The Fair Credit Reporting Act states that a company can go back infinitely for conviction records, but only 7 years for arrest records. There are certain exceptions where some companies go back 10 years. And there are other companies that utilize a database check that can go back as far as 30 years or more. It all is dependent upon which type of screening the company uses. If you are applying for a government position, the law doesn’t apply and they can go back however far. So it is dependent on the company and the type of job.