Pre-employment credit checks can help employers verify a potential employee’s identity and determine if they are reliable enough for their workplace. Overdue payments, outstanding loans and a history of bankruptcy can show up on an employment credit check in Florida.
However, the nature of credit checks can vary from state to state. What do Florida employment credit checks include, and what can they reveal about potential employees? How do Florida’s employment credit checks differ from other states? Let’s take a look at some answers to these questions.
3 ways Florida employment credit checks are different from other states
In Florida, employers have the right to request background checks, which are public record throughout the state. Employment credit checks in the state of Florida can highlight credit scores, credit card payments and filed bankruptcies.
Florida employment credit checks can be different from other states. Here’s what you need to know about credit checks in Florida:
- Credit checks in Florida don’t have a state-mandated time limit.
Unlike other states, Florida state law does not restrict how far back a credit check can go. Most historical information can be legally accessed by employers. Of course, all credit checks by Florida-based employers are subject to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which limits access to credit information older than seven years.
- Florida credit checks can be included in Level 1 background checks.
In Florida, there are two levels of background checks. Level 1 checks are state-only, name-based reports, and they provide information like employment history. Credit checks can be included within a Level 1 background check at the discretion of an employer. Meanwhile, Level 2 checks have a national scope that includes fingerprinting.
- In Florida, employers can ask about criminal history.
If a Florida-based employer notices fishy numbers on an employee’s credit check results, they are legally allowed to inquire about them. They can even inquire about criminal history related to those numbers, like fraud. Unlike other states, there is no statewide “ban the box” legislation in Florida, which limits employers ability to ask about an employer’s criminal history.
Seeking employment credit check services for your Florida-based business? The Background Experts team is here to help!
Doing employment credit checks can be frustrating and time consuming. Fortunately, our Background Experts team can take this task off your hands. Our team members have 30 years of combined experience in performing employee background screenings, and we’re fully FCRA certified. We also offer a wide range of screening services that can help HR managers and hiring agents ensure that their potential employees are fully vetted and ready to get to work.
Contact our team today for more information about our services or to talk to one of our background screening experts.