Here is my timeline. Zero red flags. This was for a secret. This is all 2026.

EDIT: I did not receive an interview and none of my references contacted. Only mailers to previous employers / self employment verifier.

1/15-1/25 applied for a job with a defense contractor and offered job.

1/25 - Submitted secret clearance application

2/26 - Interim secret granted looks like about exactly a month to get it. I was able to start my job immediately.

5/29 - Full clearance granted

Hey guys, desperately need a reality check because my anxiety is through the roof right now.

I literally just submitted my SF-86 for an entry-level defense job. I completely forgot to list my annual family vacations to Mexico. On top of that, I managed to completely miss adding one of my sisters in the relatives section because I was rushing through that massive wall of text.

I feel genuinely dumb and I should have paid more attention when I was filling it out.

I panicked hard but ended up emailing the contractor's security team yesterday with my NBIS number to tell them I messed up.

I’m fully expecting my interim to get denied now since my passport data obviously won't match a blank travel section. But has anyone else completely forgotten routine travel or a whole sibling, sent a correction email right away, and still gotten their final Secret clearance or interim?

How bad did it push back your start date, and did your company let you do unclassified work while you waited? Just trying to stop spiraling. Thanks.

Is it okay to just put I don’t know under the address if my classmate does not want to provide her physical address? If not can I just put my cousin who knew I was attending the school?

Hello

Im currently in the process of getting a Top Secret clearance and I have 2 late tax returns one is 29 days and the other one is a 119 days, and for some reason I owe $7.48. My tax report appears as non-compliant because of those $7.48, is that a deal breaker for my chances?

I’m hoping to receive positive news from Army’s federal OCS board in a couple of weeks and then ship out for basic training by the end of summer. I’ll be traveling to Central Asia to see my good friend and his wife (he’s a dual Russian and Ukrainian citizen, and she’s a citizen of Kazakhstan) after I take the oath but before start of the trainings.

How does the security clearance investigation process look like for OCS active duty applicants? When the time comes, what address will I indicate as my address for the month-two months that I’ll be traveling in Central Asia, I’ll be moving a lot there and I’ve been told previously to just indicate a US mailing address for such situations (I’ve been under security clearance investigations earlier in my life).
Would it make a lot of difference if I was living with my friend and his wife or living by myself in Central Asia when we travel around? I’ve indicated him in my SF-86s previously as a foreign contact.

Hello, I have a question regarding a 5-year background check that agency is now requiring. I was hired in 2017 and only had a basic criminal background check done at that time. HR is now telling our entire IT department that this should have been completed 8 years ago for me, and over 20 years ago for some of my other team members. I am not sure if this is even being applied correctly. and this is for a judicial branch i work for in Baltimore, MD.

My concern is my financial situation. I have back taxes owed for the past 5 years, however I am now on a payment plan. Over the past 4 years I lost both of my parents, and the emotional and financial toll of that has been significant. I am currently carrying approximately $150,000 in debt across about 12 accounts, many of which have fallen behind. I am actively reaching out to creditors and collections agencies to set up payment arrangements as I want to start addressing this immediately.

My question is — given my situation, do I have a shot at getting through this investigation and keeping my job? I want to keep all my options open and am looking for any guidance or feedback.

I also want to note that this background check was never mentioned in my position description at any point during the hiring process. Additionally, colleagues with similar titles in other departments are not being asked to complete this — it appears to only be affecting our IT department.

Any guidance from any investigators or anyone is appreciated and thank you in advance.

Recently was granted a TS and was wondering what opportunities are out there besides the typical defense contractor? I am in the tech industry and still have the opportunity to do another internship so I am weighing out my options.

Hi everyone,

So I am completing my sf 86 and I was wondering if I should list the family business on my resume that was never payed? It's technically not a real job because I never got money but I have listed on my resume because I gained experience through it.

I also worked like one month at a coffee shop received a 1099 and another three months for seasonal job that was never taxes bc I made so little.

Just wondering if I should also list these things and if anyone knows more than me!

My PTSD rating with the VA is coupled with Alcohol Abuse Disorder, but this was a couple years ago. At the time, I was drinking more than I should have, but it never interfered with work, and never caused any legal issues such as a DUI. No treatment was ever required (AA), but I was undergoing counseling to assist me in getting to the root of my troubles.

Could this be a disqualifier?

So, I'm filling out my SF 85P, and there's a question about marriage.

I just got married to a woman from a foreign country and we recently found out that her status lapsed as she was trying to get it adjusted while we're waiting on her lawyer to help her file for her Green Card.

