Walmart says you failed the background check. You know there’s no way that’s right. Now what?
When you’re dealing with corporate hiring processes, even the smallest mistake can mean the difference between “Welcome aboard” and “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Failing a Walmart background check doesn’t automatically mean you’ve been permanently disqualified though. In fact, plenty of people get tripped up by Walmart background check errors every day, but when you know how to fight them, errors get cleared and your career gets back on track.
So, before you assume the worst (or give up entirely), let’s talk about who’s really behind Walmart background checks, what they’re looking for, why sometimes the “failure” has nothing to do with reality, and what you can do to fix it.
Or for a deeper dive into your right to fight and fix these mistakes, take a look at out our background check errors practice page, too.
Quick Links
Who Does the Walmart Background Check?
If you’ve ever applied for a job at Walmart and made it to the “background check” stage, you’ve probably wondered: Who’s actually digging into my past?
As you likely know by now, the Walmart background check is not actually performed by Walmart. It is performed by outside companies. Under the law, these companies are called consumer reporting agencies (CRAs), but in every day terms, they are called background check companies.
Surprised to learn that it’s not some mysterious HR wizard in the back of the store?
First Advantage
A Walmart background check is usually handled by a background check company called First Advantage.
First Advantage is one of the big players in the background check game, working with huge employers to run criminal background checks, verify employment history, and check a few other boxes.
First Advantage pulls information from multiple databases, including court records, credit reports (in certain positions), and sometimes even driving records.
Sterling
Like many large employers, Walmart may also use other third-party background screening companies depending on the role, location, or hiring needs. One of the other big names you might see is Sterling, another major background check company that provides similar services.
Sterling also taps into public records, employment databases, and criminal justice systems to create a background check report. While their systems are sophisticated, they’re still not perfect, meaning background check errors can and do happen, no matter which company is used.
Whether it’s First Advantage, Sterling, or another background check company entirely, none are immune to making mistakes. When your Walmart background check report has background check errors, things get messy fast.
What Does a Walmart Background Check Look For?
The exact scope depends on the job you’re applying for, but in general, a Walmart background check will look for:
- Criminal background check results – Felonies, misdemeanors, and sometimes arrests, depending on the role and state laws.
- Employment verification – Did you actually work where you said you worked?
- Education verification – Did you really graduate from that school or program?
- Driving records – Especially for delivery, transportation, or equipment operation roles.
- Credit history – Rare, but may be checked for certain financial or management positions.
- Professional licenses and certifications – For pharmacy techs, opticians, or other regulated roles.
- Reference checks – Contacting former supervisors to confirm work performance or reason for leaving.
- Identity verification – Confirming your Social Security number and matching it to your identity.
- Sex offender registry check – In compliance with federal and state laws for certain positions.
How far back does a Walmart background check go?
It varies by state. Many states have seven-year lookback limits for certain types of convictions, but others allow longer reporting periods.
How long does a Walmart background check take?
Again, it varies. But under normal conditions, a Walmart background check completed by First Advantage typically takes anywhere from 3 days to a week. Delays can happen if court records are slow to respond, or if there are errors that need manual review (which is where “fake” disqualifications love to sneak in).
Real vs. Fake: What Are the Walmart Background Check Disqualifications?
Let’s clear something up: Walmart isn’t looking for reasons to reject every applicant. But for every applicant who fails a Walmart background check, it’s important to know the difference between the real disqualifiers and the fake ones.
The real disqualifiers can legitimately block you from a job because they don’t align with Walmart’s hiring standards or criteria. The fake ones are caused by inaccurate background check reporting.
The REAL Disqualifiers:
These are the actual reasons you might fail a Walmart background check.
- Serious violent crimes that directly conflict with job duties
- Recent theft or fraud convictions (especially for cash-handling roles)
- Felony convictions within certain timeframes depending on the state and role
- Driving-related convictions for positions involving company vehicles
- Falsified employment or education history
These are the kinds of things that, if true, Walmart might actually say, “Yeah, this is a problem.” If any of these issues show up, you might be able to make a plea to the hiring manager for reconsideration, highlighting changes, improvements, or strengths that might help tip the balance in your favor.
