DBS Check Explained: Levels, What Shows Up and How to Fix Errors

A DBS check is a criminal record check issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service for jobs and volunteer roles in England and Wales. There are four levels: basic, standard, enhanced, and enhanced with barred list checks. What appears depends on the level: a basic check shows only unspent convictions and conditional cautions, while standard and enhanced checks can also show spent records unless filtering rules remove them.

For most people the check is a formality. For anyone with an old conviction, a caution from years ago or a record that isn’t theirs, it’s one of the most important documents in their working life. This guide explains what an employer, landlord or volunteer organization actually sees, and what you can do about it. It’s general information, not legal advice.

The four levels of DBS check

The level is set by the role, not by the employer’s preference. An organization can only ask for a standard or enhanced check if the job is legally eligible for one.

Level	Who can request it	What it can show
Basic	Any employer, or you yourself	Unspent convictions and unspent conditional cautions
Standard	Employers for eligible roles, through a registered body	Spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, unless filtered
Enhanced	Employers for eligible roles, usually involving children or vulnerable adults	Everything on a standard check, plus information local police reasonably believe is relevant
Enhanced with barred lists	Employers for regulated activity with children or adults	Everything on an enhanced check, plus whether you’re on the children’s or adults’ barred list

Our separate guide to the basic DBS check covers the entry level in detail, including how to apply for your own.

Why eligibility matters

Standard and enhanced checks exist because some roles are exempt from the usual protection for spent convictions. Teaching, healthcare, social care, law, some financial roles and many positions working with children or vulnerable adults fall into these exceptions. If a role isn’t eligible, the employer shouldn’t be asking for a higher-level check, and you can ask them which eligibility rule they’re relying on.

What filtering leaves off a certificate

Filtering is the set of rules that removes certain old and minor records from standard and enhanced certificates. It was introduced in 2013 and changed again after a Supreme Court ruling, so older advice you find online may be out of date.

In general terms:

• Some old cautions and convictions are filtered once enough time has passed, with shorter periods for people who were under 18 at the time.
• Convictions that led to a custodial sentence are not filtered, however old they are.
• A list of specified offenses is never filtered. It includes serious violent and sexual offenses and others relevant to safeguarding.
• Youth reprimands and warnings are treated more leniently than adult records.

The DBS publishes its filtering guidance and the list of specified offenses on GOV.UK. If you’re unsure whether something will appear, read that guidance or speak to one of the free advice services mentioned below, rather than guessing. Filtering applies only to what DBS itself discloses. Police can still add relevant information to an enhanced certificate, even about matters that never reached court.

Who sees your certificate

Since 2013 the certificate has been sent to you, the applicant, rather than straight to the employer. The organization that submitted the application can usually see whether the certificate contains information, and then asks to see your copy.

That gives you a short window. If you know something will appear, you can speak to the employer before they read it, and you can check the certificate for errors before you hand it over.

How to handle a record that will appear

A conviction on a certificate doesn’t automatically disqualify you. Employers with a proper policy are expected to consider how relevant the offense is to the role, how long ago it happened, and what you’ve done since. Organizations that use DBS checks are expected to have a policy on recruiting people with criminal records, and it’s reasonable to ask to see it.

1. Know exactly what will show. Get your court records or your police record so you aren’t guessing. A basic check on yourself shows the unspent part.
2. Write a short disclosure statement. What happened, when, the outcome, and what has changed. Keep it factual and brief.
3. Gather support. References, training, voluntary work and evidence of steady employment since.
4. Choose the moment. Many people disclose after an interview, once the employer has seen them as a person. Others disclose on the form when asked. Only answer the question actually asked.

Example wording for a disclosure statement, adapt it to your own facts:

In 2016, when I was 22, I was convicted of a public order offense after a night out and received a fine. It was a single incident and I’ve had no further convictions. Since then I’ve completed my level 3 qualification, worked for my current employer for five years and volunteered with a local youth football club. I’m happy to talk about it if you have any questions.

The DBS Update Service

The Update Service is an optional subscription that keeps your standard or enhanced certificate current, so you don’t need a new check every time you change jobs in the same type of work. You join online, either using your application reference number or shortly after your certificate is issued. There’s an annual subscription fee for paid roles, and volunteers can generally join free.

