QUICK TAKEAWAY
If you failed a Walmart background check, the reason may be a legitimate hiring concern or an error in your background report. Walmart commonly relies on third-party screening companies such as First Advantage and Sterling, and mistakes can occur. Here’s what Walmart looks for, how long it takes what can disqualify you, and how to dispute inaccurate information.
Did You Fail a Walmart Background Check?
If you failed a Walmart background check, it may be because of a criminal record, employment verification issue, driving record problem, or a background check error. If the report contains inaccurate information, you have the right under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to dispute the error and request a correction.
So, you just learned you failed the Walmart background check. You know there’s no way that’s right. Now what?
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 you, and what you can do to fix it. Or take a deeper dive into employment background check errors, generally.
Who Does Walmart Use for Background Checks?
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?
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 everyday terms, they are called background check companies.
Two common background check companies working with Walmart are First Advantage and Sterling.
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?
Walmart’s standard background check covers the past seven years for most convictions and misdemeanors, but it varies widely by state. While federal guidelines actually allow felony convictions to be reported indefinitely, some states limit the lookback period for felonies and other convictions to seven years.
Walmart background check lookback periods at a glance:
| Record Type | Typical Lookback Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal convictions | Varies by state | Some states allow reporting older convictions, while others restrict reporting to 7 years. |
| Arrests not resulting in conviction | Generally 7 years or less | Federal law limits reporting of many non-conviction records for positions below certain salary thresholds. |
| Employment history | No fixed limit | Employers may verify previous jobs regardless of when they occurred. |
| Education verification | No fixed limit | Degrees, certifications, and attendance records can typically be verified at any time. |
| Driving record | Varies by state | Most checks focus on recent driving history, especially for driving-related positions. |
| Professional licenses | Current and historical status | Licensing boards may provide information about disciplinary actions and expiration dates. |
| Credit history (if applicable) | Usually up to 7 years for most negative items | Credit checks are generally limited to certain positions involving financial responsibilities. |
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 three days to one week. Delays can happen if court records are slow to respond or if there are errors or inconsistencies that need manual review (which is where “fake” disqualifications love to sneak in).
Why did I Fail My Walmart Background Check?
You failed a Walmart background check because information in your report raised a red flag about either (1) your compatibility with Walmart’s values and brand identity or (2) your potential as a risk to the safety of Walmart’s other employees or customers.
The real disqualifiers can legitimately block you from a job because they don’t align with Walmart’s hiring standards or criteria. However, inaccurate background check reporting can lead to totally unwarranted, unfair disqualifications.
The REAL Disqualifiers: Why You Legitimately Failed
These are the actual reasons you might legitimately fail a Walmart background check. 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 reporting time limits and start making a plan to try again at a future date.
- Financial crimes: including recent theft or fraud convictions (especially for cash-handling roles)
- Violent or sex crimes: including sex offender registry status for certain crimes
- Felony convictions: within certain timeframes, depending on the state and role (see below)
- Employment verification problems: including falsified or unverifiable employment history
- Education verfication problems: including falsified or unverifiable education history
- Identity verification issues: including inability to confirm Social Security and other personal identifying information
- Driving record issues: including driving-related convictions for positions involving company vehicles
Does Walmart Hire Felons?
Yes. Walmart does not have a hard stop ban on hiring felons. Plenty of people with prior felony convictions have found employment with Walmart. Each applicant is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, considering factors like:
- the nature of the crime
- how much time has passed
- which role you’re applying for
As a general rule, Walmart generally is focused on the timing and the nature of offenses. So, recent or severe offenses, especially those related to theft, violence, fraud, or sexual misconduct, can be disqualifying.
The FAKE Disqualifiers: Why You Unfairly Failed
These are the background check errors that show up as inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and out right falsehoods, causing 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 dispute and fix. Various types of false criminal records are typically the most impactful:
- Reporting a criminal record belonging to someone else who shares your same name or birthdate or has a similar Social Security number
- Reporting old criminal charges that were sealed or expunged and should not be included
- Reporting incorrect conviction dates which make offenses look more recent than they are
- Reporting charges as “pending” when they were actually dismissed
- Reporting duplicate entries which make 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 that are incorrect or related to someone else
This 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.
Can You Dispute a Walmart Background Check?
Yes. If your Walmart background check report shows inaccurate, misleading, false, incomplete, outdated, or unreportable information, you can dispute it. You do this by filing a First Advantage background check dispute or Sterling background check dispute, not just by telling Walmart that the information is wrong. The errors need to be corrected with the screening companies.
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 screening company explaining your rights. The problem is that by the time you get the notice and the letter, 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.
Fair Credit Reporting Act Rights for Walmart Jobs
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you have the right to:
- Receive a notice that an adverse (negative) hiring decision is being made based on information in your screening
- Receive a copy of the background check report that caused the negative hiring 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
- File a lawsuit if your dispute is ignored or mishandled or you suffered harm from the errors
Keep in mind that even when you have the proof to show that there is a mistake in your background screening, 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 you dispute 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 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 to handle the details, processing, and management of the Walmart background screening process 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 once it is received. 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
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 whichever company performed the background screening. This is your roadmap to finding the errors.
Step 2 – Identify the Mistakes
Go line-by-line and highlight anything inaccurate, misleading, or false, such as wrong dates, wrong charges, charges that don’t belong to you, duplicate or incomplete entries, or anything that is off. 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 and 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
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.
How a Background Check Lawyer Helps
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 Walmart job offer, income, or peace of mind, a background check lawyer can help.
Working with a lawyer is a solid way to 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?
Check out our discussion on when background check lawyers are the right choice vs criminal lawyers.
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 Corrections & Compensation with Consumer Justice Law Firm
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 dig into the evidence, confront CRAs with proof they can’t ignore, and push until the corrections are made.
We also escalate when background check companies drag their feet. 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. We fight to set the record straight – so the next time Walmart types out your name, it’s followed by “Congratulations, you’re hired.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Sometimes. Walmart considers the nature of the offense, the job role, when the conviction occurred, and applicable state laws.
Most Walmart background checks take 3 to 7 days, although delays can occur if records need manual review.
Walmart commonly uses First Advantage and may use Sterling or other consumer reporting agencies depending on the role and location.
Walmart may provide notice of an adverse hiring decision, while the background check company must provide information about your rights under the FCRA.
Yes. You can dispute inaccurate information directly with the background check company that prepared the report.
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