If the answer is still no, remember that most things age-off of your background check report at some point, so you can research those time limits and start making a plan.
The FAKE Disqualifiers:
These are the background check errors that show up as inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and out right falsehoods that might cause you to fail a Walmart background check unfairly.
While we’re calling these “fake” because they aren’t real facts in your life, they can lead to an all-too-real disqualification. But these are the ones you can fight, fix, and win.
- Reporting a criminal record belonging to someone else who shares your same name or birthdate
- Reporting old criminal charges that were sealed or expunged and should not be included
- Reporting incorrect conviction dates- making offenses look more recent than they are
- Reporting charges as “pending” when they were actually dismissed
- Reporting duplicate entries- making it look like you have multiple arrests or convictions when you don’t
- Reporting an arrest without reporting that charges were never filed or were dropped
- Reporting a felony when you took a plea deal to a misdemeanor
- Reporting other facts or information relating to someone else- mistaken identity due to sloppy Social Security number or address matching
This is partial list of examples demonstrates how you can get a failed Walmart background check without having done anything wrong. The data itself is wrong. But you have significant legal rights when this happens.
What if Your Walmart Background Check Is Wrong?
If your Walmart background check report shows “fake” disqualifications- meaning, if it reports inaccurate, misleading, false, or unreportable information- you’ll need to file a First Advantage background check dispute (or Sterling background check dispute).
Will Walmart tell you if you failed the background check? Yes, but not necessarily in a detailed way. You might get a vague notice that your application is no longer being considered, and then a separate letter from the CRA explaining your rights. The problem is that by the time you get those, the job might already be gone.
This is why it’s important to know that you have legal rights that support you through the entire background check process.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you have the right to:
- Receive a copy of the background check report that caused the decision
- Dispute any inaccuracies in the report
- Have the background check company investigate and respond to the dispute within 30 days
- Get a corrected background check report
Keep in mind that even when you have the proof to show that there is a mistake in your background check, the dispute process can still feel like running in quicksand.
Background check companies sometimes just “verify” the same wrong information with the same bad source, and your background check errors stay in the system. If this happens, you can still make them correct the errors- you might just need some serious legal backup at this point.
Why don’t I dispute background check errors with Walmart directly?
Walmart doesn’t conduct the background check, so it wouldn’t be fair to make Walmart be the judge on whether the information in it is correct. For this reason, the law basically says that Walmart has the right to rely on the background check completed by First Advantage, Sterling, or others.
Afterall, Walmart pays First Advantage or Sterling money so they’ll deal with the details, processing, and management of the Walmart background checks- so that Walmart doesn’t have to. It is reasonable for Walmart to expect legally correct and accurate reports from these companies.
However, there may still be certain circumstances in which Walmart can be held legally responsible for how it handles your background report and data. When you work with a background check lawyer, they consider all of the facts and figure out who should be held accountable.
How to Dispute a Walmart Background Check in 6 Steps
Disputing a Walmart background check error is part legal strategy, part paperwork marathon. Here’s how to tackle it:
Step 1 – Get the Report
If you’ve been told you failed, request a copy of the full background check report from First Advantage, Sterling, or whoever performed the background check. This is your roadmap to finding the errors.
Step 2 – Identify the Mistakes
Go line-by-line and highlight anything inaccurate – wrong dates, wrong charges, charges that don’t belong to you, anything that feels off or presents information in an inaccurate, misleading, or false way.
Also, anything that should never have been reported in the first place (like sealed or expunged records).
Step 3 – Gather Evidence
Supporting documents can be powerful proof, and can include anything that proves the information in the report is incorrect. This can include things like court records showing dismissals, expungements, or “no record found”. Employment verification letters can also clear up false work history claims, etc.
Step 4 – File a Formal Dispute
Send your dispute directly to First Advantage, Sterling, or another background check company in writing through certified mail to the dispute address provided on the background check company’s website.
