At Instawork, we’re committed to promoting safe interactions for everyone in our community, including Partners and Professionals. As part of this commitment, we reference multiple sources to confirm the information provided by each person who uses our platform, including work history, references, and certain secure consumer reports provided by Checkr.

This article will outline the background checks and factors to consider.

If additional forms like W-2 documentation are required, they must be submitted through the Instawork app to proceed with the background check.

Instawork's review of the completed report usually takes about 2 business days. However, in some cases, this might extend to 2–5 business days depending on the complexity of the review.

Additionally, you will receive the following notifications during the background check process:

The initial background check returns standard information, including whether you have:

We ask Professionals to authorize these types of reports after they book their first shift through the app, and again from time to time.

Sometimes, a business partner will require an extended background check. That report includes everything in the initial background check, plus information from other sources, including a comprehensive county-level criminal history report.

Delays in the background check process are commonly due to administrative and processing issues, such as jurisdictional delays in retrieving court records or high volume periods.

Delays may also occur if the submitted documentation contains errors or mismatches. Ensure all your details are accurate to minimize disruptions in the background check process.

Instawork does not disqualify a Professional simply for having a conviction record. When reviewing, we consider each conviction alongside factors including, but not limited to:

Convictions that are more likely to disqualify an Instawork Professional depending on further consideration of the factors above include:

For example:

For the trust and safety of the broader community, Instawork reserves the right to deactivate your account at any time, should your report or background check reveal criminal convictions that would that would threaten Instawork's commitment to promoting safe interactions for members of our community.

Reasons for deactivation or suspension may include failed background checks due to platform requirements, incomplete checks where required documentation is missing, internal reviews pending after initial verifications, or escalations triggered by updated or new findings.

This means you can no longer book or complete shifts through the app. Any income earned will be paid to you in the next payment period.

If your account is suspended and not yet deactivated, this status may be reversible by addressing pending issues such as providing missing documentation or resolving internal reviews. Once your background check is successfully approved, your profile will be updated to reflect your eligibility. However, previously unassigned shifts cannot be reinstated, as these may have already been reassigned.

Important: Instawork cannot override background check results. Only Checkr can update your background check report. If your account was deactivated due to a failed background check, you must dispute the results directly with Checkr.

If you believe your background check report is inaccurate or incomplete, contact Checkr directly:

Account reactivation depends on a successful dispute with Checkr. Instawork will reassess your account only after Checkr updates your background check report.

If you want to work delivery shifts, you need to pass an Enhanced Background Check.

What's different about this check

The Enhanced Background Check includes everything in the standard check, plus a review of your Motor Vehicle Record (MVR). This helps keep everyone safe and follows driving rules.

How accidents affect your eligibility

Any accidents on your MVR may affect your approval for delivery work. This is true even if the accident wasn't your fault. Each business sets its own safety rules. If you don't meet their requirements, you can't book delivery shifts with that business. You can still book other types of shifts that don't involve driving.

Why are you conducting background checks?

We’re committed to promoting safe interactions for everyone in our community, including Partners and Professionals. As part of this commitment, we rely on multiple sources to confirm the information a person has provided to us, such as reference checks and certain secure consumer reports provided by Checkr.

From time to time, we’ll request you authorize a background check. A common reason is that a business partner requires information from different data sources.

For the trust and safety of the broader community, Instawork reserves the right to deactivate your account at any time, should the report or background check reveal criminal convictions that would threaten Instawork's safety standards. If you believe your report is inaccurate or incomplete, dispute it through Checkr using their Candidate Portal. During this process, include supplemental documents such as court records when necessary. Once resolved, contact Instawork Support at screening@instawork.com to initiate account reassessment.

We review every report to determine work eligibility. If you believe that the contents of your report/check are inaccurate or incomplete, you can contact Checkr through the Checkr applicant portal. You have the right to contact Checkr before or after any final decision is made. If we have not made a final decision yet and you realize information in the report is inaccurate or incomplete, you should also let us know that directly by so that we are aware. Once you received an updated result, please contact Instawork Support at screening@instawork.com to appeal the decision and reactivate your account.

For additional inaccuracies or omissions, submit relevant documentation as outlined in your Checkr notifications or Pre-Adverse Action Notice to strengthen your appeal before final resolutions.

It depends. If you have a shift coming up in a couple of days and your status is still pending, while you may be able to work the shift, based on your results you will be removed from the shift.