A Confidential clearance is good for 15 years, a Secret clearance for 10 years, and a Top Secret clearance for 5 years before a reinvestigation is required. Those periods come straight from federal statute and set the outer boundary of how long a security clearance is good for. The picture has shifted in the last few years, though, because the government now runs continuous background checks on cleared personnel rather than waiting for the next scheduled reinvestigation. Your clearance is still tied to those 15-, 10-, and 5-year windows on paper, but in practice it is being reviewed in near-real-time for the entire time you hold it.
Reinvestigation Periods by Clearance Level
Federal law sets three clearance levels and a reinvestigation schedule for each:
- Confidential: every 15 years.
- Secret: every 10 years.
- Top Secret: every 5 years, including access to highly sensitive programs.
These periods are codified in 50 U.S.C. ยง 3341, which uses the same 15-, 10-, and 5-year windows to define what counts as a “current investigation file” at each level.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3341 – Security Clearances The broader policy framework comes from Executive Order 12968, which established uniform standards for granting and maintaining access to classified information across the federal government.2govinfo. Executive Order 12968 – Access to Classified Information
Real-world timelines have sometimes run slightly longer than the statutory minimums. The Tier 5 Reinvestigation used for Top Secret holders was historically scheduled at six years from the last investigation rather than five.3Air Force Materiel Command. Continuous Evaluation Program Ensures Secure Operations That gap matters less now because the periodic reinvestigation model is being phased out.
Continuous Vetting Has Replaced the Old Cycle
Under Trusted Workforce 2.0, the government has moved away from investigating a person, waiting five or ten years, and then investigating again. Continuous Vetting runs automated checks against criminal, financial, terrorism, and public-records databases throughout your period of eligibility.4Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Continuous Vetting A red flag no longer waits for the next reinvestigation to surface; it can trigger a review the day it appears.
As of September 2025, the entire national security sensitive population was enrolled in continuous vetting. Workers in non-sensitive public trust positions are being added next, with full enrollment of all vetted populations targeted for 2026.5Performance.gov. Quarterly Progress Report – Personnel Vetting, FY2026 Q1 Legacy periodic reinvestigations will be fully decommissioned once every population is enrolled. If you hold a clearance today, you are almost certainly already in continuous vetting, so the practical shelf life of your clearance depends on what those checks turn up, not just on the calendar.
The 24-Month Rule When You Leave a Cleared Position
A clearance does not disappear the moment you leave federal service or a cleared contractor role. Your eligibility stays on file and can be reactivated without a brand-new investigation as long as the break is less than 24 continuous months. Once you go 24 months without being in a position requiring access, a new background investigation is generally required.6Department of the Army. Army Security Clearance Fact Sheet
Within that 24-month window, a new sponsoring employer can usually request reinstatement without starting over. The condition is that nothing significantly adverse happened during your break. If continuous vetting flagged something in the gap, reinstatement may require additional review even if you are still inside the 24 months.
Lapse Versus Revocation
A clearance can end in two very different ways. A lapse happens passively: you left cleared work, the 24-month clock ran out, or a required reinvestigation was not completed on time. A revocation is active. The government has affirmatively determined that you no longer meet eligibility standards, often based on adverse information found through continuous vetting or a reinvestigation. A revoked clearance is far harder to recover than a lapsed one, and a revocation follows you into any future application.
What You Have to Report to Keep It Valid
Holding a clearance carries an ongoing duty to self-report certain changes. Security Executive Agent Directive 3 sets out the categories, and they are broader than most people expect:
- Foreign contacts and travel, including significant or continuing contact with foreign nationals, unofficial foreign travel, and deviations from a submitted travel itinerary.
- Any arrest, charge, or conviction, regardless of severity.
- Delinquent debts, bankruptcies, wage garnishments, and unexplained changes in financial status.
- Changes in personal circumstances such as marriage, cohabitation, and adoption of non-U.S. citizen children (some of these apply only at the Top Secret level).
- Any attempt by someone to elicit classified information, blackmail you, or coerce you into cooperation.
Certain items apply only to Top Secret holders. Foreign bank accounts, ownership of foreign property, and marriage are reportable at Top Secret but not at Secret under current SEAD 3 guidance.7Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. SEAD 3 Reporting Desktop Aid for Cleared Industry Failing to report is a serious problem on its own. Concealing something that later surfaces in a continuous vetting hit looks far worse than the underlying issue would have.
Financial trouble is the single most common reason clearances get pulled, and there is no dollar threshold. Adjudicators look at the pattern, not the number. Unpaid taxes, unmanaged debt, and deceptive financial practices all draw scrutiny, even at modest sums. Dishonesty during the process itself is treated more seriously than the conduct the person was trying to hide.
Whether Your Clearance Travels to Another Agency
Federal law requires agencies to accept each other’s clearance determinations under a principle called reciprocity. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 set the statutory baseline that legitimate government clearances be accepted and transferable between agencies.8Director of National Intelligence. Reciprocity Policy Executive Orders 12968 and 13467 fill in when reciprocity must be honored and when it does not apply.9govinfo. Executive Order 13467 – Reforming Processes Related to Suitability for Government Employment
Reciprocity has limits. An agency can decline to accept your existing clearance if:
- The new position requires a higher clearance level than you currently hold.
- Your last investigation falls outside the required timeframe for the new position.
- Your clearance was granted on an interim, temporary, or conditional basis.
- New derogatory information has surfaced since your last investigation.
- The position involves a Special Access Program with additional access requirements.
For Department of Defense employees, reciprocity applies as long as the investigation is within scope and there has not been a break in federal service longer than 24 months.10Center for Development of Security Excellence. Reciprocity in the Personnel Security Program Contractors face the same standard, with the added condition that the original eligibility was granted without any conditions, deviations, or waivers.
Interim Clearances
Full investigations take time, and agencies often need people to start working sooner. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency can grant an interim Secret or interim Top Secret concurrently with the start of an investigation if the initial screening is clean. That screening includes a favorable review of the SF-86, a clean fingerprint check, proof of U.S. citizenship, and a favorable review of local records where applicable.11Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Interim Clearances
An interim generally stays in effect until the full investigation is finished and a final determination is made. If something adverse surfaces during the investigation, the interim can be withdrawn before a final decision. Interim clearances are not eligible for reciprocity, so a new agency or employer cannot rely on one granted elsewhere.