What does Walmart look for in a background check?
Walmart’s own applicant privacy notice says a background check “may include your criminal, employment, and educational history,” along with information about your character, general reputation, personal characteristics, mode of living and credit standing. Walmart says it gets this information from employment background agencies, and that before it requests a background check it will ask you to sign a Fair Credit Reporting Act Authorization and Disclosure Form.
Here is what Walmart’s published materials say, and what they leave out.
What Walmart says it may collect
- Criminal history, including criminal convictions (the notice lists “background checks and criminal convictions” as a category of information it collects)
- Employment history
- Educational history
- Information about character, reputation, personal characteristics, mode of living and credit standing
What Walmart says about ongoing checks
- The notice lists “continued evaluation of background checks” as one of the reasons Walmart uses applicant information, so screening may not end on your first day.
- Walmart’s public policies page says it allows only select associates who have passed a criminal background check to sell firearms. Some jobs can carry extra screening.
What Walmart does not publish
- A list of convictions that disqualify an applicant
- How far back it looks
- Which roles get which checks
- Whether, or for which jobs, it runs a drug test
State and local laws can also affect what an employer may check, so the rules may differ by location. If you need a precise answer for your job, ask the hiring contact for the written screening policy that applies to your position.
Who runs the Walmart background check?
Walmart does not publish the name of the screening company it uses. Its applicant notice says only that it collects information “from employment background agencies.”
You do not have to guess. The company that prepared your report must be identified to you:
- Your authorization form usually names the screening company.
- A pre-adverse or adverse action notice must give the name, address and phone number of the consumer reporting agency that supplied the report, under 15 U.S.C. § 1681m.
Once you know the company’s name, you can request your file and dispute directly with it. We have guides for several large employment screening companies, including First Advantage, Sterling, HireRight and Accurate Background. Use the one that matches the name on your paperwork.
How long does the Walmart background check take?
Walmart does not publish a time frame for its background checks. Any specific number of days you see online is not from Walmart.
In practice, the time depends on things outside your control:
- Whether a county court has to be searched by hand
- How quickly past employers and schools confirm dates
- Whether your name matches records of other people, which can trigger extra review
- Whether the screening company needs more information from you
If the check seems stuck, ask your hiring contact which screening company has it, then contact that company directly. Respond quickly to any request for identification or extra information.
When does Walmart run the check, and what do you sign?
Walmart’s notice says it will get your consent first by asking you to sign an FCRA Authorization and Disclosure Form.
That matches federal law. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681b(b)(2), an employer may not get a background report on you for employment purposes unless:
- It first gives you a clear and conspicuous written disclosure, in a document that consists solely of the disclosure, that a report may be obtained, and
- You authorize it in writing.
Keep a copy or screenshot of what you sign. It often names the screening company, and the form itself can matter later if something goes wrong.
What if your Walmart background check is wrong?
Errors in employment background checks are common enough that the law builds in two separate protections: a right to see the report before the decision, and a right to dispute it.
Step 1: Use your pre-adverse action rights
If Walmart plans to reject you, pull an offer or let you go based in whole or in part on a background check report, § 1681b(b)(3) requires it to give you, before it acts:
- A copy of the report, and
- A written summary of your rights under the FCRA
The FTC explains that the point of the advance notice is to give you a chance to review the report. The statute does not set a specific number of days, so act right away:
- Read the whole report, not just the summary page
- Mark every item that is wrong: a conviction that belongs to someone else, a dismissed case shown as a conviction, a sealed or expunged record, a wrong date or charge level
- Contact the Walmart hiring contact named in the letter, in writing, and say the report is wrong and you are disputing it
- Send proof if you have it, such as a court disposition or a letter from the clerk
The EEOC and FTC also suggest being ready to explain any accurate negative information and why it should not affect your ability to do the job.
Step 2: Dispute with the screening company
Telling Walmart is not enough. The company that made the report has to fix it. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, when you dispute information directly with the consumer reporting agency, it must:
- Reinvestigate free of charge
- Finish within 30 days of receiving your dispute (up to 15 more days if you send new relevant information during that period)
- Delete or correct anything inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable
- Send you the results in writing within five business days after finishing
Ask the screening company to send a corrected report to Walmart. For a step-by-step letter, see our background check dispute letter guide.
