Standard Form 85
Revised November 2021
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
5 CFR parts 731 and 736
Form approved:
OMB No. 3206-0261
Office of Personnel Management
Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions, SF 85
Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions
Follow instructions completely or your form will be unable to be processed. If you have any questions, contact the office that provided you the form.
All questions on this form must be answered completely and truthfully in order that the Government may make the determinations described below on a complete record. Penalties for
inaccurate or false statements are discussed below. If you are a current civilian employee of the federal government: failure to answer any questions completely and truthfully could
result in an adverse personnel action against you, including loss of employment; with respect to Sections 17 and 20, however, neither your truthful responses nor information derived
from those responses will be used as evidence against you in a subsequent criminal proceeding.
Purpose of this Form
This form will be used by the United States (U.S.) Government in conducting background investigations and reinvestigations of persons under consideration for, or retention of, non-
sensitive low risk positions as defined in 5 CFR 731. It is also used for determining fitness of individuals under consideration for, or retention in positions in the excepted service when
the duties to be performed are equivalent to a low risk position. This form may also be used by agencies in determining whether a subject should be issued a Federal credential for access
to federally controlled facilities and information systems . For applicants, this form is to be used only after a conditional offer of employment has been made, unless OPM has provided
for an exception. This form is not to be used for National Security sensitive positions.
Providing this information is voluntary. If you do not provide each item of requested information, however, we will not be able to complete your investigation, which will adversely
affect your eligibility for a position or your ability to obtain or retain Federal or contract employment, or logical or physical access. It is imperative that the information provided be true
and accurate, to the best of your knowledge. Any information that you provide is evaluated on the basis of its currency, seriousness, relevance to the position and duties, and consistency
with all other information about you. Withholding, misrepresenting, or falsifying information may affect your eligibility for positions, physical and /or logical access required to perform
duties, or your ability to obtain or retain Federal or contract employment. In addition, withholding, misrepresenting, or falsifying information may affect your eligibility for physical and
logical access to federally controlled facilities or information systems. Withholding, misrepresenting, or falsifying information may also negatively affect your employment prospects
and job status, and the potential consequences include, but are not limited to, removal, debarment from Federal service, or prosecution.
This form may become a permanent document that may be used as the basis for future investigations, determinations of suitability or fitness for Federal employment, fitness for contract
employment, or eligibility for physical and logical access to federally controlled facilities or information systems. Your responses to this form may be compared with your responses to
previous questionnaires.
The investigation conducted on the basis of information provided on this form may be selected for studies and analyses in support of evaluating and improving the effectiveness and
efficiency of the investigative and adjudicative methodologies. All study results released to the general public will delete personal identifiers such as name, Social Security Number, and
date and place of birth.
Authority to Request this Information
Depending upon the purpose of your investigation, the U.S. Government is authorized to ask for this information under Executive Orders13764, 13741, 10577, 13467, and 13488, as
amended; sections 3301, 3302, 7301, and 9101 of title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.); parts 2, 5, 6, 731, and 736 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Homeland Security
Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12, and Federal information processing standards.
Your Social Security Number (SSN) is needed to identify records unique to you. Although disclosure of your SSN is not mandatory, failure to disclose your SSN may prevent or
delay the processing of your background investigation. The authority for soliciting and verifying your SSN is Executive Order 9397, as amended by EO 13478.
The Investigative Process
Background investigations for non-sensitive positions are conducted to gather information to determine whether you are reliable, trustworthy, of good conduct and character, and will
not present an unacceptable risk,. The information that you provide on this form and your Declaration for Federal Employment (OF 306) may be confirmed during the investigation.
The investigation may extend beyond the time covered by this form, when necessary to resolve issues. Your current employer may be contacted as part of the investigation, although
you may have previously indicated on applications or other forms that you do not want your current employer to be contacted. If you have a security freeze on your consumer or
credit report file and a credit report is required by the agency requesting your investigation, then we may not be able to complete your investigation, which can adversely affect your
eligibility for positions, physical and /or logical access required to perform duties, or your ability to obtain Federal or contract employment. To avoid such delays, you must request
that the consumer reporting agencies lift the freeze in these instances.
