Employment background checks, built for UK hiring

Yes, Zinc handles UK and international checks from one platform, so you're not juggling separate systems for separate markets.

UK employers can run HMRC-verified employment history checks, DBS checks, and right to work checks for UK staff alongside checks for other countries.

All your checks packages are re-usable across different hiring markets, so you don’t have to make duplicates. Candidates simply confirm their country of residence at the start of the check, and Zinc routes the right checks to the right jurisdiction. One compliance dashboard covers every market you hire in, with candidate and check data exportable to CSV for your own records or your HRIS.

The standard employment background checks in the UK are the same six you’ll see again and again:

• DBS checks at Basic, Standard, or Enhanced level depending on role eligibility
• Right to work checks
• Reference checks
• Education and qualification verification
• Sanctions or adverse media screening
• Employment history verification via HMRC Government Gateway

UK businesses are legally required to run RTW checks on every employee, and most also run DBS, identity, and address checks. Beyond that, standards vary from industry to industry, whether you’re checking roles under SMCR, or regulated by the CQC or Ofsted, or a different body entirely.

The four DBS check levels are Basic, Standard, Enhanced and Enhanced with Barred List. Which one applies to your role comes down to legal eligibility, not preference.

Basic DBS checks are available for any role and show unspent convictions only. Standard checks show spent and unspent convictions, and it's limited to roles that qualify under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order, common in financial services, legal, and security roles. Enhanced checks are commonly for roles involving children or vulnerable adults, and can include a Barred List check where the role involves regulated activity. There's also an Adult First check, which lets a new starter begin work under supervision while a full Enhanced check is still in progress, useful in care settings where staffing gaps are urgent.

Getting the level wrong is a criminal offence, and Zinc's in-platform eligibility support helps you keep things compliant.

Zinc's HMRC employment verification asks the candidate for one-time permission via their Government Gateway account. Zinc then pulls verified employer names and employment dates straight from HMRC payroll data, usually in under a minute, with no document to upload.

Zinc never sees or stores the candidate's login details, so the process works more like a secure handshake than a data handover. Because the data comes straight from HMRC, it can't be edited or fabricated. It only confirms employers and dates, so it's worth pairing with a reference check if you need a job title, conduct, or reason for leaving. If a candidate can't access their Government Gateway account, they can switch to manual HR references instead, so the check never grinds to a halt.

Zinc handles UK right to work checks by matching the method to the candidate, not a one-size-fits-all process.

British and Irish citizens can use document verification (a passport, or a birth or adoption certificate plus National Insurance number combined with a manual check). EEA and non-EEA nationals use a Home Office share code instead.

It’s important to remember: document checks alone aren't quite enough for a statutory excuse. An imposter check, confirming the person in front of you matches the identity that was verified, is also needed to

protect you if a candidate is later found working illegally.

Every check from Zinc produces a timestamped audit trail, which is evidence you need to demonstrate that excuse. Add comments to candidate records to confirm that you’ve conducted the appropriate imposter check, so everything is in one place.

Yes, Zinc is compliant with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification on top of that. Zinc's ISO 27001 information security management system includes annual penetration testing, rolling vulnerability scans, and regular internal auditing.

With over 7% of Zinc’s headcount dedicated to legal, compliance, and data security, we’re always holding ourselves to a high standard for security and data storage.

Yes, Zinc integrates directly with the ATS and HRIS platforms you already use, including Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, SuccessFactors, and over 15 more. Candidate and CV data pulls through automatically, so checks trigger without any manual re-entry and results land straight back in your system. If your ATS isn't on the list, Zinc's open API and Zapier connector cover the rest. All of our integrations are available at no extra cost, and most can be set up in minutes without any technical support.