Field guides built with compliance team input.
Pillar references, practitioner tools, and the latest from the SafestHires blog. Start with the state matrix below, send your team the 24-point checklist, or book a free 15-minute audit if you'd rather have us read your current setup back to you.
Short answer
What free HR compliance tools does SafestHires offer?
SafestHires publishes a free, no-signup AI assistant for HR and compliance teams: Ask HR AI (includes jurisdiction-cited answers with investigator, policy-drafting, handbook-audit, and adverse action modes), an Adverse Action Letter generator, an Adverse Action Timeline calculator, a Ban-the-Box Compliance checker, a Turnaround calculator, a Package Builder tool, a Multi-State Obligations tool, a Cost of a Bad Hire calculator, an FCRA Compliance checklist, a Vendor Assessment scorecard, an RFP template, downloadable sample FCRA forms in English and Spanish. Every law-citing page names its reviewer and advises counsel review.
A practitioner-grade AI assistant for answers to most U.S. HR questions.
Ask HR AI is a free, practitioner-grade AI assistant built for HR leaders. It answers most questions about US HR policies, compliance and best practices with jurisdiction-specific citations, and includes specialized modes for investigations, policy drafting, handbook audits, and adverse action workflows. All recommendations emphasize counsel review.
Long-form references that stay current as statutes and regulations amend.
What shows up on a background check
The pillar guide to every component of an employment background check — criminal, employment, education, driving, drugs, healthcare, financial — with the FCRA lookback caps and what does not appear.
Open the matrixBackground checks by state
A 50-state directory with deep-dive guides — lookback windows, ban-the-box scope, salary-history rules, cannabis treatment, and statute citations for every jurisdiction SafestHires runs in.
Open the matrixBackground checks by role
Role-specific screening packages — nurse, truck driver, teacher, caregiver, volunteer — with the exact regulations, timing, and disqualifiers SafestHires applies for each hire.
Open the matrixBan the Box laws by jurisdiction
The matrix our compliance team operates from — sixteen states, DC, USVI, and twenty-plus cities and counties, with what each ordinance requires and when it triggers in the SafestHires workflow.
Open the matrixMarijuana laws by state
State-by-state cannabis testing, off-duty protections, and safety-sensitive carve-outs — with 2025–2026 statute changes flagged for fast review.
Open the matrixAdverse action: meaning, notices, and timeline
What adverse action means under the FCRA, the pre-adverse and final notice sequence, how long to wait between them, and the state and city rules that extend the timeline.
Open the matrixNegligent hiring liability guide
What negligent hiring is, how it differs from negligent retention and supervision, and the role-tiered screening program that turns a plaintiff's case into a documented defense.
Open the matrixCompliance Forms - Spanish
Spanish-language versions of the federal FCRA disclosure, authorization, investigative disclosure, and Summary of Rights — so Spanish-speaking applicants read and sign in the language they understand.
Open the matrixVendor assessment scorecard
Score any background screening vendor across 32 weighted criteria — accreditation, data quality, turnaround, technology, candidate experience, security, support, and commercial terms — then export the report to PDF or Word or email it to a colleague.
Open the matrixSelf background check guide
How candidates can run a background check on themselves — complete the agreement, receive login credentials, place the order, pay securely, and get the final report by email.
Open the matrixFACIS® background checks by state
Level 1M and Level 3 exclusion screening for clinicians, billing staff, and vendors who touch federal healthcare programs — with state-specific board, Medicaid, and MFCU references.
Open the matrixK-12 compliance guide
State-by-state K-12 employment screening reference — fingerprint mandates, re-print cadence, statutory tier handling, and the federal layer (Adam Walsh, ESSA §8546, FCRA).
Open the matrixBackground check benchmarks 2026
Turnaround, dispute rates, and compliance findings across four sectors, anchored on SafestHires data and PBSA and SHRM benchmarks.
Open the matrixWhite papers
Long-form, source-anchored references for compliance, operations, industry programs, and candidate experience.
Open the matrixClient case studies
Case studies for some household brands, including the YMCA and Newman's Own, with quotes from the clients' HR leaders.
Open the matrixTurnaround time guide
How long a background check takes, broken down by search type, with real averages and the exact conditions that add or subtract days.
Open the matrixBackground-check glossary
A–Z definitions for the terms that show up across FCRA paperwork, DOT/healthcare/finance hiring, and procurement contracts.
Open the matrixLegislative updates
Federal, state, and municipal updates with citations, effective dates, and the concrete employer action each one triggers inside a SafestHires program.
Open the matrixSample forms
Free, editable FCRA disclosure and authorization, adverse-action letters, and state-specific notices — modeled on FTC and CFPB templates and ready to brand.
Open the matrixShort-form tools your team can put to work the same morning they read them.
Adverse action timeline calculator
Enter the pre-adverse notice date and jurisdiction — get the FCRA waiting period, applicant response deadline, and earliest lawful final adverse action date.
OpenFCRA compliance checklist generator
Configure the hire and get a printable, jurisdiction-specific FCRA + state-law checklist — every item cites the source statute.
OpenDo I need a DOT background check?
Five questions get you to the right answer — full FMCSA package, standard MVR, or edge case that needs counsel.
Open24-point compliance checklist
An auditor-style scorecard that walks every pre-employment screening control your team should be able to demonstrate on demand.
OpenFree 15-minute audit
Send us your current consent forms, adverse-action letters, and ATS screen — we'll tell you which jurisdictions you're aligned with and which need a fix.
OpenTrust & verification
How candidates verify a SafestHires request is real — and how employers verify a SafestHires report is authentic.
OpenFilter every guide, tool, template, and video by type, topic, and industry.
Pick any combination below — the URL updates so you can share a filtered view with your team.
35 resources
How much does a background check cost?
Real 2026 prices — per search, per package, and per state — plus the variables that actually move your invoice and the fees that should never appear on it.
Read the guideBackground checks for small business
No minimums, no platform fees, no contract — how a small or mid-market employer runs compliant screening from account setup to hiring decision.
Read the guideEmployer FAQ
Straight answers to the questions employers ask most — cost, timing, what shows up, FCRA and state rules, adverse action, and choosing a provider.
Read the FAQTurnaround time calculator
Pick from the full SafestHires search menu — criminal, verifications, DOT, drug & health, healthcare exclusions, financial, and international — then set the jurisdiction and rush handling for a realistic delivery range.
Open calculatorTurnaround time guide
How long a background check takes, broken down by search type, with real averages and the exact conditions that add or subtract days.
Read the guideBan-the-Box compliance checker
A free, jurisdiction-specific Fair Chance checklist: when to ask about criminal history, what notices to send, and how to document an individualized assessment.
Open the checkerReady to switch to SafestHires?
Great service matters. Switching is the easiest decision you'll make this quarter — we handle the data migration, the re-papering, and the ATS rewiring.