An AssureHire background check typically takes one to five business days, though some checks come back in under an hour and others stretch to seven or more days depending on what’s being screened. AssureHire, like other consumer reporting agencies, runs multiple types of searches that each have their own timelines, and the total wait depends on which combination your employer ordered.
Typical Timelines by Screening Type
Most employment background checks that combine several screening types finish within three to five business days. But individual components within that check move at different speeds.
Criminal background checks are among the fastest, usually completing in one to three days. Many criminal databases are digitized at this point, so automated searches can pull results quickly. Driving record checks (also called MVR checks) follow a similar pace, often returning in under an hour to three business days.
Employment and education verifications tend to be the slowest pieces. A quick automated verification can come back in minutes if your past employer uses a third-party verification database. But when the background check company has to contact your former employer directly, that manual process can take two to seven days, sometimes longer if the company is slow to respond or no longer exists.
Reference checks, when included, typically take two to five days since they depend on real people answering calls or emails. If your employer also requires a drug test, onsite rapid tests produce results in about 10 minutes, while lab-based tests can take three to 10 days.
What Causes Delays
The most common reason a background check stalls is inaccurate or incomplete information from the applicant. A misspelled former employer name, a wrong date range for a previous job, or a missing middle name can trigger extra verification steps. Each discrepancy adds time because someone has to manually track down the correct information before the check can move forward.
Court records are another frequent bottleneck. Some county courts still rely on manual processes rather than digital databases, which means a clerk has to physically search records. If your employer ordered a multi-county or multi-state criminal search, each jurisdiction adds its own processing time. Federal court searches can layer on additional days as well.
Unresponsive former employers or references also slow things down. If the background check company calls a past employer and gets no answer, they’ll try again, but each attempt adds a day or two. Companies that have closed, merged, or changed their HR systems are especially difficult to verify against.
Volume matters too. If your new employer is onboarding a large group of hires at the same time, the sheer number of simultaneous screenings can extend turnaround for everyone in the batch.
How to Speed Up Your Check
You have more control over the timeline than you might think. Before you submit your information, double-check every detail: exact company names, accurate employment dates, correct addresses, and your full legal name as it appears on official documents. Even small inconsistencies between what you provide and what a former employer has on file can trigger manual review.
If you know your previous employer uses a verification service like The Work Number, that’s good news. Automated databases return results in minutes rather than days. But if your past employer is a small business, consider giving the background check company a direct phone number for someone who can confirm your employment. The easier you make it for them to reach the right person, the faster things move.
Having your documents ready also helps. Copies of diplomas, transcripts, professional licenses, or past pay stubs won’t always be requested, but having them available means you can respond immediately if the screening company needs additional proof. Delays often compound: one missing piece of information sits in a queue, then requires follow-up, then waits for another response. Eliminating that first delay can shave days off the total process.
What “Pending” Status Means
If your background check status shows as pending, it simply means one or more components haven’t returned results yet. This is normal and doesn’t indicate a problem was found. The most likely explanation is that a verification is waiting on a response from a former employer, a court clerk is processing a manual records search, or the screening company is clarifying a data point.
Most candidates see their check move from pending to complete within five business days. If yours has been pending for more than a week, it’s reasonable to reach out to your hiring contact and ask if there’s anything you can provide to help move things along. Sometimes a simple clarification from you, like confirming which campus you attended or providing an updated phone number for a former manager, is all that’s needed to unstick the process.
When to Expect Your Results
You typically won’t receive the results directly. Your new employer gets the completed report and then makes a hiring decision based on what it contains. If anything adverse comes up, federal law requires the employer to send you a copy of the report and give you a chance to dispute inaccuracies before taking action against you.
For a straightforward check with just a criminal search and identity verification, expect results within one to three business days. For a more comprehensive package that includes employment history, education, references, and a drug test, plan for three to seven business days under normal conditions. Delays from manual court searches or unresponsive employers can push that to 10 days or occasionally longer.