Deel has partnered with Certn to bring fast and accurate Background Checks to your company.
You have two options for requesting a background check: you can initiate it when creating a new contract, or you can request it for an existing contract via the Contracts tab or from the Compliance Documents tab.
Currently, we only provide Soft Checks and US Criminal Checks.
It is possible to request background checks on the following worker categories:
- Contractor
- EOR Employee
- Direct Employee • GP
- Direct Employee • HRIS

In this article:
Add a background check to a new contract
Add a background check to an existing contract
Add a background check to a new contract
✅ Step 1 – When you create a new contract, tick the Add Background Check box
Create a contract on Deel and fill out general info, personal information, and payment details during the contract creation workflow.
There will be a one-time fee of $49 USD to add a background check.
We will send an email to the contractor or employee within 24 hours informing them that a background check is being initiated.
The contractor or employee will be asked to provide personal details.
✅ Step 2 – Create your Certn account
When you select the Add Background Check option, a modal will appear prompting you to create a Certn Account.
Click on Proceed to create an account.
To proceed, please insert your phone number, check the Service Agreement box, agree to the Website Terms and Privacy Policy, and then click on Create Account.
Your Certn Account has been successfully created. 🎉
Now you can proceed with the background checks. Background check results will arrive within 24 hours once Certn has received the information.
Note: You cannot stop the process once a background check has been initiated.
Add a background check to an existing contract
✅ Step 1 – Select the (1) People tab, and (2) select a Worker
✅ Step 2– Navigate to the Compliance Documents tab, and then click on Start Now in the Background Check section.
Once your Certn account is set up, you can easily request background checks for any contract.
Note: Once a background check has been initiated, you can not stop the process.
✅ Step 3 – Click Request
We will send an email to the contractor or employee informing them that a background check is being initiated.
The contractor or employee will be asked to provide personal details.
Background check results will arrive within 24 hours once Certn has received the information.
You can also request a background check in Compliance Documents:
✅ Step 1 – Select the Compliance Documents tab and select the Employee
✅ Step 2 – Expand the Employee profile and click on Start Now
Note: Once a background check has been initiated, you can not stop the process.
✅ Step 3 – Click Request
How to set up a Certn account
✅ Step 1 – Go to (1) People tab, and (2) select a Worker
✅ Step 2 – Click Start Now in the Background Check box
✅ Step 3 – Click Proceed
Deel will provide Certn with your company name, email address, phone number, name, and Tax ID.
There is a one-time fee of $49 USD.
✅ Step 4 – Provide a Phone Number for a follow-up verification
Once you submit, you will receive confirmation that the account has been created successfully.
FAQs
Is Certn certified to perform background checks?
Certn is SOC 2, SOC 3, and ISO 27001 certified, so you can rest assured that your candidate information is stored securely.
Why can't I sign my Certn account contract?
Only Organization Admins can sign the contract with Certn.
After you create a Certn account, a Certn representative will call the organization owner and make sure they are legally able to sign the contract.
What types of background checks are available?
We offer two types of background checks.
Certn Soft Check is a real-time search of over 200,000 databases from over 200 countries.
It searches publicly available datasets such as sex offender registries, court records, sanctions, fraud, and more.
Clients in the United States may add a Certn Criminal Background Check.
This comprehensive check searches both county and state-level police and law enforcement records, and courthouse records; searches U.S. District and Appellate courts for federal crimes; scans Sex Registries and government Watchlists; and more.
Are contractors or employees informed in their contract that they are subject to a background check?
A standard contract does not specify that a background check may be performed.
What happens if a contractor or employee refuses to cooperate with the background check?
A contractor, employee, or candidate is not obligated to provide the information Certn requests in order to complete the background check.
It is the client's decision how to proceed if someone does not cooperate with the background check.
Clients will not have to pay for a background check if a request is canceled within 14 days.
If there is a problem with the background check, who do I reach out to for additional support?
Please contact us if you are experiencing any difficulty. Our agents will be able to assist you 24/7