The Illinois PERC card lookup is a free tool on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation website that lets you confirm whether a Permanent Employee Registration Card is active, expired, suspended, or otherwise not in good standing.1Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation – Check License The check takes about a minute if you have the cardholder’s full legal name or license number ready. Anyone can use it: employers verifying a hire, clients vetting a contractor, or cardholders confirming their own record.
How to Run the Lookup
Open the IDFPR License Lookup page and choose one of two search methods. Searching by license number pulls up a single record and is the fastest option; the number appears on the physical PERC card and on prior employment paperwork. Searching by name works too, but use the exact spelling from the person’s state-issued ID. Small misspellings return no results.
Before you hit search, select “Permanent Employee Registration” from the license type dropdown. Leaving it blank or picking the wrong category is one of the most common reasons a valid record fails to appear.
Reading the Result
The system returns a list of matches. Click the person’s name to open the full profile, which shows the issue date, expiration date, and current status. That status line is what tells you whether the person can legally work in a covered role.
From the same screen you can generate a Primary Source Verification document and save it as a PDF or print it.2Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Paperless Licensing Frequently Asked Questions That file is the paper trail an employer wants if the state ever audits workforce records.
What Each License Status Means
- Active — The cardholder is in full compliance and legally authorized to perform regulated security, investigative, alarm, locksmith, or fingerprint vendor work.
- Expired — The cardholder did not renew by the deadline. They cannot work in a regulated role until they complete renewal and the status returns to active.
- Inactive — The registration is not currently valid, often because the cardholder chose not to renew or let it lapse. The person cannot work until the issue is resolved.
- Suspended — The state has temporarily stripped authorization, usually because of a pending investigation or disciplinary matter. The person cannot work during a suspension.
- Revoked — The state has permanently terminated the registration because of legal violations or disciplinary findings.
- Canceled — The cardholder either requested removal or failed to meet a post-issuance requirement. The registration is no longer valid.
For an employer, anything other than Active means that person should not be assigned to a covered role. Employing someone whose PERC shows expired, suspended, or revoked creates liability under the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004 and can trigger enforcement from IDFPR.
Why a Record Might Not Show Up
A blank result is not always proof the person lacks a valid PERC. A few situations explain the gap:
- Processing delays — After initial issuance or renewal, the public database can take time to update, especially during high-volume periods.
- Name mismatches — A recent legal name change from marriage or a court order may not be reflected yet. Try the previous name.
- Pending applications — Applications that have been submitted but not yet approved do not appear in the public lookup. The applicant is not authorized to work during this window.
- Typos — The system matches exactly what you type. Double-check spelling, or switch to a license number search if you have it.
When a record should be there but isn’t, contact IDFPR directly. The Department can confirm whether an application is pending or whether a record exists under a different name. Do not let someone work in a regulated role based on a verbal assurance that their PERC is “in process.” The lookup result or a direct confirmation from IDFPR is the only thing that counts.
What Employers Should Do With the Result
Illinois places the compliance burden on the employer. A company that assigns someone to a covered role without verifying PERC status is exposed to enforcement action regardless of what the employee said.2Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Paperless Licensing Frequently Asked Questions
Verify at three points: before hiring, at each renewal cycle, and whenever a complaint or tip comes in about an employee’s status. Save the Primary Source Verification PDF each time. If IDFPR audits your records, those timestamped files show that you checked and that the card was active on the date you verified.
If Your Own Card Shows a Problem
Cardholders who see anything other than Active on their own record should act quickly. An expired status is fixed through renewal. A denial, suspension, or revocation letter from IDFPR will explain the specific reason and typically outlines how to request an administrative hearing.3Illinois General Assembly. 225 ILCS 447 – Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004 Administrative deadlines for contesting a denial are short, so read the letter the day it arrives.