We're dealing with that separately, but will this impact a Public Trust investigation?

I've spent a few years watching this subreddit thinking I knew almost everything that I'd need to know when my turn came. I was wrong. This whole time I fell for the notion that you can try again in a year or so if you get denied, but didn't realize that in these cases, a suitability denial is much more preferred because a security clearance denial basically becomes a scarlet letter on your applications moving forward. I don't want that, and I am worried I jumped the gun. So my question is this:

In terms of past drug and alcohol use, if there hasn’t been enough time mitigated, will they more than likely hit me with suitability denial instead of getting to the point of a full clearance denial?

I have a CJO with a three letter and I'm not asking for people's thoughts on what my chances are. I'm more concerned with my future chances and whether I need to just withdraw. Without going over everything, I'll sum it up by saying I had DUI in July 2023 that was dropped with no conviction due to completing ARD program for first time offense. I already answered this and how drinking also affected other parts of my life during this time (fired from a job) on the Declaration for Federal Service form, and they still sent me the CJO. I was surprised, but I did mention my extensive counseling and what not and have all the paperwork to show mitigation.

Finally on the SF-86, there will be hard drug use from some time ago, but still within the 10 year window, and over a span of time that it's enough to be a major red flag. Plus it's going to get brought up anyway through other questions. So when more details are given, and they will hear ALL of it, is it more likely in such cases that suitability will get denied before letting the investigation go on to the end and then finish in a straight up clearance denial?

TL;DR

Wondering if I am risking my future chances by taking a CJO. I’m not worried about my chances right now and I'm not asking what people think, I just would like to know if people can speak to the whether a suitability denial is more likely just in case there is a chance the CJO ends up leading to a security clearance denial and giving me a black mark for future employment. I feel like if I don't get a suitability denial immediately, I really need to debate whether the risk is worth it.

Thanks, y'all!

So this might have been asked before but I’m trying to get some clarification on this.

I recently matched with this girl in a dating and and it kinda quickly moved over to having her phone number and texting then ended up being a call, where I learned she was a foreign national, unsure if we’re ever even going to on a real date, but obviously she’s knows my name an some of my hobbies as we were naturally getting to know each other. If we never talk again do I need to report this and after what phone call or point should I reach out to My FSO about it.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated(I’m leaning on the side of letting my FSO know on Monday when I go in, but wanted to see if it’s really necessary)

If anyone is wondering the girl is from South Africa and I learned that cause she had an accent on the phone.

Currently in a unique situation and looking for advice from people who’ve been through federal hiring. Im a first time fed-employee hire without clearance or military background.

I have a TJO from Navy (ND-1550-02, Secret) with acceptance deadline at the end of the week. I also have a letter of intent to hire from an Air Force lab (NH-1550-02, TS/SCI) with TJO pending but unknown timeline.

Questions:

• Can I accept both TJOs and run parallel SF-86 investigations simultaneously?

• Do I need to disclose one investigation on the other SF-86?

• Has anyone successfully navigated parallel investigations?

Not trying to game the system — just trying to make the most informed decision possible before committing. Both are permanent positions

Hey guys! Had quick question. I left Cbp about 7 months ago. I reapplied to a new port and passed the poly.

Does anyone know how OPR does backgrounds on prior officers that had a favorable adjudication?

Do they do a full new investigation or just pick up where I left off? I’ve been given so many confusing opinions. I decided to come over here to see if there’s anyone that’s more familiar with this.

Anything helps! Thanks yall :)

Background: already TS cleared. In Jan I got offered and accepted a position as a cleared contractor with a read in for SCI and sat for a CI Poly. Everything passed last week and they are ready for me to accept the ICAM sponsorship and put my 2 weeks in.

I’m kinda feeling I want to renegotiate upward before starting. You know the phrase, yesterdays price is not today’s price.

Is this me handling this in bad faith or just how business is done? I don’t think they would wait 6 months to let me walk.

Hi all, my previous post was deleted, but I have come up with a plan for mitigating this and wanted to get your thoughts.
1. I have now filed 2022, 2023, and 2024. 23/24 have been e-filed and both state and federal confirmed the returns were accepted. 2022 I have mailed to the state and IRS using certified mail.
2. Transcripts aren’t available yet as the delinquent taxes were just filed, so I want to include alternative proof that I’ve filed and paid and commit to providing transcripts as soon as they are available.
3. I want to include the confirmations that the returns were accepted and a bank statement showing that the amount owed has been paid in full. 2023 was the only year anything was owed and across both state and federal it came out to about $1K so I paid in full. I plan on attaching the certified mail tracking info showing it’s been sent and received.

