Enable credit checks

If certain requirements are met, self-serve clients can run credit checks for individuals located in Canada and the US. In this article, you'll learn about the requirements to enable credit checks so they are available for you to order, and the additional onboarding steps involved. 

Do I meet the requirements to run US Equifax credit checks?

You must answer yes to all of the following:

1. Can you justify running a credit check for employment purposes?

For example, if the position is at a bank or financial institution or in law enforcement, if the employee will have access to high-value assets, expense accounts, company credit cards or cash, or if the employee will have access to Personal Identifiable Information (PII) or proprietary data (under strict definitions), you may be able to run credit checks for employment purposes. If you cannot clearly justify how a credit check is substantially related to the position you are hiring for, you should avoid credit checks to reduce risk of litigation.

2. Have you reviewed jurisdictional laws or restrictions that may prevent you from running credit checks for employment purposes?

Depending on where your company is located and where your candidate resides, specific laws or restrictions may apply. For example, in some states, you may be prevented from running credit checks until you have made a conditional offer, or you may need to obtain additional consent from your candidate to run a credit check. Be sure to check these requirements and speak with your legal counsel before moving forward.

3. Are you willing to provide additional paperwork and undergo and on-site inspection?

In order to enable credit checks, first you will need to sign an additional contract with Certn. Second, you will have to undergo and pass a virtual inspection through our third-party partner to verify that your company meets regulatory requirements. The turnaround time for this inspection is three to five business days.

If you can respond with 'yes' to these three questions and you want to enable credit checks, or if you are still not quite sure whether or not credit checks make sense for you, you can contact us at customersuccess@certn.co.

Do I meet the requirements to run Canadian credit checks?

For Canadian credit reports, you can notify customersuccess@certn.co that you'd like this service enabled. We will send additional contracts to your account's administrator for you to sign. After we receive your signed contract, you will be able to run Canadian credit checks.