Idaho Health and Welfare Background Check Fingerprinting — I Come to You

By Jim Allen, an Idaho Mobile Notary since 2018 · Updated September 2026

IDHW needs your fingerprints on FD-258 cards. I come to your home, your daycare, or your facility, capture your prints electronically, and hand you finished cards before I leave.

$95 covers my trip anywhere in Ada or Canyon County, plus $10 per card. IDHW recommends two cards, so most people pay $115.

FD-258 cards printed on the spot, with no ink and no second trip
I check every print on screen before I pack up
Home, daycare, care facility, or office in Ada and Canyon County
Groups of staff at one stop: call for group rates
Monday through Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to noon

Call or text (208) 826-1210, or book online any time.

Quick answers

What is it? Mobile fingerprinting for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) background check. I capture your prints and print them onto FD-258 cards. You mail the cards to IDHW with your fingerprint form and fee.

What does it cost? $95 covers my trip anywhere in Ada or Canyon County. Each FD-258 card is $10. IDHW recommends two cards, so most people pay $115. IDHW’s own $70 background check fee is separate and goes to IDHW.

Does IDHW accept cards from a mobile fingerprinter? Yes. IDHW’s mail-in process accepts FD-258 cards completed by a qualified technician, and it has accepted the cards I print.

Where do you come? Anywhere in Ada and Canyon County: Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Eagle, Star, Kuna, and Garden City. Outside that area, I’ll quote it before I book.

Who is it for? Anyone IDHW has asked for fingerprints: daycare workers, foster and adoptive parents, assisted living and home health staff, and the other roles on IDHW’s list.

You’ve got the IDHW form. Now you need fingerprints.

Your employer or agency sent you a pay code. You applied online. Your application got approved, and now IDHW wants fingerprints, and the clock is running. IDHW has to receive your prints within 21 days of the date you applied.

You have two ways to get it done.

Go to an IDHW office. IDHW fingerprints people at its own offices, including Boise (on Westgate) and Caldwell. If you can get there during their hours, that’s the cheapest way.

Have me come to you. If you’re working a shift, watching kids, running a facility, or can’t easily get out, I come to you. I print your FD-258 cards on the spot and hand them to you. Then you mail them in.

That’s the whole choice. I’m the one for when the office doesn’t fit your day.

How it works, start to finish

Finish your IDHW application first. Get the pay code from your agency, apply online, and wait for the approval. Then print your IDHW Fingerprint Form. IDHW won’t take prints without an approved application.
Book a time with me. Call, text, or book online. Tell me how many people need prints and where you are.
I come to you. I check your photo ID, capture your prints electronically, and look over every print on screen before I print anything.
You get your FD-258 cards. I print them right there and hand them to you. No ink, and no waiting on the mail to get your own cards back.
You mail your packet to IDHW. It goes to one of IDHW’s mail-in addresses, not the Boise office.

What goes in your IDHW packet

According to IDHW’s mail-in instructions, your packet needs:

Your printed IDHW Fingerprint Form, showing the application was approved
Your FD-258 fingerprint cards (IDHW recommends two)
Payment: a check or money order for $70 payable to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, or your agency’s invoice letter if they’re paying
Any out-of-state forms the system generated for you

Upload a copy of your photo ID to your IDHW online account before you mail anything. IDHW rejects incomplete packets.

Mail-in addresses (as of September 2026):

Idaho Background Check Unit, Attn: Mail-Ins, 150 Shoup Ave, Box 9, Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Idaho Background Check Unit, Attn: Mail-Ins, 1070 Hiline Rd, Ste 260, Pocatello, ID 83201

Check IDHW’s Background Check Unit page for the latest addresses before you mail anything.

What IDHW fingerprinting costs

Trip anywhere in Ada or Canyon County: $95

Each FD-258 card: $10

Typical total, one person, two cards: $115

Groups of staff at the same stop: call for group rates

Outside Ada and Canyon County: quoted before I book

Included: the trip, the ID check, electronic capture with an on-screen review of every print, and your FD-258 cards printed and handed to you before I leave.

