Submission for Renewal: Questionnaire for National Security Positions, Standard Form 86 (SF 86)

91 FR 42565Submission for Renewal: Questionnaire for National Security Positions, Standard Form 86 (SF 86)

91 FR 42565Office of Personnel Management.

91 FR 4256560-Day notice and request for comments.

91 FR 42565The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Suitability Executive Agent Programs, is notifying the general public and other federal agencies that OPM proposes to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) renew Standard Form 86 (SF 86), Questionnaire for National Security Positions, without change.

91 FR 42565Comments must be received on or before September 8, 2026.

91 FR 42565You may submit comments on the Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. The general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.

91 FR 42565Joe Knouff, Director, Suitability Executive Agent Programs, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, P.O. Box 699, Slippery Rock, PA 16057, or by email at SuitEA@opm.gov.

91 FR 42565In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), OPM provides the general public and Federal agencies an opportunity to comment on this proposed renewal of an information collection. This process helps ensure that the collection is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions, minimizes public burden, and enhances the practical utility of the information collected. The Questionnaire for National Security Positions, Standard Form 86 (SF 86), is currently used to collect information completed by applicants for, or incumbents of, Federal Government civilian positions, or positions in private entities performing work for the Federal Government under contract. The information collected is used as the basis of information for background investigations to determine whether individuals in national security positions are suitable or fit for employment or retention; fit to perform work on behalf of the Federal Government pursuant to a contract; and eligible for physical and logical access to federally controlled facilities or information systems. For applicants for civilian Federal employment, SF 86 is used only after a conditional offer of employment has been made.

91 FR 42565The National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) electronic application (eApp) is the primary system used to collect this information. The electronic format incorporates branching logic that tailors questions based on an individual's responses, thereby reducing respondent burden by limiting questions to those relevant to the individual's personal history. The eApp system contains the investigative Standard Forms used by Federal applicants and employees to submit information required for personnel background investigations. Because the electronic application uses tailored questions and instructions, the estimated burden varies depending on the relevance of questions to an individual's personal history. This information collection is currently approved by OMB, and OPM is seeking renewal without substantive change. OPM received approval in February of 2024 for non-substantive revisions to this collection which was previously approved in November of 2023. Pursuant to the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (Pub. L. 115-174), security freezes do not restrict access to credit reports for employment, tenant, or background screening purposes; therefore, individuals are no longer required to lift a credit freeze during a background investigation and the instructions within the form were updated accordingly. Additionally, de minimis changes were made in May of 2025 to align with Executive Order 14168, Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, January 20, 2025. These updates have already been incorporated into the eApp system.

91 FR 42566A copy of the proposed information collection and the associated instructions are available at: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Use the search function to enter either the title of the collection ( Questionnaire for National Security Positions ) or the OMB Control Number (3206-0005). OPM is not proposing any revisions to the form at this time. OPM recommends renewal of the form without any proposed changes due to the forthcoming plan to replace the SF 86 with the Personnel Vetting Questionnaire (87 FR 71700 and 88 FR 12703), which is currently approved and in development. OPM invites comments on: 1. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; 2. The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; 3. Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 4. Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

91 FR 42566Agency: Suitability Executive Agent Program, Office of Personnel Management. Title: Questionnaire for National Security Positions (SF 86). OMB Number: 3206-0005. Frequency: On occasion. Affected Public: Individuals or Households. Number of Respondents: 495,924. Estimated Time Per Respondent: 150 minutes. Total Burden Hours: 1,239,810. Office of Personnel Management.