Background Check Fees

Costs associated with name-based Texas Criminal History checks and fingerprint-based National Criminal History checks are as follows:

  • Name-based Texas Criminal History checks for DFPS employees, DFPS volunteers, Purchased Client Services contract providers, and external volunteers cost DFPS $1 per name submitted to DPS.
  • Fingerprint-based National Criminal History checks vary in cost depending on the role of the individual being fingerprinted.
    • The cost for a fingerprint-based check for a paid employee of an organization is $ 39.75.
    • Foster and adoptive parent applicants, kinship caregivers, household members, and any other individuals not receiving financial compensation for the role in which the background check is requested pay a reduced rate of $ 37.75.
    • The overall fingerprinting fee is a collection of several fees:
      • DPS charges $15 to conduct a fingerprint-based check. (The FBI will not conduct a fingerprint-based check until the requesting state conducts one).
      • The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) charges $ 13.25 to conduct a fingerprint-based check ($ 11.25 for foster and adoptive parent applicants and volunteers).
      • The fingerprint vendor charges a processing fee of $11.50. This is a fee set in the contract between DPS and the fingerprint vendor.

Fingerprinting fees

  • CPS Foster and Adoptive parents and their household members generally pay their own fingerprinting fees.  There are times when funding is available to assist with these fees.
  • DFPS covers the cost of fingerprinting fees when a National Criminal History check is required for CPS emergency parental child safety placements, CPS non-emergency kinship, and Interstate Compact for Placement of Children (ICPC) placements.
  • DFPS employees, volunteers, and interns, Purchased Client Services contractors, and other external users who are required to complete a National Criminal History check pay $11.50. DFPS covers the remainder of the fingerprinting fees. DFPS employees, volunteers, and interns can request reimbursement for the fee.

Please see the Fingerprinting FAQ for more information.