In category: Cyber Security
How to Put 1099, Gig, and Self-Employment Work on the SF-86
The string "1099" appears zero times in the 136 pages of the SF-86. So does "W-2." So do "freelance," "gig," "independent contractor" and the whole word "IRS." The questionnaire that decides your clearance eligibility has no opinion about which tax document a client mailed you in… more
SF-86 Section 13A: Reporting Employment Gaps and Unemployment Without Triggering a Flag
Key takeaways Section 13A covers 10 years and instructs that the entire period be accounted for without breaks. The version OPM serves as of July 2026 is the form revised November 2016. The 90-day exemption most applicants half-remember belongs to Section 11, residence. Section… more
What Investigators Actually Ask Your SF-86 References – and How to Prep Them
Section 16 of the SF-86 asks for three people who know you well. What the written-inquiry stage sends them is a two-page form, mailed from a post office box in Boyers, Pennsylvania, with nine numbered items on the back and a return envelope inside. The government estimates it tak… more
Hiring Cleared Talent Away From Another Contractor: The Rules of Crossover Recruiting
In FY2026 the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency bills a non-DoD agency $5,890 for the Tier 5 investigation behind a Top Secret clearance and $455 for a Tier 3. Not your invoice: under the National Industrial Security Program the government customer pays. It is the u… more
When Continuous Vetting Flags Your Cleared Employee: The Employer’s Obligation and the Backfill
One sentence starts the clock when DCSA notifies you. The contractor "will immediately deny access to classified information to any employee when notified of a denial, revocation, or suspension of eligibility regardless of the contractor employee's location," per 32 CFR 117.10(a)… more