BACKGROUND: Depression is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Self-report scales including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) have been evaluated in non-Hispanic adults with CKD for screening of depressive symptoms. However, the BDI has not been validated in Hispanic adults with CKD. METHODS: We investigated the screening characteristics of the BDI in 248 Hispanic adults (164 with CKD and 84 with end-stage kidney disease [ESKD]) enrolled in the Hispanic Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study. Two trained study personnel administered the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition Disorders (SCID) which served as the gold standard measure for the diagnosis of major depression. RESULTS: Among the 164 participants with CKD, mean (SD) age was 61 (0.8) years, 37% were female, 77% spoke primarily Spanish, mean (SD) eGFR was 37 (1.3) ml/min/1.73m2 and median (IQR) proteinuria was 0.4 (0.1-2.0) g/g. Using the SCID, 24 (15%) were classified as having current major depressive disorder. The best cutoff BDI score to identify current major depression disorder based on the receiver operating characteristics curve was 16. Sensitivity was 88%, specificity was 84%, positive predictive value was 49% and negative predictive value was 98%. Similar results were found in participants with ESKD. CONCLUSION: A BDI score of ≥16 was sensitive and specific for identifying major depression in U.S. Hispanic adults with CKD and ESKD, which is a higher cutoff than reported for non-Hispanic patients with CKD. These differences in psychometric properties should be considered in future research and clinical practice.