A Level 1 security clearance, in the terms the federal government actually uses, is a Tier 1 investigation — and it is not a security clearance at all. It’s the baseline suitability check for low-risk, non-sensitive federal positions, built around the SF-85 questionnaire, and it determines whether you can be trusted to work for the government and carry a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card for building and network access. It grants no access to classified information.
Who Needs a Tier 1 Investigation
Tier 1 applies to the broadest slice of the federal workforce: administrative assistants, maintenance crews, entry-level technicians, data entry staff, and similar roles where the work doesn’t touch classified or sensitive information. Contractors and interns who need ongoing access to federal facilities or IT systems go through the same check, because the PIV card they’ll carry requires at least a favorably adjudicated Tier 1 investigation.1Indian Health Service. Chapter 30 – Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 The tier is set by the position, not by the applicant.2U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Position Designation Tool
How Tier 1 Fits Into the Larger System
Tier 1 answers a different question than a security clearance does. It asks whether you’re fit for federal service, not whether you can be trusted with classified secrets.3Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Federal Investigative Standards for Tier 1 and Tier 2 Investigations
- Tier 1 (low risk, non-sensitive): SF-85 form, five-year lookback on residence and employment, results in a suitability determination and HSPD-12 credential eligibility.
- Tier 2 (moderate risk, non-sensitive/Public Trust): SF-85P form, broader scope including financial record checks.
- Tier 3 and above (national security): SF-86 form, actual Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret clearances governed by Security Executive Agent Directive 4, with interviews of references, neighbors, and associates.4Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Security Executive Agent Directive 4 – National Security Adjudicative Guidelines
One boundary worth stating plainly: Tier 1 is not a Public Trust investigation. Public Trust positions are designated moderate-risk or high-risk and require Tier 2 or higher on the SF-85P. If your position designation reads “Public Trust,” Tier 1 will not cover it.5Center for Development of Security Excellence. Federal Investigative Standards Short
What the SF-85 Asks For
The SF-85 is shorter than the questionnaires used at higher tiers, but it still asks for a careful accounting of your recent life.6U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions, SF 85 Before you sit down to complete it, gather:
- Every address where you’ve lived for the past five years, from present backward. For any address within the last three years, name a person who knew you there, preferably still living in that area. Spouses, partners, and relatives cannot serve as verifiers.
- All jobs, periods of unemployment, and self-employment going back five years, with supervisor names, contact information, and explanations for any gaps.
- Schools attended in the last five years. The form tells you not to list education before age 18 unless it’s needed to meet a minimum two-year education history. For any school attended in the last three years, name someone who knew you there.
The form doesn’t ask for a fixed number of personal references. It asks for verifiers tied to specific addresses and schools, and those people should be able to confirm you actually lived or studied where you say you did. Accuracy is the point. Investigators aren’t looking for perfection; they’re comparing what you reported against what they find. Discrepancies that look like intentional omissions cause more trouble than whatever they were meant to hide.
What Adjudicators Look At
Once your SF-85 is submitted and the investigation is complete, an adjudicator weighs the findings against the suitability factors in 5 CFR 731.202:7eCFR. 5 CFR 731.202 – Criteria for Making Suitability Determinations
- Criminal conduct, especially recent offenses involving dishonesty or violence.
- Dishonest conduct, including fraud, deception, or a pattern of lying.
- False statements on the SF-85 itself. Only OPM, not individual agencies, can act on this factor.
- Misconduct or negligence in past employment, such as being fired for cause.
- Illegal drug use without evidence of rehabilitation.
- Excessive alcohol use without evidence of rehabilitation.
- Violent conduct, whether or not it led to charges.
The phrase “without evidence of rehabilitation” attached to the drug and alcohol factors does real work. A substance issue you’ve addressed through treatment is evaluated very differently from ongoing use. Adjudicators weigh how long ago the conduct occurred, how serious it was, and whether your behavior has genuinely changed.
