Can you run a background check on a volunteer without a Social Security number?

Yes. The Fair Credit Reporting Act doesn’t require an SSN; it requires accurate matching. A check without an SSN searches U.S. records using the applicant’s name, date of birth and self-reported address history. It can’t see records from other countries, so references and interviews matter more for anyone who has lived abroad.

Should we ask volunteers for work authorization documents?

Not for genuine volunteers. The federal Form I-9 instructions exclude people who receive no remuneration, such as volunteers. But remuneration includes food and lodging — if a role provides housing, meals or stipends, it may be employment, so ask counsel first.

Free guide · 2026 edition · For programs whose volunteers arrive without a U.S. Social Security number

Welcome Here: Screening volunteers without a U.S. Social Security number — fairly, carefully and well

Why many lawful volunteers can’t get an SSN, why volunteering usually isn’t employment, what a U.S.-only check can and can’t see, and how to screen fairly.

By the VolunteerBadge research team · Published September 11, 2026

Written for resettlement agencies, ESL programs, campuses and churches welcoming newcomers
SSN rules, Form I-9, student visas and fairness explained
A no-SSN screening checklist and a notice for your application link
Census and Open Doors figures, and every federal rule, cited

Who Welcome Here is for

Volunteer managers at churches, schools, universities, resettlement agencies, food banks, tutoring and ESL programs, camps and service organizations that welcome international students, exchange visitors, recent immigrants, refugees and returning Americans.

50.2M

U.S. residents are foreign-born — 14.8% of the population.

Census ACS, 2024

1.18M

international students were at U.S. colleges and universities in 2024/25, including those on OPT.

Open Doors, 2025

for a U.S. records check without an SSN, when your organization opts in.

VolunteerBadge

From the Welcome Here executive summary

Six rules for screening fairly without an SSN

1
Volunteering doesn’t qualify someone for an SSN.
Noncitizens get one for work authorization or a narrow list of benefit reasons.
2
Don’t ask volunteers for work papers.
Form I-9 excludes volunteers who receive no remuneration.
3
But “unpaid” means unpaid.
Food, lodging or stipends can turn a volunteer into an employee.
4
You can screen without an SSN.
The FCRA doesn’t require one; accuracy depends on other identifiers.
5
A U.S. check doesn’t see time abroad.
References and interviews carry more weight.
6
Treat everyone the same way.
Require only what each role needs, from every applicant.

Inside Welcome Here, chapter by chapter

01
No SSN, and the limits of a U.S.-only check
Why an SSN isn’t required to screen, and what a U.S.-only check misses, on one page.
02
Who doesn’t have a Social Security number — and why
The federal SSN rules, and who they leave out.
03
Volunteering usually isn’t employment
Form I-9, remuneration, and what not to ask.
04
International students and exchange visitors
What federal guidance says about volunteering, and J-1 screening rules.
05
Can you screen someone without an SSN?
The FCRA’s rules, accuracy, and identity from a passport.
06
What a U.S. check can and can’t see
Foreign records, police certificates, and filling the gap.
07
Fairness and national origin
Employment law, volunteers, and fair-process rules.
08
Refugee- and immigrant-serving programs
ORR volunteer rules and resettlement programs.
09
Americans who have lived abroad
The same gap for returning citizens.
10
A screening plan that works without an SSN
Six layers matched to the role.
11
Asking well: scripts that respect people
What to say instead.
12
How VolunteerBadge handles it
Opt-in no-SSN screening, step by step.
A
Appendix A: Checklist: screening volunteers without a U.S. SSN
Review your application and process.
B
Appendix B: Notice to applicants
A plain-language notice to post beside your application link.
C
Appendix C: Support docs, guides and chapter sources
Support docs, related guides and the sources behind each chapter.

Get the free guide

Questions Welcome Here answers

Can you run a background check on a volunteer without a Social Security number?: Yes. The Fair Credit Reporting Act doesn’t require an SSN; it requires accurate matching. A check without an SSN searches U.S. records using the applicant’s name, date of birth and self-reported address history. It can’t see records from other countries, so references and interviews matter more for anyone who has lived abroad.
Should we ask volunteers for work authorization documents?: Not for genuine volunteers. The federal Form I-9 instructions exclude people who receive no remuneration, such as volunteers. But remuneration includes food and lodging — if a role provides housing, meals or stipends, it may be employment, so ask counsel first.

Beyond Welcome Here

VolunteerBadge is owned and operated by ScreenForge Labs, LLC, an FCRA-regulated Consumer Reporting Agency that has obtained its FCRA Certificate from the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA). This guide is general educational information and is not legal advice. Laws change; this guide's sources were checked as of September 11, 2026.