Lie Detector Tests

A federal law, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act (29 U.S.C. § 2001), prohibits most private employers from requiring their workers to submit to lie detector tests, with one exception: An employer may require a worker it reasonably suspects of theft or embezzlement to take a polygraph test, if certain requirements are met. Aside from this limited exception, however, an employer may not require a current employee to take a lie detector test, use the results of any such test, or discipline or fire any employee who refuses to take one. Most states ban polygraph testing outright in any circumstances.

For more information on whether a test your employer wants you to take is legal in your state, consult your state labor department.