Include a clear dispute letter and copies of your evidence, carefully explaining what’s wrong. Keep copies of everything you send, including mail receipts.
Step 5 – Follow Up
Once you’ve checked all the boxes, report in hand, errors circled in red, evidence neatly stacked, you’d think the hard part is over. Unfortunately, with a Walmart background check dispute, this is where the real endurance test begins.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires the background check company to investigate your dispute, but “investigate” doesn’t always mean “thorough.” If you get ignored or don’t get results, you need legal backup.
Similarly, companies like First Advantage (or Sterling) are supposed to fix background check errors quickly under the FCRA.
But “quickly” to them can mean weeks of waiting while your life stays on pause. And if their so-called investigation is just them asking the original (wrong) source to “double-check,” you might end up right back where you started.
Step 6 – Talk to a Background Check Lawyer
Guess what? You can talk to a background check lawyer at any point in the process. Of course, this means you can also start with this step, too, and many people end up wishing they had.
Regardless, whether you kick-off the process with strong legal guidance up front or you decide to get help after your dispute has stalled or you’ve been ignored, getting help is easy and doesn’t cost you any money out of pocket.
Plus, some background check errors are so devastatingly harmful that you may want to talk to a lawyer early. If you’ve suffered significant harm, like losing out on your Walmart job due to errors, talking to a lawyer right away is a smart move.
The Anytime & Always Step – Call Us!
When you’re up against a stubborn background check company (CRA), holding a flat-out wrong criminal background check report in your hands, and stuck without a job offer, income, or peace of mind, Consumer Justice Law Firm will help.
We restore your record, reputation, and career. Have you:
- learned that you were denied due to a Walmart background check error?
- been stuck in the endless dispute loop that goes nowhere fast, while the background check company keeps saying it “confirmed” that the error is accurate?
- suffered serious financial, career, emotional, reputational, or other harm due to the false data in your report?
Why Disputing Without Assistance Can Fail
A First Advantage background check dispute can still fail even if you’re right. Why? Because background check companies- known under the law as consumer reporting agencies (CRAs)- often take the original bad info from the source (like a court database or old employer record) and “verify” it without any deeper fact-checking. It’s a box-checking exercise, not an investigation.
This means you can dispute the error using something as incontrovertible as court documents proving your innocence, and the CRA might still list the wrong information.
By the time the error is “resolved” (if it ever is), the Walmart job you applied for has probably been filled, your bills are piling up, and you’re left wondering how something so obviously wrong can be so hard to fix.
Without legal pressure, CRAs have little incentive to move quickly or dig deeper. A lawyer can demand they follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to the letter, push for full documentation of their so-called “verification,” ensure you aren’t brushed off with a canned response, and fight for compensation.
In short, legal help can mean the difference between endless frustration and a clean, corrected record that lets you get back to work.
GET JUSTICE! Fight for Fixes & Money!
A Walmart background check dispute isn’t just about clearing your name- it’s about protecting your livelihood, your reputation, your peace of mind, and your future opportunities.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you have the right to accurate reporting, and when Consumer Reporting Agencies like First Advantage (or Sterling) fail to meet that standard, you may be entitled to money.
This can include compensation for lost wages, the emotional toll of being wrongfully labeled, and in some cases, punitive damages meant to hold these companies accountable.
At Consumer Justice Law Firm, we know how to dig into the evidence, confront CRAs with proof they can’t ignore, and push until the corrections are made.
We also know how to escalate when the other side thinks they can drag their feet or dismiss your claim. Whether it’s challenging false criminal background check results, cleaning up a botched employment verification, or exposing reporting errors that cost you a Walmart job, we bring the legal firepower to get results.
If you’ve been denied work at Walmart because of background check errors, don’t let a bad report define you. Contact us, and we’ll fight to set the record straight – so the next time Walmart types out your name, it’s followed by “Congratulations, you’re hired.”
FREE Consultations! You pay $0 out of pocket. We only get paid when we win, and the companies we sue pay our legal bills. No Justice, No Fee.TM