Background checks for personal assistants and errand runners
Shopping, pickups, errands, and household tasks mean money, keys, calendars, and access — the broadest trust footprint of any independent household role.
Short answer
How should an organization screen a personal assistant?
The requesting organization can select screening searches relevant to a personal assistant, obtain authorization, and receive the report for its decision. The searches below show the role-specific scope. If the organization asks the worker to pay, it should review that arrangement with qualified counsel first.
Why clients ask personal assistants and errand runners for a background check
- The assistant handles cards, cash, and sometimes accounts.
- Keys, codes, calendars, and travel plans are all known to the assistant.
- Work spans the home, the vehicle, and the client's errands.
- Family office and high-net-worth clients screen exhaustively.
What the check should include
These searches may be relevant when an organization screens this role. The requesting organization should select a scope appropriate to the role and applicable requirements.
| Search | Why it matters here |
|---|---|
| SSN address trace | Identity and address history. |
| National criminal database search | Multi-state first pass. |
| County criminal search | Court-verified theft, fraud, and violence. |
| Financial Risk Search | Bankruptcies, judgments, and liens — standard context where a worker handles funds. |
| Motor vehicle record (MVR) | Errands are driven, often in the client's car. |
| Employment verification | Confirms the prior household or executive roles the hire is based on. |
Who pays for organization-requested screening?
The organization initiates screening for this role, selects the searches, and receives the report for its authorized decision. A worker-payment arrangement may be available for an organization, but payment does not replace its disclosure, authorization, or adverse action responsibilities. Consult qualified counsel before requiring workers to pay.
Costs depend on the searches selected and applicable court access fees. Organizations can estimate their scope in the pricing calculator and review our access fee lookup. Median report time is under four hours, and 89% of reports return the same business day.
Questions personal assistants and errand runners ask
What screening do private clients expect for an assistant?
Confirmed identity, county criminal searches, a driving record, financial risk context where money is handled, and verified prior employment.
Why verify past employment?
Household roles are hired on reputation and referral. Verification is what turns a claimed history into a confirmed one.
How does a family office screen an assistant?
The family office can select searches appropriate to the duties and initiate screening before granting access.
How often should it be refreshed?
Annually for ongoing work.
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Keep reading
- What shows up on a background checkEvery record type an employment screen can return, what it cannot return, and the lookback limits that apply.Read the guide
- Adverse action: meaning, notices, and timelineWhat adverse action means under the FCRA, the two required notices, and how long to wait between them.Read the guide
- How long does a background check take?Realistic turnaround by search type, the court and verification delays that drive it, and how to shorten it.Read the guide