Not included: IDHW’s $70 background check fee, which you pay to IDHW with your packet, and postage. You mail the packet yourself.

About print quality

Here’s my promise, and it has two halves.

My capture is on me. A smudge, a bad roll, a finger that wasn’t positioned right: I check every print on screen before I leave. If my capture caused a problem, I’ll redo it at no charge.

Your ridges aren’t. Worn fingertips from years of hands-on work, age, some medications, and very dry skin can all make prints hard to read. I’ll do everything I can to get a clean print, but I can’t promise IDHW will accept prints from worn ridges. Nobody honestly can.

Who needs an IDHW background check

IDHW runs fingerprint background checks for more than two dozen kinds of work. Some of the most common:

Daycare and child care workers. Since July 1, 2025, all Idaho daycare workers go through IDHW.
Foster parents, adoptive parents, and certified family homes
Assisted living, skilled nursing, and intermediate care facility staff
Home health, personal care, and home and community-based services providers
Developmental disability agency staff
EMS and non-emergency medical transportation
Behavioral health, mental health, and substance use program staff
Court-appointed guardians and conservators

Not sure if your job is on the list? Your employer or agency will know. They’re the ones who give you the pay code.

For daycares and care facilities

If you’re onboarding several people at once, I can come to your building and fingerprint the whole group in one visit. Nobody leaves a shift to drive across town, and everyone walks away with their cards in hand.

Have each person’s approved IDHW Fingerprint Form and photo ID ready when I arrive. Call or text for group rates.

What clients say

“Such a great guy who came to my house to help me with fingerprints and was gracious and kind, will use again!”

— Mariella Nolfo, 5-star Google review

Read all 250+ reviews on Google

Questions about IDHW fingerprinting

Does IDHW accept fingerprint cards from a mobile fingerprinter?

Yes. IDHW’s mail-in process accepts FD-258 cards completed by a qualified technician. I’ve fingerprinted IDHW applicants, and IDHW has accepted my cards.

How many fingerprint cards does IDHW need?

IDHW recommends sending two FD-258 cards per person. That way, if one card has an unreadable print, they have a backup, and you’re less likely to have to start over.

How much does IDHW fingerprinting cost?

With me, it’s $95 for the trip anywhere in Ada or Canyon County plus $10 per FD-258 card, so $115 for one person with two cards. IDHW’s $70 background check fee is separate. You pay that to IDHW with your packet.

Where do I mail my IDHW fingerprint cards?

To IDHW’s Background Check Unit mail-in address in Idaho Falls or Pocatello, not the Boise office. The packet needs your approved fingerprint form, your cards, and payment. Check IDHW’s site for the current address before you mail.

How long do I have to get fingerprinted?

IDHW has to receive your fingerprints within 21 days of the date you submitted your application. Book your appointment as soon as your application is approved, and leave time for the mail.

Can I just go to an IDHW office instead?

Yes. IDHW fingerprints people at its own offices, including Boise and Caldwell. It’s the cheapest option if the location and hours work for you. I’m the option when they don’t.

How long does the IDHW background check take?

IDHW doesn’t publish a standard turnaround. It emails you and your agency when the check is complete. Enhanced checks for daycare workers can take 30 days or more.

Do you submit the fingerprints to IDHW for me?

No. I print your FD-258 cards and hand them to you, and you mail the packet to IDHW yourself. That keeps your application, payment, and cards together under your control.

Can you fingerprint a group of employees at our facility?

Yes. I can come to your daycare, facility, or office and fingerprint your whole group in one visit. Call or text me for group rates.

This page is general information, not legal advice. IDHW sets its own requirements and can change them. Confirm the current instructions on IDHW’s Background Check Unit page or with your agency before you mail your packet.

Ready to get your fingerprints done?

Call or text me, tell me how many people need prints and where you are, and I’ll come to you.