 TITLE: What to Know About Employment and Your Credit CONTENT: Can an Employer Access My Credit?\n---------------------------------\nThe Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) lists who can obtain your credit report and for what purpose. Employers, for instance, are allowed to run a credit check for hiring and promotion decisions, but only if the applicant or employee has given written permission for them to do so.\nIn fact, there are only a few exceptions to the requirement to obtain permission before pulling a credit report, including:\n*   In response to a court order or federal grand jury subpoena.\n*   In connection with your application for a license or other benefit granted by the government, when consideration of financial responsibility is required by law.\n*   In connection with a child support determination (in certain circumstances).\n*   In connection with a credit or insurance transaction not initiated by you, when a firm offer of credit or insurance is extended and certain other restrictions are met.\n*   For the purposes of a potential investor assessing the risk of a current credit obligation.\nAlso, creditors are allowed to run soft credit checks, which don't impact your credit, to send you pre-screened offers.\nRemember, though, that while your employer can view a modified version of your credit report with your permission, they will not have access to your credit score. END