The Reopen feature allows you to reactivate a check that was previously Closed (due to the 10-day timeout) or Cancelled, giving your candidate a fresh window of time to finish their submission.
Fresh Timeline: The candidate gets a brand-new 10-day window (SLA) to submit their information.
Link Reactivation: The original link sent to the candidate automatically starts working again.
Notification: You have the option to send a fresh "Invitation" email to the candidate immediately upon reopening.
Reference Updates: Any references that were marked as "Inactive" when the check was closed will move back to "Invited" status.
Only users with Owner or Administrator roles can reopen checks.
Navigate to the Requests list in your portal.
Locate the check with the status Closed or Cancelled and click on it to view the details.
In the top action bar, click the Reopen button (indicated by a βΊ icon).
A confirmation dialog will appear. Review the credit details and ensure the "Send candidate notification email" box is checked if you want them to be alerted.
Click Reopen Check.
This is the most important part of the reopening process.
The Rule: When a background check is Closed or Cancelled, Smile Checks automatically refunds your account for any work that wasn't finished.
To resume that work, the system must re-deduct that refund.
Example: If you received a 1-credit refund because a check was closed, reopening that check will "use up" 1 credit from your current balance to pay for the work you are resuming.
Important: You must have enough credits in your available balance to cover the cost of the work you are reopening. If your balance is 0, you will need to top up before the Reopen button will work.
When you reopen a check, the candidateβs references are set back to Invited.
Pro-Tip: While the system reactivates them, we highly recommend clicking the "Send Invitation" button (the envelope icon) for each reference once the check is reopened. This ensures the references receive a fresh, live link in their inbox.
Q: Why don't I see the Reopen button?
A: There are three common reasons:
Role: You must be an Owner or Administrator.
Status: The check must be Closed or Cancelled.
Completion: If the check reached Completed status (meaning all reports were finished), it cannot be reopened. If you need to add more work to a completed check, use the "Add Reference Check" button instead.
Q: My candidate says the link is still showing "Expired."
A: The reactivation is usually instant. Ask the candidate to refresh their browser or clear their browser cache. If the issue persists, please contact our support team.
Q: Will I be charged "double" for reopening?
A: No. You are simply using the credits that were refunded to you when the check was first stopped. It is a one-to-one swap to ensure the work is paid for.
If you encounter an "Insufficient Credits" error or have questions about a specific check, please reach out to Smile Checks Support at support@getsmilechecks.com.