Finding a complete record of your work history involves systematically retrieving documentation of employment dates, job titles, employer names, and physical locations. This comprehensive record is often necessary for significant life events, such as submitting applications for new jobs or professional licenses, qualifying for a mortgage or other loan, or determining eligibility for government benefits. Reconstructing this history requires starting with the easiest-to-access personal records before moving toward the more authoritative, official, and government-maintained documents.
Start with Personal and Digital Records
Beginning your search with records you personally created or maintain is the fastest way to build an initial timeline. Old resumes and curriculum vitae (CVs) serve as a foundational, though unverified, listing of your past roles and responsibilities. These personal documents often contain the specific month and year ranges used for past job applications. Checking professional networking profiles, such as LinkedIn, can also reveal previously entered job titles and company names.
You should next examine personal digital archives like old email accounts and cloud storage folders. A search within these platforms for terms like “offer letter,” “W-2,” “pay stub,” or “employment agreement” can quickly yield official company documents containing verifiable start and end dates. Reviewing digital or physical calendars and diaries may also help pinpoint the exact months when you started or left a position, which is often required for formal verification processes. Compiling these scattered personal details creates a valuable framework.
Accessing Official Government Documentation
The most authoritative source for long-term employment data is maintained by federal agencies, starting with the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA maintains an Earnings Record detailing the wages and self-employment income you have earned over your lifetime. For a detailed, itemized statement that may include employer names and addresses, you can submit a request using Form SSA-7050-F4, although a fee is generally associated with this service. A free, uncertified earnings history can be accessed online through your personal my Social Security account, but this typically shows only yearly earnings totals and may not list employer names.
A complementary resource is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which can provide a Wage and Income Transcript for the past ten tax years. This free transcript contains data reported to the IRS on informational returns, most notably the official W-2 forms. The W-2 data on the transcript will list the employer’s name and Employer Identification Number (EIN) for each year you worked. You can request this document online using the IRS Get Transcript tool or submit a paper request with Form 4506-T; most requests are processed within two weeks.
Reviewing Financial and Third-Party Reports
Indirect financial documentation offers another method to corroborate your work history when primary documents are unavailable. You should review your personal credit reports, as these documents often contain information about past employers. When you apply for a loan, a mortgage, or a credit card, the creditor often asks for and records your employment information, which may then appear on your credit file. While this information is not guaranteed to be complete, it provides an additional layer of third-party verification for specific periods.
Bank statements can serve as secondary evidence by showing a consistent pattern of direct deposits from a specific company. Searching your statements for regular payroll deposits can help establish precise start and end dates of employment, especially if the employer’s name is clearly visible on the transaction description. For periods of unemployment, a state-issued Unemployment Compensation Letter can officially document the dates you were not working and may reference the last employer on record.
Strategies for Contacting Former Employers
A direct approach to a former company is often necessary to obtain an official Verification of Employment (VOE) letter. The appropriate contact point is typically the Human Resources (HR) or Payroll department, which is responsible for maintaining personnel records. When making contact, you should request a formal VOE letter that includes the exact dates of employment, the job title held, and salary information, as this is the standard data shared during background checks. Some companies, however, outsource this function to third-party verification services.
For companies that have been acquired, merged, or are defunct, your search must shift to a state-level business registry. The Secretary of State’s office in the state where the company was headquartered maintains archives of business filings, including records of name changes, mergers, and dissolutions. Using the business search function to look for “Inactive” entities or “Prior Names” can help you identify the successor company that legally assumed the record-keeping responsibilities of your former employer.
What to Do When Records Are Missing
When official records fail to provide a complete timeline, it becomes necessary to utilize collateral evidence to fill the gaps. You should gather any available ancillary documents that tie you to the former employer, such as old pay stubs, employee health insurance identification cards, or company retirement plan statements. Even a single pay stub from the beginning and end of a job can help establish the employment duration, while an old offer letter confirms the original start date and job title.
For periods that remain impossible to verify through documents, gathering professional references from former supervisors or colleagues is the next step. These individuals can provide testimonial evidence of your work dates and responsibilities. As a final option, an Affidavit of Employment, which is a formal, notarized, and sworn statement, can be used to legally attest to your employment facts under penalty of perjury. This sworn document is often accepted for applications that require robust verification.