In most cases, you do not have to pay to get fingerprinted for a job when the employer ordered the background check as a condition of hiring. Employers typically treat fingerprinting as a recruitment expense and cover it directly, and federal wage law limits when the cost can be pushed onto you. The main exception is fingerprinting tied to a professional license you hold personally, which you generally pay for yourself.
When the Employer Pays
If fingerprinting is part of a pre-employment background check the company requires, the company almost always foots the bill. It’s handled the same way as a drug test or reference check. The employer either pays the live scan vendor directly or uses a background-screening company that bundles fingerprinting into a single invoice.
The total has more than one layer. The vendor charges a rolling fee for capturing your prints electronically, and a federal or state agency charges a separate processing fee to run those prints against criminal databases. The FBI charges $18 per Identity History Summary Check when an individual submits directly.1Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions In financial services, FINRA charges $30 for an electronic fingerprint submission and $40 for a hardcopy submission, which includes a $10 FBI fee and a $20 or $30 FINRA fee.2FINRA. FINRA Fingerprint Fees The live scan vendor’s own fee usually adds another $20 to $40. A full fingerprint-based check commonly lands between $50 and $75.
When You’ll Likely Pay: Professional Licensing
The biggest exception to the employer-pays norm is professional licensing. When fingerprinting is required to obtain or renew a license or certification you hold personally, the cost is yours. The distinction matters: a license belongs to you, moves with you between employers, and represents your individual credential. A regulatory body, not your employer, is requiring the check as a condition of letting you work in the field.
Teaching, nursing, insurance, real estate, and financial services all commonly require fingerprinting for licensure. Costs generally run between $30 and $75 once you combine the vendor’s rolling fee with state and FBI processing charges. Some licensing boards contract with specific vendors and set the price. Others let you choose any approved provider.
A few practical points if you’re paying for licensure prints:
- Check your licensing board’s website before you book. It will list approved vendors and any required forms or codes, which prevents paying for prints that get rejected.
- Ask your employer about reimbursement. Some employers reimburse licensing costs even when they aren’t required to, especially in healthcare and education where the license is mandatory for the role.
- Keep your receipts in case reimbursement is available.
Federal Jobs and Contractor Positions
If you’re being hired by a federal agency or a company that contracts with the government, fingerprinting for your background investigation is paid by the requesting agency. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency bills the “customer agencies and organizations submitting requests” for background investigation services.3Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Billing Rates and Resources The Office of Personnel Management likewise directs federal agencies to provide fingerprinting instructions to new hires, with the agency coordinating and covering the process.4U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Do I Have to Go to a Police Station to Be Fingerprinted? You should never be asked to pay out of pocket for a federal background investigation.
What Federal Wage Law Says About Charging You
Even where no state law directly addresses fingerprinting costs, the Fair Labor Standards Act sets a floor. The U.S. Department of Labor has taken the position that employer-required fingerprinting is a business expense, not a “facility” like room and board that can be credited toward wages. An employer cannot deduct fingerprinting costs from your paycheck if doing so would drop your pay below the federal minimum wage or cut into overtime you’ve earned.5U.S. Department of Labor. FLSA Opinion Letter FLSA-835
This matters most for hourly and lower-wage workers. For someone earning well above minimum wage, a deduction could technically stay on the right side of the FLSA, though it would still be unusual and might violate state law. For workers near the wage floor, the protection functions as a ban. A deduction that drops your check below minimum wage is a wage violation you can report to the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.
State Laws Often Go Further
Many states go beyond the FLSA and flatly prohibit employers from charging applicants or employees for any condition of employment, including background checks. These laws vary. Some states explicitly require employers to cover all pre-employment screening costs. Others fold fingerprinting into broader protections against shifting recruitment expenses to job seekers. Violations can bring civil penalties. Because coverage differs so much by state, a quick call or visit to your state labor department’s website is worth doing before you pay anything out of pocket.
Your Consent Comes First
Fingerprinting for a background check triggers federal consumer protection rules. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, an employer must give you a clear written disclosure, in a standalone document, that a consumer report may be obtained for employment purposes. You then have to authorize the check in writing before the employer can proceed.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – 1681b Permissible Purposes of Consumer Reports No employer can fingerprint you or pull your criminal history without your written consent.
Refusing is your right, but there’s a practical consequence. Employers in industries that require fingerprint checks can withdraw a job offer or decline to move forward with a candidate who won’t consent. Where the fingerprinting is legally mandated for the position, there’s no way around it.
What to Do if an Employer Asks You to Pay
Start with your state’s labor laws. Your state labor department’s website or phone line can tell you quickly whether employers are allowed to charge applicants for background check costs. If your state prohibits it, you have solid ground to push back.
Even without a state-specific prohibition, the FLSA still applies. If you’re an hourly worker and the deduction would push your effective pay below the federal minimum wage, the employer can’t take it.5U.S. Department of Labor. FLSA Opinion Letter FLSA-835
If the charge is technically legal where you are, ask the employer whether they reimburse the cost after your start date. Many companies do, especially when they consider the optics of charging applicants for a check the company ordered. Put the question in writing so you have a record of the response. If you pay and later find out it wasn’t allowed in your jurisdiction, file a complaint with your state labor board. Most states allow recovery of the fee plus penalties.