What are your thoughts on the proof I will be sending?

————————

You have been sponsored for access to SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED INFORMATION (SCI) by your company.  This letter is to inform you of the Security Executive Agent Directive 4 (SEAD 4) adjudicative guidelines for determining access to SCI, as they relate to financial considerations.  Specifically, SEAD 4 states “Failure to live within one’s means, satisfy debts, and meet financial obligations may indicate poor self-control, lack of judgment, or unwillingness to abide by rules and regulations, all of which can raise questions about an individual’s reliability, trustworthiness, and ability to protect classified or sensitive information.”
 
During the course of your security processing it was determined that you did not file your 2022 to 2024 taxes for the business [BUSINESS NAME]:
 
-  2022 to 2024 [BUSINESS NAME] taxes
 
Prior to final SCI eligibility determination, we require documentation showing either that the debts listed above have been satisfied or that you have initiated and are adhering to a good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve the debts, we require current payment plans for delinquent tax filing years.  If you have not repaid the debt or initiated and are adhering to a good-faith effort to repay the debt, please provide an explanation.   
You have 30 days from the date of this notice to provide the required documentation for all of the aforementioned delinquent tax filing and IRS tax transcripts for [BUSINESS NAME] 2022-2024 federal and state.  If you are submitting proof of an established payment plan, or proof of filing taxes we also require documentation that you made payments on the plan for at least the last three consecutive months.  Failure to provide all required documentation within the allotted 30 days will result in discontinuance of your security processing.
If you have any questions concerning the SEAD 4 adjudicative guidelines as they pertain to financial considerations or you require clarification on the information contained in this letter, please reply to this e-mail.

2 jobs, different agencies, MRPT & HRPT

EOD next week for 1st job, can I withdraw from second job without any penalties or issues?

I received my interim Secret clearance in early March and had an investigator interview in late March where I disclosed a retail job termination I was working at the time (parents bought me a gift using my employee discount which got me terminated). Other than that, my background is pretty straightforward (no foreign contacts, foreign travel, drugs, or criminal history).

My final clearance is still pending, and I’m a summer intern whose internship ends in August.

Based on those timelines, is it common for a Secret clearance to still be pending into August, or would most people expect a decision before then? I’m mainly concerned about the investigation extending beyond my internship end date.

Kind of a weird one, I want to be compliant but I don’t want to send up unnecessary flares as well.

My girlfriend has a sister in law from a foreign country. I have never met this person as of yet but likely will this summer. They also live on the other side of the country.

Gf and her also never even talk directly and don’t get along well.

If I meet them this summer, I have basically zero chance of sharing direct contact details with them and likely wouldn’t even see them again in the next year.

Would I report it this summer? Or what would be the shift threshold?

Be kind, I’m just a lowly contractor and got cleared a couple months ago, I’m new to all this!

So I’m applying for an agency where I have to get a top secret security clearance and I’m trying to see how will past debt and serious delinquencies affect me. I went through a tough patch in 2021 and all my accounts 8 went past due (120 days plus) and eventually charged off. Well between last year and this year I’ve been able to settle and pay ALL accounts and have the documentation for it.

I just finished an interview last week that mentioned requiring a TS clearance before starting and that, depending on circumstances, could take 3 months to over a year to be done(DoS position). I'm kind of worried how long it will take, or if I could get an interim, based on the travel and foreign contacts section. Flipping through the paperwork shows it wants travel over the past 5 years which is 30+ countries and I just came back from living in South America for 2 years with Peace Corps. Is that going to make the process excessively long?

My girlfriend wants to go to a concert in Tijuana tonight and I’m wondering if I can even go.

I work at Northrop Grumman and I currently only have my Interim Secret clearance.

I remember asking my manager and coworker and both said something along the lines of “usually if it’s Mexico, you just have to report it within a week afterwards”.

Am I allowed to go?

What if I get home late? Concerts at 7pm so there’s that.

Northrop guidelines state: “Unplanned day trips to Canada or Mexico by persons residing in the U.S. must be reported within 5 business days of return”.

Hi everyone,

So I recently accepted a job offer and my original start date was supposed to be June 15. However they just told me they’re still confirming my start date due to the work requiring atleast an interim clearance.

Just wondering if that is normal. Also I technically have one more week until I submit the sf 86 form but do you guys recommend submitting it earlier to accelerate the process? My first time doing this so not sure how this works.