With your permission, a new employer can run a free online status check. It tells them whether any new information has been added since your certificate was issued. If nothing has changed, they can usually rely on the certificate you already have, as long as it’s the right level and covers the right workforce, such as children or adults.

Two practical points. First, a status check only reports changes, so an employer will still want to see the original certificate. Second, if you let the subscription lapse, you’ll generally need a new check to rejoin.

How to dispute an error on a DBS certificate

Mistakes happen. The most common are a record that belongs to someone else with a similar name and date of birth, a wrong outcome, or police information you believe is inaccurate or irrelevant.

1. Don’t hand over a certificate you think is wrong without comment. Tell the employer you’re disputing it.
2. Raise a dispute with the DBS through its official dispute process on GOV.UK. There’s a time limit after the certificate is issued, so do it promptly.
3. Provide evidence. If the record isn’t yours, you may be asked for fingerprints to prove it. If the outcome is wrong, send court documents.
4. Challenge police information separately if needed. Information added by police on an enhanced certificate is the police force’s decision. The dispute goes to the force first, and if you’re still unhappy you can ask the Independent Monitor to review it.
5. Get a corrected certificate. If the dispute succeeds, a new certificate is issued.

If the underlying record itself is wrong on the Police National Computer, the correction may need to happen there as well. The police force that created the record is usually the starting point.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

DBS covers England and Wales. The rest of the UK has separate bodies and slightly different rules:

• Scotland: Disclosure Scotland handles criminal record checks and runs the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme for people working with children and protected adults. Scotland’s disclosure system has been reformed in recent years, so check Disclosure Scotland’s own guidance for the current levels.
• Northern Ireland: AccessNI issues basic, standard and enhanced checks with rules similar to, but not identical to, the DBS system.

If you’ve lived in more than one part of the UK, or abroad, a new employer may ask for checks from more than one body.

A worked example

This scenario is illustrative, not a real client. Priya is offered a job as a teaching assistant, which needs an enhanced check with a children’s barred list check. At 19 she received a caution for shoplifting. She’s now 34.

1. She reads the DBS filtering guidance and sees that an adult caution for a non-specified offense is usually filtered after enough time has passed. Hers appears to qualify.
2. She calls a free advice service to double check, and they agree it should be filtered.
3. Her certificate arrives clear of convictions and cautions. She shows it to the school and joins the Update Service so her next school can run a status check.

Had the caution appeared in error, she would have raised a dispute before sharing the certificate and told the school she was doing so.

Common mistakes

• Over-disclosing. If a conviction is spent and the role isn’t eligible for a standard or enhanced check, you generally don’t have to mention it. Our guide to spent convictions explains when that applies.
• Assuming filtering covers everything old. Custodial sentences and specified offenses are never filtered.
• Paying a third-party site more than you need to. Individuals can apply for a basic check directly through GOV.UK. Standard and enhanced checks go through the employer.
• Forgetting the online side. A clear certificate won’t help if an old news story or court listing is the first result for your name. Our guide on old news articles covers the options.

Getting free advice and further help

Nacro is a UK charity that gives free advice to people with criminal records, including on what a DBS check will show and how to talk to employers. If you believe you’ve been treated unlawfully, talk to a solicitor or an advice service.

If your record is handled but search results still follow your name, our personal reputation management team can look at what’s showing and which removal or delisting routes might apply. For a wider view of formal checks, see our guide to how you can run a background check on yourself.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a DBS check valid for?

A DBS certificate has no official expiry date. It shows information held at the time it was issued, so each employer decides how recent a certificate it will accept. Joining the Update Service lets employers check whether anything has changed since.

Can I apply for my own DBS check?

You can apply for a basic DBS check yourself through GOV.UK. Standard and enhanced checks must be requested by an employer or organization for an eligible role, usually through a registered or umbrella body.

Will a caution show on a DBS check?

It depends on the level and on filtering. Simple cautions don’t appear on a basic check. On standard and enhanced checks, cautions appear unless they’ve been filtered, and specified offenses are never filtered.

What happens if my DBS check shows someone else's record?

Raise a dispute with the DBS promptly and tell the employer you’re doing so. You may be asked for fingerprints to prove the record isn’t yours. If the dispute succeeds, a corrected certificate is issued.

Does a DBS check cover Scotland and Northern Ireland?

No. DBS covers England and Wales. Scotland uses Disclosure Scotland and Northern Ireland uses AccessNI, each with its own levels and rules.