Marijuana
Marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, and federal employees are required to refrain from using it regardless of state law. OPM guidance, though, tells agencies they cannot automatically disqualify someone based on past marijuana use alone.8U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Assessing the Suitability/Fitness of Applicants or Appointees on the Basis of Marijuana Use Each case gets an individual look at how recent the use was, the nature of the position, and whether the person has stopped. Past use won’t necessarily sink you. Current use will, because you’d be violating federal workplace drug policy from your first day.
Mitigation
No single negative finding automatically disqualifies you. Adjudicators look at your age at the time, how long ago it happened, whether it was isolated or part of a pattern, and what you’ve done since. A minor shoplifting charge from your early twenties that you disclosed honestly is unlikely to derail a Tier 1 determination a decade later. A pattern of bounced checks, unpaid debts, and recent fraud charges tells a different story about current judgment.
How the Process Runs
You don’t initiate a Tier 1 investigation yourself. It starts when a federal agency extends a tentative job offer and sponsors you for the background check. The agency then gives you access to the electronic system where you fill out the SF-85.
That system has changed. The older e-QIP platform has been replaced by eApp, part of the National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) system managed by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.9Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Introduction to NBIS eApp Your sponsoring agency sends you an invitation to eApp, you enter your personal history, review it, and sign electronically. The form then goes to DCSA for processing.
Fingerprinting happens around the same time. You’ll visit a federal facility or authorized provider to have your prints captured digitally, and those prints are run against national law enforcement databases. Third-party providers generally charge between $10 and $100 depending on location.
Timelines vary. A clean background with easily verified addresses can wrap up in a few weeks. Foreign addresses, employment gaps that need explanation, or derogatory information that requires follow-up can stretch things to several months. DCSA has been working through investigation backlogs, but delays are still common. Your sponsoring agency’s human resources office notifies you of the final determination.
Reciprocity Between Agencies
If you already have a favorably adjudicated Tier 1 investigation and move to a different federal agency, you generally shouldn’t have to repeat it. Executive Order 13467 requires agencies to mutually and reciprocally accept each other’s background investigations and adjudications.10GovInfo. Executive Order 13467 – Reforming Processes Related to Suitability for Government Employment, Fitness for Contractor Employees, and Eligibility for Access to Classified National Security Information For reciprocity to apply, your investigation has to be current, and there can’t be new derogatory information that would warrant a fresh look.
Staying Eligible After You Start
Passing the initial investigation isn’t a lifetime pass. Historically, Tier 1 positions required reinvestigation every five to ten years, and the National Institutes of Health has noted that Tier 1 investigations older than ten years may trigger reinvestigation.11National Institutes of Health. Understanding U.S. Government Background Investigations and Reinvestigations
The larger change is the move toward continuous vetting under the Trusted Workforce 2.0 framework. Instead of periodic reinvestigations, continuous vetting uses automated checks of government and commercial databases to flag issues in near-real-time. For non-sensitive public trust positions, OPM targeted full enrollment in continuous vetting beginning in fiscal year 2024, and in 2023 it proposed rule changes to extend continuous vetting to the low-risk population covered by Tier 1, with phased implementation.12U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Continuous Vetting for Non-Sensitive Public Trust Positions
Practically, that means the government may be monitoring public records, financial databases, and criminal justice systems for red flags even after your investigation clears. An arrest, a bankruptcy filing, or another significant event could prompt a review of your continued suitability without waiting for a scheduled reinvestigation. If your agency requires self-reporting of life changes, take that obligation seriously. Reporting an issue yourself looks far better than having it surface through automated monitoring.
If Your Determination Comes Back Unfavorable
You have the right to challenge an unfavorable suitability determination. The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) handles appeals of adverse suitability actions. File your appeal with the MSPB regional or field office covering the area where you live within 30 calendar days of receiving the agency’s decision.13U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board. How to File an Appeal If you and the agency mutually agree in writing to try alternative dispute resolution before filing, that deadline extends to 60 days.
Before going to the MSPB, check whether your agency offers an internal reconsideration process. Some agencies let you submit additional documentation or context before the determination becomes final. Whatever route you take, respond promptly and bring concrete evidence: proof of rehabilitation, changed circumstances, or factual errors in the investigation. A denied suitability finding can follow you to future federal job applications, so it’s worth addressing head-on rather than hoping it fades.