Common Errors in Filling Out the SF-86

Security clearance applicants are required to complete the Questionnaire for National Security Positions (SF-86) and submit it to initiate the necessary background investigation. This process can be lengthy, depending on factors such as your age, the number of jobs you have held, where you have lived, and additional details related to relatives, finances, criminal history, foreign travel or contacts, and drug use. Preparing in advance by gathering the required information before starting the SF-86 can significantly help ensure your investigation is completed in a timely manner and reduce the likelihood of follow-up requests for missing or inconsistent information.

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), which conducts approximately 95 percent of all background investigations, has published a guide outlining common errors and mistakes applicants make when completing the SF-86. Some of the key highlights are listed below:

• Full addresses are required for all activities; do not use P.O. Boxes
• Remove out of scope information that may still be there from previous investigations
• Update phone numbers and addresses from previous investigations
• Use general comments to explain overlapping dates for employment, residences, schools
• Do not use family members as verifiers and do not use the people who know you well anywhere else on the form
• Arrests and charges need to be listed regardless of whether they were expunged, sealed or dismissed
• List marijuana use even if it is legal in the state you used it in
• List delinquent debts within scope even if you are protesting it, paid it off, or are currently paying on it

Pay attention to the various timelines asked for in each section — some are seven or ten years, some are EVER questions, and some, such as education, ask for all diplomas regardless of when. You can read the entire DCSA guide here. Bottom line is that if you follow the guidance provided it will help you navigate through the investigation process more efficiently.