Many people think that employee background checks are done for government jobs or big businesses. The truth is, everyone should go through a background check before being hired for any type of position, especially a personal position. If you are hiring a caregiver for a family member who needs help around the house, it is important to know this person's skill level and their background. Here is what you should look for in a caregiver's background. 

Require all past history

If you want to find out the caregiver's total past, require that they disclose all of the places that they have worked for. The reason for this is to determine if there are any issues in their past and to determine their skill level. If the person has not had many jobs nor much schooling, they may not have all of the medical and customer skills to handle major situations. Request a total work history. If there are gaps, be sure to require an explanation. Next, call all of their past workplaces to determine how well they worked. If you suspect dishonesty, hire a private investigator.

Find a total criminal history

Caregivers that work in the home have access to everything near and dear to you. They will be taking care of a venerable family member who needs the help of someone completely trustworthy. A caregiver will also have access to items inside of your home. For this reason, you need someone with a clean background. Request a criminal history from your local police department for the candidates you are interested in hiring. Along with the criminal history, you should also check for litigious history for civil court cases. If a caregiver has a history of small claims court suits with individuals, this can also speak to their moral standing.

Fill out proper tax information

Household help will need to pay proper state and federal taxes. Be sure to have your household worker fill out a w-9 form if they are a contractor or a W-4 form if they are considered an employee. You will need to collect the caregiver's proper tax information in order to give them information for filing their return by the beginning of the next tax season. If your caregiver has formed their own business in order to collect taxes as a company, request their business information from the state, in order to make sure the business is appropriately formed and pays taxes as it should.   

For further assistance, contact a company which conducts employee background checks, such as AccuChex.