A candidate lists three previous employers on their application. One returns a verification record instantly. The other two don’t appear in the database at all. What does that mean – and what should HR do next? The answer starts with understanding The Work Number, an employment verification database operated by Equifax Workforce Solutions. It stores income and employment records contributed by employers and payroll processors, and provides real-time verification to credentialed third parties – including lenders, government agencies, and hiring employers – under FCRA compliance rules.
\nThe Work Number was officially launched in 1995 by Talx Corporation. Equifax acquired Talx in 2007 for $1.4 billion, and the service now operates under the Equifax Workforce Solutions brand.
\nThe system functions as a three-way data exchange:
\nThe distinction between verification of employment (VOE) and verification of income (VOI) matters operationally. VOE confirms job title, dates of employment, and employment status. VOI goes further, providing pay rate and earnings history – and typically requires explicit employee consent via a Salary Key.
\nThe database serves a wide range of use cases beyond pre-employment screening. Understanding who qualifies as a verifier helps HR teams contextualize where their own use fits within the broader ecosystem.
\nAll verifiers must register, demonstrate a legally valid reason for access, and authenticate at each login. According to the FTC, employers using consumer reports – including employment verification data – for hiring decisions must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which requires written disclosure and candidate consent before obtaining the report.
\nEmployees have meaningful control over their records. Key rights include:
\nAccording to Equifax Workforce Solutions’ published figures, the database holds more than 823 million employee records from nearly 5 million employers. In 2025, it facilitated 58 million verifications outside of regular business hours – a figure that underscores its role as a round-the-clock infrastructure tool, not just a daytime HR resource.
\nThis is where HR teams most often run into operational surprises. The system is purpose-built for income and employment verification. That’s genuinely valuable – but it’s a narrow slice of what most pre-hire screening workflows require.
\nNot every employer participates. Industry analysis indicates that while coverage has grown significantly since the database launched, small and mid-size businesses remain underrepresented. When a candidate’s past employer isn’t enrolled, the query returns no data – not a negative result. HR teams must know how to interpret that null response correctly: absence of a record is not evidence of falsified employment history.
\nEven when a record exists, it covers only employment history and income. The following are entirely outside the system’s scope:
\nFor employers who need a complete pre-hire picture, employment data is just one piece. A dedicated FCRA-compliant background check platform like GoodHire fills the gaps that the system leaves – criminal checks, license verification, identity confirmation – without replacing what it does well. The two tools serve complementary functions, not competing ones.
\nCoverage gaps are common – especially for candidates who’ve worked at smaller employers that don’t contribute payroll data to the database. When a query returns nothing, that’s not the end of the verification process. HR teams that run employment verification through GoodHire’s direct employer outreach can fill those gaps without slowing down their hiring timeline – no database enrollment required on the employer’s end.
\n\n
HR teams evaluating their verification workflow often conflate these two categories. The table below clarifies where each tool fits – and why savvy employers use both.
\n\n\n| Feature / Capability | The Work Number (Equifax) | GoodHire Background Screening |
|---|---|---|
| Employment history verification | ✓ Automated from payroll data | ✓ Direct employer outreach |
| Income verification | ✓ Real-time payroll data | ✗ Not included |
| Criminal background check | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Professional license verification | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Education verification | Limited (separate add-on) | ✓ Included |
| Identity / SSN verification | Limited (separate product) | ✓ Included |
| FCRA compliance | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Coverage dependency | Requires employer participation | Not dependent on employer enrollment |
| Best for | Lenders, government agencies, fast VOE | Pre-hire screening for HR teams |
GoodHire handles the screening steps the system isn’t designed for – learn how it works. The background check market is growing rapidly, according to market research, reflecting rising demand for compliant, technology-driven hiring processes – which means HR teams need both tools working in tandem, not just one or the other.
\nThe Work Number does income and employment verification well – but it doesn’t touch criminal records, professional licenses, education credentials, or identity checks. If your screening workflow has those gaps, you can explore GoodHire’s full-suite background screening built for HR teams – with 90% of criminal checks returned in under one minute and 100+ screening services available in one place.
\nUsing employment verification data in hiring decisions triggers specific legal obligations. HR teams – especially at small and mid-size companies without dedicated compliance staff – need to understand these FCRA requirements before accessing any third-party verification service.
\nA practical rule for HR teams: treat any third-party verification data – whether from this system or a background check provider – as a consumer report under the FCRA. The disclosure, consent, and adverse action requirements apply regardless of the data source.
\nInaccurate records are a documented concern worth flagging. Employees have the right to dispute data in their EDR, and employers who act on incorrect information without following adverse action procedures face meaningful compliance exposure. Building a verification workflow that accounts for these steps protects both the organization and the candidate.
\nThe Work Number is a powerful, efficient tool for income and employment verification – but it’s purpose-built for that specific use case. HR teams that also need criminal checks, license verification, or identity screening can explore GoodHire’s FCRA-compliant background check platform – built for HR teams who need speed, simplicity, and compliance confidence across the full pre-hire screening workflow. Get Started with a solution designed to complement, not replace, the verification tools already in your stack.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\nReach Equifax Workforce Solutions’ employment verification service by calling 1-800-996-7566 (Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. CST) or TTY at 1-800-424-0253 for deaf callers. Verifiers and employees can also access records directly at www.theworknumber.com.
\n\n\nYes – employees can request a free Employment Data Report (EDR) at theworknumber.com, which shows your stored employment and income records along with a list of every verifier who accessed your data in the past 24 months. You can also dispute inaccuracies or place a freeze on your record from the same portal.
\n\n\nYes – it provides instant verification of employment (VOE) and income (VOI) by pulling directly from payroll data contributed by nearly 5 million employers. However, it does not cover criminal records, professional license checks, or education verification, so most pre-hire screening workflows pair it with a dedicated background check platform.
\n\n\nYes – theworknumber.com is the official portal for Equifax Workforce Solutions’ employment verification database, which has operated since 1995 and holds over 823 million employee records. All verifiers must register and demonstrate a permissible purpose under the FCRA before accessing any data.
\n\n\nThe resources provided here are for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. We advise you to consult your own counsel if you have legal questions related to your specific practices and compliance with applicable laws.
\n\t\t\tThe GoodHire team keeps customers informed about important news relating to background checks and employment screening.
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How Equifax's Employment Verification Database Works | GoodHire","metaDesc":"","metaRobotsNoindex":"index","metaRobotsNofollow":"follow","opengraphTitle":"What Is The Work Number? How Equifax's Employment Verification Database Works | GoodHire","opengraphDescription":"The Work Number is Equifax's automated employment verification database. Discover how it works, who uses it, its coverage gaps, and when employers need more than it offers.","opengraphPublishedTime":"","opengraphModifiedTime":"2026-05-29T16:08:50+00:00","opengraphSiteName":"GoodHire","opengraphType":"article","readingTime":8},"richSnippetSchemaJson":"","relatedArticles":{"resourcesRelatedArticles":null}},"wp":{"overviewHubspot":{"hubspotSettings":{"vwoScriptLoading":{"vwoArticles":[{"id":"cG9zdDo4MjMx"}]}}}}},"pageContext":{"id":"cG9zdDo1MzcxOA=="}}, "staticQueryHashes": ["164337791","1987833749","2376783257","3430361619","3827985150","3978322736","4015609409"]}