Step 3: Read the adverse action notice
If Walmart goes ahead, it must send an adverse action notice under § 1681m that names the screening company, says that company did not make the decision, and tells you that you can get a free copy of your report if you ask within 60 days and that you can dispute it.
What cannot appear on a Walmart background check?
Federal law limits what a screening company may report, even when the information is true. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c:
- Arrests that did not lead to a conviction generally cannot be reported once they are more than seven years old.
- Most other negative items older than seven years are off limits, except criminal convictions, which have no federal time limit.
- These seven-year limits do not apply to a job paying $75,000 a year or more.
When a screening company reports public records like criminal cases for employment, § 1681k also requires it either to notify you at the time it reports them or to keep strict procedures so the records are complete and up to date. A case shown as “open” that was actually dismissed is the kind of problem that rule targets.
State laws may add further limits. They vary by state, so check the law where you applied.
When can a Walmart background check error lead to an FCRA claim?
Not every mistake is a lawsuit, but several situations can be.
Claims against the screening company
- Inaccurate reporting. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681e(b), a consumer reporting agency must follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy. Reporting someone else’s conviction because of a similar name or birth date, or reporting a dismissed or expunged case, can raise this claim.
- A failed reinvestigation. If you disputed and the company verified the error anyway, or did not respond within the deadline, that can be a § 1681i claim.
- Outdated records. Reporting non-conviction records older than allowed can violate § 1681c.
Claims against the employer
- Taking adverse action without first giving you the report and summary of rights can violate § 1681b(b)(3).
- Getting the report without a proper stand-alone disclosure and your written authorization can violate § 1681b(b)(2).
What you may recover
- For a negligent violation, actual damages such as lost wages and emotional distress, plus attorney’s fees and costs, under § 1681o.
- For a willful violation, actual damages or statutory damages of $100 to $1,000, possible punitive damages, and attorney’s fees, under § 1681n.
The deadline. Under § 1681p, you generally must sue within two years after you discover the violation, and no later than five years after it happened.
Keep everything: the authorization form, any notices, the report, your dispute letter and proof of mailing, and the screening company’s response. For more on what counts as an error, see what to do if your background check is incorrect.
Get a free case review
If a background check cost you a job at Walmart and the report was wrong, or you never got a copy before the decision, talk to a background check error lawyer. Our case review is free, and we work on contingency: no fee unless we win.
Frequently asked questions
What does Walmart look for in a background check?
Walmart's applicant privacy notice says a background check may include your criminal, employment and educational history, plus information about your character, general reputation, personal characteristics, mode of living and credit standing. It also lists criminal convictions as a category of information it may collect. Walmart does not publish a list of convictions that disqualify an applicant.
Who does Walmart use for background checks?
Walmart's notice says it collects background information from employment background agencies, but it does not name them. The company that prepared your report has to be named in any pre-adverse or adverse action notice you receive, so check that letter or your authorization form.
How long does the Walmart background check take?
Walmart does not publish a time frame. Timing depends on the screening company and on how quickly courts and past employers respond. If the check seems stuck, ask the hiring contact which screening company is handling it and contact that company.
Can Walmart reject me without showing me the report?
Not if the decision is based in whole or in part on a background check report from a screening company. The FCRA requires the employer to give you a copy of the report and a summary of your rights before it takes the adverse action.
Can I sue over a wrong Walmart background check?
Possibly. A screening company can be liable if it did not use reasonable procedures to report accurately, or did not properly reinvestigate your dispute. An employer can be liable if it skipped the required notices. The deadline is generally two years from discovery and five years from the violation.
Sources
- Walmart, Applicant Information Privacy Notice
- Walmart, Policies and Guidelines
- FTC, Using Consumer Reports: What Employers Need to Know
- EEOC and FTC, Background Checks: What Job Applicants and Employees Should Know
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681b, employment rules (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681c, information that cannot be reported (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681e, accuracy procedures (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, disputes (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681k, public records for employment (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681m, adverse action notices (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681n, willful violations (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681o, negligent violations (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681p, time limit to sue (Cornell LII)
Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.