Why did I not pass the identity assurance quiz?

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There are several reasons why you may not have passed the quiz.:

You may have answered one or more questions incorrectly. Please read each one carefully and consider every answer:

There may be errors in the information on file with the credit reporting bureaus. This could cause a question to be generated that you cannot answer correctly; or

You may have entered your identifying information incorrectly, causing the independent service to ask questions that you are not able to answer.

If you would like to confirm the accuracy of the information found in your credit reports, you may do so by visiting  and requesting free copies of your credit reports. If you find a discrepancy in any of your credit reports, you should follow up with the individual credit reporting agency to correct those records. If you want information on your rights relating to credit reporting, or more detailed information on the steps you can take to correct errors found in your credit reports, please visit .

If you have taken these steps and still cannot establish your account, you can contact E-Verify by phone at (855) 804-0296, TTY at (877) 875-6028, or by email at everifyselfcheck@uscis.dhs.gov.

Why wasn't an identity assurance quiz generated?

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There may be several reasons why a quiz could not be generated for you.

You may have moved recently and your credit files and public records do not yet reflect your new address. If so, you can try running a Self Check again using your former residence in the address field.

You may have entered information incorrectly, preventing the independent service from locating any records about you.

You chose not to provide your Social Security Number. In some cases, providing this additional information may make it easier for the third party identity assurance service to find your records and generate quiz questions for you.

You may have attempted to take a quiz too many times recently. In this case, if you need to access Self Check you should wait a few days and try again.

You may not have enough of a financial footprint for enough questions to be generated. This can happen if you have entered the country or the workforce recently or you simply have not applied for any type of credit.

You may have certain fraud alerts reported to your state or a credit bureau. These fraud alerts are usually created by an individual who was the victim of identity theft or is at a greater risk of becoming a victim.

You may have put a security freeze on your credit report.

If you want to confirm the accuracy of the information found in your credit reports you may do so by visiting and requesting free copies of your credit reports. If you find a discrepancy in any of your credit reports you should follow up with the individual credit reporting agency to correct those records. If you want information on your rights relating to credit reporting, or more detailed information on the steps you can take to correct errors found in your credit reports, please visit .

Even though an identity assurance quiz could not be generated, you may still be authorized to work in the United States.

Please read the “I am unable to use Self Check. How else can I check my records?” question and answer for alternatives to using Self Check.

Can I be required to use Self Check?

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No one can require you to use Self Check to guarantee that you are authorized to work. For example, it is unlawful for a potential employer to require proof of your Self Check results before offering you a job.

If an employer asks you to run a Self Check query to prove that you are authorized to work in the United States, you should notify the Department of Justice, Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) at (800) 255-7688.

For more information, refer to the Know Your Rights page from the link in the left navigation bar.

Is any of the information I provide to Self Check, or the results of Self Check, shared with my employer/prospective employer?

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No. The information you enter while using Self Check, and the result displayed by Self Check, is never shared with an employer.

What is identity assurance and why does Self Check use it?

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Self Check uses an identity assurance process to protect your privacy. The service is designed for you to check your employment authorization records and by forcing a user to first establish his or her identity, Self Check can be sure that the system is not being misused. Because Self Check is providing information about a person’s government records, it is very important that we defend against misuse of the service.

Will using Self Check affect my ability to get credit?

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No, Self Check will not affect your ability to get credit. If you look at your credit report after using Self Check, you may see a record a “soft hit” or “soft inquiry” in your report. However, soft hits are not shown to businesses and are not used to calculate your credit score.

Why does Self Check need my name, date of birth, Social Security number, citizenship status, and document information?

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This information is needed to match against the federal government records that will confirm your employment authorization.

I received a Tentative Nonconfirmation (Mismatch) in Self Check. What should I do?

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You are not required to take action after receiving a mismatch from Self Check. However, taking action to resolve your mismatch with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and/or the Social Security Administration (SSA) can help ensure your records that E-Verify accesses properly reflect you are eligible to work in the United States.

Ensure your Further Action Notice shows your correct name, date of birth, Social Security number, and document information. If your information is not correct, you should select the option to create a new case with the correct information. See the table below to proceed with your Self Check mismatch.

How can I prevent a Tentative Nonconfirmation (Mismatch) in Self Check?

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Self Check may issue a Tentative Nonconfirmation (Mismatch) result for your case if your name, Social Security number, date of birth, or other information do not match government records.

If your Self Check case receives a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and/or Social Security Administration (SSA) mismatch result, you can choose to take action to resolve it.

To avoid a mismatch:

Make sure your documents and records are accurate before you complete a Self Check case;

Inform SSA if you have changed your name;

If there is a spelling error or incorrect date of birth on your document, contact the agency that issued the document to correct the error;

If you have two first names, enter both when you complete Self Check; and

If your full legal name includes an apostrophe (‘) or hyphen (-), make sure you include it when you complete Self Check.

Social Security Administration Resumes E-Verify Operations

What is the Self Lock feature?

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Self Lock allows you to lock your Social Security number (SSN) to prevent it from being misused in E‑Verify. When you lock your SSN, nobody else can use it in E‑Verify, which helps protect you from employment-related identity theft. Self Lock is free and it lasts for 1 year. Thirty days before the lock expires, you will have the option to extend the lock. You can unlock your SSN through myE‑Verify at any time. If you are applying for jobs, you should unlock your SSN in case your employer uses E‑Verify.

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