Past Employment History

How To Check Past Employment History Dates for Resume/C.V.

Make sure you follow the law when gathering personal work history data on prospective employees

Resumes submitted by successful job applicants must contain accurate information. Making a slight error on one date may fall beneath the scrutiny of some potential employers, but a resume filled with ballpark dates is likely to be viewed as a sign of lack of attention to detail at the very least or as outright deceit at the most, to the great majority.

As of 2015, many working adults have extensive employment histories. It is not uncommon to find employees in the United States who have had five or more employers in a ten year period. Keeping track of exact start and finish dates with a large number of employers is challenging for even the well-organized individuals.

Check Employment History with the IRS

For many, it might not even be necessary to search online. Exact employment dates are recorded on Internal Revenue Service Form W-2, which is provided to employees by employers shortly after the end of each year. Many people may file IRS Form W-2s away and forget about them. Another good place to search for past employment history dates are old resumes. Perhaps you have old hard-copies of resumes filed away. Many people often store copies of their resumes on their hard drive; searching a computer for an old resume may provide the employment history dates you are looking for.

Call Past Employers

Once you have exhausted your personal files and computer's hard drive, the next step is reaching out to past employers, the Office of Social Security (SSA) or the IRS. Most employers will not release personal information to people making requests via e-mail because of privacy concerns. Some larger employers may have websites available, which may contain employment dates, but these are often not accessible once an individual is no longer employed with a company. Calling a previous employer on the telephone and asking for employment dates may be the fastest way to retrieve this information.

Sometimes, a former employee may not feel comfortable contacting a former employer or it may no longer be in business. In these cases it is necessary to contact the SSA or the IRS. Unfortunately, each charges fairly significant fees for this service and there is no free alternative.

Obtaining Past Employment Dates from the SSA

Past employment dates are available from the SSA by requesting a Certified/Non-Certified Detailed Earnings Information report.

To order this report, print and complete SSA Form 7050 and mail it to the SSA at the address provided on the form along with the required payment of $136. Requests for Certified/Non-Certified Detailed Earnings Information reports may take 120 days after they are received to be completed and mailed.

Obtaining Past Employment Dates from the IRS

Past employment dates dating back 10 years are available from the IRS by requesting a copy of your tax return and attached documents.

To order transcripts of tax returns, print and complete IRS Form 4506 and mail it to the IRS at the address provided on the form along with the required payment of $50 for each return required. Requests for copies of transcripts may take 45 days after they are received to be completed and mailed.

How to Do a Deed or Title Search For Free

The deed or title to a property details who legally owns it. Deeds include the location of the property, a description, the property lines, buyers and sellers names and addresses as well as any property interests such as liens or mortgages. All deeds and property titles must be recorded in a court houses, town office or state administration.

In order to find information about a property it is necessary to perform a property title search. These searches are necessary when seeking the owner of a property or other information, such as the property being free from any legal holds.

Many property titles may be searched online; however, there are many which are not. Different jurisdictions are subject to different and changing legislation. In some areas the county court house is the official repository for deeds, in other areas they may be stored in town offices or state offices. Some of these institutions have made their records available and searchable online for free; others charge a fee. Others still have not made online access available, necessitating the need to travel to the institution and search physical records or microfiche. Because laws can change, it is common to find property titles and deeds stored in two or more different locations for a given area.