SterlingNOW, the self-service background screening solution
you can trust.

Click Get Started above or here to create an account. You will need your business information ready in order to create your account.

Fill out the “Get Started” form with your first name, last name, business email, and new password. Next, you will be taken to the section where you will sign an agreement and provide your business information for account approval.

To create an account, you will need to review and sign the agreement and provide your business information including full legal business name, type of organization, size of organization, years in business, business address, business phone number, company website, and business email. To help expedite your request, you can submit a proof of business document for review. Your account request will be processed to verify the information provided and that you have a permissible purpose under the FCRA to run background checks. If clarification or additional information is required, we will reach out to you.

SterlingNOW must verify that a background screening order is being placed on behalf of a valid business for employment purposes only, to comply with the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and privacy laws to name a few.

No, you can request a background check as soon as you have set up your account and signed the agreement, but the order will not be started or processed until your account has been approved.

90% of criminal checks conducted by Sterling are completed within a day.

For education and employment verifications turnaround time is dependent upon the responsiveness of the organization we are reaching out to for the verification.

You can view the status of your orders in your dashboard here. You can also reach out to our customer service team with the order number and they can provide a status update for you.

At this time, SterlingNOW is only available for companies and candidates based in the United States.

At this time, SterlingNOW is not set up for individuals to run background checks on themselves.

The Fair Credit Report Act (FCRA) requires that if employers are considering taking adverse action based (in whole or in part) on adverse information in a background check report, they must follow a process for pre-adverse and final adverse action. This involves a 3-step process.

1. Send pre-adverse notice.
2. Wait for the required amount of time (at least 5 days but can vary by jurisdiction) and address any fair-chance or individualized assessment issues.
3. Make a final decision, and send final adverse action notice if needed.

Review our handy Adverse Action checklist for guidance and best practices.

There may be county and state fees depending on where your candidate has lived. These fees will be passed through to you and added to the package price at checkout. Fees are subject to change and can vary depending on location.

There are also additional fees for processing Motor Vehicle Records. These fees vary by state.

At this time, only one user can be associated with an account at a time.

You may update your credit card at checkout any time you place a new order. If you need help with this or have other billing-related queries, please contact us at support@sterlingnow.io.

To access receipts, navigate to your dashboard and click the name of the candidate of the background screen you’d like a receipt for. Once you click the candidate name, scroll to the bottom of the page and click “print receipt.”

Receipts are also sent to the email address associated with your SterlingNOW account each time you place an order. If you are not receiving receipts via email, please ensure that you are not unsubscribed from SterlingNOW emails.

To manage your SterlingNOW email preferences, click here and fill out the form to receive a link. Once you receive that link, you will need to check the box next to “Receipt and Order Confirmation” on that page to be “opted back in” and receive order receipts as well as confirmation emails.

We do not offer bulk order discounts at this time. All available packages and add-ons are listed on our webpage.

The SterlingNOW platform does not currently support drug testing, credit checks, or fingerprinting. However, Sterling does provide these services outside of the SterlingNOW platform. Please contact us to learn more or click here.

The SterlingNOW platform does not currently include background checks for minors. However, Sterling does offer these services outside of the SterlingNOW platform. Please contact us to learn more.

For employment verifications, Sterling gets information directly from the companies where the candidate was formerly employed or their preferred third-party vendor. Almost all employment verifications will return the candidate’s dates of employment and most recent job title. Many employers will not release further information, but at times we will also receive salary (when permitted), reason for leaving, performance information, and eligibility for rehire. There are some employment types where we will not be able to independently obtain this information, such as self-employment and periods of unemployment. In those cases, we can obtain documentation from the candidate if the client’s workflow includes it.

For education verifications, Sterling gets information directly from the educational institutions that the candidate attended or their preferred third-party vendor. Almost all education verifications will return the candidate’s dates of attendance and degree level. Collegiate verifications will also include the field of study. However, schools will not release GPA, citing a law called FERPA (Family Education Rights & Protection Act).

Read more about our verification services here.