening-in-the-us/"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know","url":"https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/background-checks-what-employers-need-know"}]}}}