[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 130 (Thursday, July 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42565-42566]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-13868]
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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
Submission for Renewal: Questionnaire for National Security
Positions, Standard Form 86 (SF 86)
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: 60-Day notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The 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.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 8, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Knouff, Director, Suitability
Executive Agent Programs, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, P.O. Box
699, Slippery Rock, PA 16057, or by email at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 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.
The 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
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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.
A 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.
Analysis
Agency: 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.
Alexys Stanley,
Federal Register Liaison.
[FR Doc. 2026-13868 Filed 7-8-26; 8:45 am]
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