Can I refuse to let an employer access my credit report?

Employment is at will so an employer can refuse to hire you for just about any reason that you have some control over. Things like race, sex, and disability are out of your control so they should not keep you from being hired providing that you can still accomplish the job, but since employers will consider your credit score as something under your control, they can refuse to hire you if your credit score is bad or if you are not willing to let them see your score in the first place.

Of course, there are many people out there whose credit score is not completely under their control. Bad things happen in life like losing a job, getting sick, or getting divorced that are completely out of your control but have the potential to destroy your credit score.

If you are in a position where your credit score is bad through little fault of your own, you may be better served by allowing potential employers to access your credit reports, but set the expectation that your credit is not great and offer to explain what went wrong. If you refuse an employer access to your credit report, it certainly won't help your cause. But if you are honest and open, you may get them to look past your credit score and see you as a person instead.

Lastly, if your credit score is poor because of circumstances like the ones above that were out of your control, it would be worth the effort to try repairing your credit. The law gives you the right to accurate and fair credit reporting so if you feel your credit score is unfairly holding you back, you have the right to work to improve it. You can work to repair your credit on your own or with the help of a number of reputable credit repair companies operating today.