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.
Browse Free HR Tools by taskShort answer
What free HR compliance tools does SafestHires offer?
SafestHires publishes free HR and compliance tools. Most need no sign-up; Ask HR AI asks for a name and email, and the Adverse Action Letter generator and Ban-the-Box checker need a free account. The tools: 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 matrixContractor-paid background checks
How an organization can request screening while an independent contractor pays the initial cost, plus 30 occupation guides for delivery drivers, house cleaners, pet sitters, caregivers, handymen, tutors, notaries, and more. Read the linked guide's counsel advisory before asking workers to pay.
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.
Criminal charge and court outcome translator
Search deferred adjudication, dismissed charges, nolle prosequi and other court terms with source-linked explanations.
OpenIndividualized assessment worksheet
Document the EEOC Green factors and the candidate's context in a printable, job-specific worksheet.
OpenContinuous monitoring by state
Choose a work state and review the source-linked questions to resolve before post-hire screening.
OpenAdverse 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.
47 resources
Staffing cost calculator
Estimate service spend by monthly placements, search mix, county count and state; see volume tiers and separate access fees.
Estimate staffing spendStaffing background check FAQ
Answers on candidate payment, sharing reports, redeployment, timing and recruiter support.
Read staffing FAQStaffing account support
A dedicated support agent for each staffing client, with live chat for clients and candidates, email and founder access.
See support optionsCriminal charge and court outcome translator
Plain-English definitions and reporting context for deferred adjudication, dismissal, nolle prosequi and more.
Explore outcomesIndividualized assessment worksheet
Printable job-specific worksheet for EEOC Green factors, candidate context and documented review.
Open worksheetContinuous monitoring by state
Source-linked federal baseline and state-selectable review questions for post-hire employee screening.
Choose a stateReady 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.