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Organization, Nature of Business, and Basis of Presentation
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2025
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization, Nature of Business, and Basis of Presentation

Note 1. Organization, Nature of Business, and Basis of Presentation

First Advantage Corporation, a Delaware corporation, was formed on November 15, 2019. Hereafter, First Advantage Corporation and its subsidiaries will collectively be referred to as the “Company.”

The Company derives its revenues from a variety of background check, identity, and compliance services performed across all phases of the employee lifecycle from pre-onboarding services to post-onboarding and ongoing monitoring services, covering employees, contractors, contingent workers, and drivers. We generally classify our service offerings into three categories: pre-onboarding, post-onboarding, and adjacent products.

Pre-onboarding services are comprised of an extensive array of products and solutions that customers typically utilize to enhance their evaluation process and support compliance from the time a job or other application is submitted to a successful applicant’s onboarding date. This includes searches such as criminal background checks, drug / health screenings, extended workforce screening, biometrics and identity checks, education / workforce verification, driver records and compliance, healthcare credentials, and executive screening.

Post-onboarding services are comprised of continuous monitoring and re-screening solutions, which are important tools to help our customers keep their end customers, workforces, and other stakeholders safer, more productive, and more compliant. Our post-monitoring solutions include criminal records, healthcare sanctions, motor vehicle records, social media, and global sanctions screening continuously or at regular intervals selected by our customers.

Adjacent products include products that complement our pre-onboarding and post-onboarding products and solutions. This includes fleet and vehicle compliance, hiring tax credits and incentives, employment eligibility, and investigative research.

Basis of Presentation — The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. The Company includes the results of operations of acquired companies prospectively from the date of acquisition.

The Company has historically experienced seasonality with respect to certain customer industries as a result of fluctuations in hiring volumes and other economic activities. Generally, the Company’s highest revenues have historically occurred between October and November of each year, driven by many customers’ pre-holiday season hiring initiatives. Certain customers across various industries also historically increase their hiring throughout the second quarter of the year as winter concludes, and the school year ends, giving rise to student and graduate hiring, and increased commercial activity tied to outdoor activities.

Segments — Operating segments are businesses for which separate financial information is available and evaluated regularly by our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance. The Company’s CODM is determined to be the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”).

The Company’s three reportable segments include:

First Advantage Americas. This segment pertains to our Legacy First Advantage business and performs a variety of background check and compliance services across all phases of the workforce lifecycle from pre-onboarding services to post-onboarding and ongoing monitoring services, covering employees, contractors, contingent workers, and drivers. We generally classify our service offerings into three categories: pre-onboarding, post-onboarding, and adjacent products. We deliver our solutions across multiple industry verticals in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
First Advantage International. The First Advantage International segment pertains to our Legacy First Advantage business and provides services similar to our Americas segment in regions outside of the Americas. We primarily deliver our solutions across multiple industry verticals in the Europe, India, and Asia Pacific.
Sterling. This segment is comprised of the acquired entity, Sterling Check Corp., which was acquired on October 31, 2024. The Sterling segment provides similar services as compared to First Advantage’s Americas and International segments on a global basis.

The Company’s segment disclosure provides the users of its consolidated financial statements with a view of the business that is consistent with the view of the CODM of the Company. Details of segment results are discussed in Note 17, “Reportable Segments.”

Use of Estimates — The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Changes in these estimates and assumptions may have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes.

Significant estimates, judgments, and assumptions, include, but are not limited to, the determination of the fair value and useful lives of assets acquired and liabilities assumed through business combinations, goodwill impairment, impairment of long-lived assets, revenue recognition, capitalized software, assumptions used for purposes of determining share-based compensation, and income tax liabilities and assets. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ from these estimates.