Government Renews Decades-Old Security Clearance Form Unchanged
Published Date: 7/9/2026
Notice
Summary
The government is renewing the SF 86 form, which people applying for national security jobs fill out to help check if they’re trustworthy. No changes are planned, so the form stays the same. If you want to share your thoughts, you have until September 8, 2026, to speak up—no cost changes or surprises here!
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
SF 86 Renewed Without Change
The Office of Personnel Management is requesting renewal of the Standard Form 86 (SF 86) without substantive change. This affects people who apply for or hold federal civilian national security positions or private contractors doing work for the federal government; comments are due by September 8, 2026.
No Credit Freeze Lift Required
Because security freezes no longer restrict access to credit reports for employment, tenant, or background screening, individuals are no longer required to lift a credit freeze during a background investigation and the SF 86 instructions were updated accordingly.
Estimated Time Burden for Respondents
OPM reports an estimated 150 minutes per respondent to complete the SF 86. The collection expects 495,924 respondents, for a total estimated burden of 1,239,810 hours.
Electronic eApp Cuts Irrelevant Questions
The National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) electronic application (eApp) uses branching logic to tailor questions to an individual's responses, which OPM says reduces respondent burden by limiting questions to those relevant to the individual's personal history.
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