In addition to the questions on this form, inquiry also is made about your adherence to security requirements, your honesty and integrity, falsification, misrepresentation, and any other
behavior, activities, or associations that tend to demonstrate a person is not reliable or trustworthy, or poses an unacceptable risk to the life, safety, or health of employees, contractors,
vendors or visitors to a Federal facility; the Governmentโs physical assets or information systems; personal property; records, or, the privacy of the individuals whose data the
Government holds in its systems. After an eligibility determination is made, you may also be subject to reinvestigations to ensure your continuing suitability for employment.
The information you provide on this form may be confirmed during the investigation, and may be used for identification purposes throughout the investigation process.
Your Personal Interview
Some investigations may include an interview with you as needed as part of the investigative process. The investigator may ask you to explain your answers to any question on this
form. This provides you the opportunity to update, clarify, and explain information on your form more completely, which often assists in completing your investigation. If contacted, it
is imperative that the interview be conducted as soon as possible after contact is made by the investigator. Postponements will delay the processing of your investigation, and declining
to be interviewed may result in your investigation being delayed or canceled.
For the interview, you will be required to provide photo identification, such as a valid state driver's license. You may be required to provide other documents to verify your identity, as
instructed by your investigator. These documents may include certification of any legal name change, Social Security card, passport, and/or your birth certificate. You may also be
asked to provide documents regarding information that you provide on this form, or about other matters requiring specific attention.
Instructions for Completing this Form
1. Follow the instructions provided to you, by the office that gave you this form and any other clarifying instructions, provided by that office, to assist you with completion of this form.
You must sign and date, in ink, the original and each copy you submit. You should retain a copy of the completed form for your records.
2. All questions on this form must be answered. If no response is necessary or applicable, indicate this on the form by checking the associated "Not Applicable" box, unless otherwise
noted.
3. Do not abbreviate the names of cities or foreign countries. Whenever you are asked to supply a country name, you may select the country name by using the country dropdown
feature.
4. When entering a U.S. address or location, select the state or territory from the "States" dropdown list that will be provided. For locations outside of the U.S. and its territories, select
the country in the "Country" dropdown list and leave the "State" field blank.
5. The 5-digit postal Zip Codes are required to process your investigation more rapidly. Refer to an automated system approved by the U.S. Postal Service to assist you with Zip Codes.
6. For telephone numbers in the U.S., ensure that the area code is included.
7. All dates provided in this form must be in Month/Day/Year or Month/Year format. The month and day should be entered as a two character numbers (i.e., 01 for January and 29 for
29
th
day of the month). The year should be entered as a four character number (i.e., 1978 or 2001). If you are unable to report an exact date, approximate or estimate the date to the
best of your ability, and indicate this by checking the "Estimated." box.
Final Determination on Your Eligibility
Final determination on your eligibility for a position and/or physical or logical access to federal facilities and information is the responsibility of the Office of Personnel Management or
the Federal agency that requested your investigation. You may be provided the opportunity to explain, refute, or clarify any information before a final decision is made, if an
unfavorable decision is considered. The United States Government does not discriminate on the basis of prohibited categories, including but not limited to race, color, religion, sex
(including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, disability, and sexual orientation, when making determinations of eligibility for non-sensitive positions, physical and/or
logical access required to perform duties.
Penalties for Inaccurate or False Statements
The U.S. Criminal Code (title 18, section 1001) provides that knowingly falsifying or concealing a material fact is a felony which may result in fines and/or up to five (5) years
imprisonment. In addition, Federal agencies generally fire, or disqualify individuals who have materially and deliberately falsified these forms, and this remains a part of the permanent
record for future placements. Your prospects of placement are better if you answer all questions truthfully and completely. You will have adequate opportunity to explain any
information you provide on this form and to make your comments part of the record.