To get a copy of your background check, you request it directly from the consumer reporting agency that compiled it. Federal law gives you that right, and in most situations the copy is free. The tricky part is that there isn’t one master file sitting somewhere waiting for you to download it. Your information is spread across credit bureaus, criminal history databases, employment screening companies, and specialty agencies, so getting a full picture usually means making more than one request.
Figure Out Which Report You Actually Want
“Background check” is a catch-all term. What shows up depends entirely on who ordered the report and why. An employer hiring for a desk job and a landlord screening a rental application will pull different information from different companies.
Most reports draw from a common set of categories: criminal records (convictions, arrests, pending charges), employment history, education verification, and credit history. Reports may also include driving records, professional licenses, civil court judgments, and sex offender registry searches. Positions involving money or security clearances get heavier credit scrutiny. Driving jobs lean on the motor vehicle record.
So before you request anything, pin down what you’re trying to see. Your credit history? Your criminal record? The specific report a landlord or employer just pulled on you? Each has its own path.
Your Right to See Your File
The Fair Credit Reporting Act is the federal statute that controls how background check companies handle your information. Any consumer reporting agency that maintains a file on you must disclose everything in it when you ask.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681g – Disclosures to Consumers “Everything” covers the actual data, the sources it came from, and a list of everyone who received a copy of your report within the past year, or the past two years if the report was pulled for employment.
You don’t need a reason. You don’t need to prove anyone has taken action against you. You just have to ask.
How to Request Each Type of Report
Credit Reports
The three nationwide credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, are required to give you a free copy of your credit report at least once every twelve months through a centralized website.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681j – Charges for Certain Disclosures The site is AnnualCreditReport.com. All three bureaus now offer free weekly access on a permanent basis, so you can pull a fresh report anytime.3Federal Trade Commission. You Now Have Permanent Access to Free Weekly Credit Reports
The Report a Specific Employer or Landlord Ran on You
If a landlord or employer ran a background check through a particular company, such as Checkr, Sterling, or GoodHire, that company is a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and has to show you your file on request. If you were denied a job or housing based on the report, the organization that made the decision is required to give you the name, address, and phone number of the company that provided it.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681m – Requirements on Users of Consumer Reports
Most of these companies have online portals for disclosure requests. Expect to provide your full name, date of birth, Social Security number, and current and previous addresses to verify your identity.
FBI Criminal History
Your federal criminal record is maintained by the FBI, and you can request your own Identity History Summary Check directly. The fee is $18, and you’ll need to submit fingerprints, either electronically at a participating U.S. Post Office or by mailing a fingerprint card to the FBI.5FBI. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions You can also go through an FBI-approved channeler, a private company authorized to submit your request. This is the best way to see what a fingerprint-based federal search would turn up, and it’s worth doing before any process where you expect your criminal history to be checked.
Note the boundary: the FBI check covers federal records. State criminal records live with the state agency that maintains them, and each state has its own request process.
Specialty Reporting Agencies
Beyond the credit bureaus and criminal background companies, dozens of specialty agencies compile narrower slices of your history: tenant screening, check-writing records, insurance claims, utility payment history, even retail return behavior. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau maintains a list of these companies.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. List of Consumer Reporting Companies Each one is subject to the same FCRA disclosure requirements. If you’ve been turned down for an apartment, an insurance policy, or a bank account and don’t know which company reported on you, the denial notice should name it.
When the Copy Is Free
Beyond the free weekly credit reports from the three major bureaus, the FCRA entitles you to a free file disclosure from any consumer reporting agency in these situations:
- Someone denied you credit, employment, housing, or insurance based on the report. You have 60 days from the adverse action notice to request the free copy.
- You’re currently unemployed and expect to apply for a job within 60 days.
- You’re receiving public assistance.
- You’ve placed a fraud alert on your file or believe your file contains inaccurate information because of identity theft.
If none of those apply, an agency can charge you for an additional disclosure beyond your annual free report, but federal law caps that fee at $16.00 for 2026, adjusted each January for inflation.7Federal Register. Fair Credit Reporting Act Disclosures
What You’ll Need to Request Your File
Every consumer reporting agency verifies your identity before releasing your file. Have this ready:
- Full legal name, including any prior names
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Current address and previous addresses, usually going back at least two years
The FBI request adds fingerprints and the $18 fee. Some agencies also ask for a copy of a government-issued ID.
If You Find Errors on Your Report
Errors on background checks are common, and they run from minor typos to someone else’s criminal record showing up in your file. The FCRA gives you a clear dispute process.
Gather documentation that proves the error: court records showing a case was dismissed, an expungement order, a letter from a previous employer correcting your dates, anything concrete that contradicts the entry. Then send a written dispute to the consumer reporting agency that compiled the report, spelling out which items are wrong and including copies of your supporting documents.
Once the agency receives your dispute, it has 30 days to investigate. That window can stretch to 45 days, but only if you provide additional relevant information during the initial 30-day period; the agency can’t extend the clock on its own.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681i – Procedure in Case of Disputed Accuracy If the investigation confirms the information is wrong or can’t be verified, the agency must correct or delete the item and notify you within five business days of finishing.
After the correction, you can ask the agency to send the updated report to anyone who received the old version, going back six months for most purposes, or two years for employment reports. The agency has to tell you about this right when it resolves your dispute.
If a Company Won’t Give You Your File or Won’t Fix Errors
You’re not stuck writing letters. Two escalation options exist.
The first is a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. You can submit one online at consumerfinance.gov/complaint or by phone at (855) 411-2372. The CFPB forwards your complaint to the company, which generally has 15 days to respond.9Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Learn How the Complaint Process Works A CFPB complaint won’t get you damages, but it creates a paper trail.
The second is a lawsuit. The FCRA creates a private right to sue. For willful violations, you can recover statutory damages between $100 and $1,000 per violation even without proving a specific financial loss, along with possible punitive damages and attorney’s fees.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681n – Civil Liability for Willful Noncompliance For negligent violations, you can recover actual damages (such as lost wages from a job you didn’t get because of a botched report) plus attorney’s fees.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681o – Civil Liability for Negligent Noncompliance