Employment verification
An employment claim confirms that a person held a job: employer, dates and title. Facts only — we never ask about character or performance, so the report stays outside FCRA §606 investigative-report rules.
curl -X POST https://api.primarycheck.com/v1/verifications \
-H "Authorization: Bearer pc_live_…" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"person": {
"firstName": "Amy",
"lastName": "Kowalski",
"dob": "1976-02-14"
},
"claims": [
{
"type": "employment",
"employer": "Mercy Health",
"employerState": "OH",
"title": "Charge Nurse",
"start": "2020-03",
"end": "2023-08"
}
],
"purpose": "employment",
"consent": {
"consentId": "cons_8f1…"
},
"options": {
"allowPaidThirdParty": false,
"deadline": "P7D"
}
}'Employment sources and order
| Order | Source | When | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Payroll connect (candidate signs into payroll) | Candidate gets a link; data returns by webhook | seconds |
| 2 | The Work Number | Only with options.allowPaidThirdParty = true; cost shown before it runs | seconds |
| 3 | Employer outreach engine | Employer not in a database, or you prefer direct confirmation | 1–7 business days |
Employer outreach cadence
| Business day | Step |
|---|---|
| 0 | Email + fax with the signed authorization and a secure reply link |
| 1 | Voice agent call (business hours in the employer's time zone) |
| 3 | Email follow-up |
| 5 | Voice agent call |
| 7 | Deadline → unable_to_verify(no_response) |
Anti-fraud contact rules
- The organization must exist in an independent source (state business registry, company website, business listing, NPPES, our contact book) before any contact.
- A website-only organization whose domain is younger than 180 days is
employer_unverifiable. - We only contact channels from independent sources.
- A candidate-supplied phone or email is used only if it equals an independent one, or the email's domain is the organization's verified website domain. Free-mail domains are never accepted.
What the employer receives
A short request naming the person, the claimed dates and title, the signed authorization, and a link to a secure reply form (no login; the responder's name and role are captured). Employers can confirm, correct the dates or title, say the person never worked there, or decline.
Employment outcomes
| Employer says | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Confirmed, dates match by month | verified |
| Confirmed, dates differ | discrepancy |
| Title differs | Reviewed by a person; never auto-failed |
| Never worked here | not_found |
| Declines / uses a third party / closed / unverifiable / no response | unable_to_verify with employer_policy, employer_uses_third_party, employer_closed, employer_not_found or no_response |
The attempt log (channels, contact sources, timestamps, transcripts) is attached as outreach_log evidence. Pending employment claims can be cancelled with POST /v1/verifications/{id}/cancel. See employment verification.