Which background check package do you need?

Most employers choose Standard. Basic covers identity and criminal record screening, Standard adds work and education history plus adverse media, and Premium covers positions with financial, regulatory, driving, or other high-trust duties. The job description should support the package you choose.

A useful scope answers the risks and requirements of the job. All three packages require signed consent before a search begins.

The three packages at a glance

Each tier builds on the one before it, so choosing is really a question of how much verification the role needs. (For what each individual check actually confirms, see what a background check actually verifies.)

When is the Basic package enough?

The Basic package confirms identity and runs a name-based criminal record check. Its catalogue price is $29.99 CAD before tax and its listed turnaround is instant.

Reach for Basic when you're hiring at volume and need a clean, defensible record on file before an offer goes out:

• High-volume and seasonal hiring where the role calls for a baseline screen.
• Entry-level positions without work or education requirements that HR needs to verify.
• Volunteer or membership situations where identity and a routine criminal search are the approved scope.

Why most employers choose Standard

The Standard package adds employment verification, education verification, and a reviewed adverse media search. QSR contacts employers and issuing institutions for the source-dependent checks. A screening specialist reviews adverse media findings for identity and relevance before the report is released.

It's the balanced, well-rounded screen for the bulk of everyday hiring:

• Office and operational positions where claimed experience matters.
• Professional hires with stated education requirements.
• Customer-facing work where reviewed public media may be relevant to documented hiring criteria.

When do you need Premium?

The Premium package is built for roles with financial, regulatory, driving, leadership, or other high-trust responsibilities. It extends Standard with an enhanced criminal search, an employment-permissible credit-file review where applicable, public-record financial findings, credit-bureau identity and address corroboration, a driver's abstract, and reviewed public social media screening.

Choose Premium when the stakes are higher:

• Finance positions with access to money, assets, or sensitive financial information.
• Leadership appointments where the approved policy calls for broader public-source review.
• Driving and safety-sensitive work.
• Regulated or other high-trust positions with a documented reason for the full scope.

Premium does not replace a professional licence check. Add credential and licence verification when current standing with a regulator is an actual requirement of the job.

Package or individual checks?

You can always order checks one at a time or build a custom screen. But for the common combinations, a package is both simpler and cheaper than buying à la carte.

The more checks a package includes, the more you save versus ordering them separately. You can compare what each option includes on our services page, then review the complete cost in the secure portal before placing an order.

Choose from the duties of the role

Start with Basic when the approved scope is identity and a routine criminal record check. Use Standard when HR needs employment and education confirmed and has a reason for reviewed adverse media. Use Premium when the position justifies its financial, driving, enhanced criminal, and public source checks.

If one required fact falls outside the package, add the individual check. If several package checks do not relate to the job, ask for help with a custom scope. Our role-scoping guide provides four worked examples.

For a sense of how quickly results come back once you order, see how long a background check takes.