SF 75: Request for Preliminary Employment Data
SF 75 is the form a gaining federal agency uses to get key employment data about a selectee from their current or former agency before the official personnel folder arrives.
This is the genuine OPM PDF, unmodified. Source: OPM official page.
What is SF 75?
SF 75, Request for Preliminary Employment Data, is an agency-to-agency form. When a federal employee is selected for a position at another agency, the gaining HR office often needs pay, leave, benefits, and appointment information right away to set a start date, establish pay, and continue benefits without a gap. The SF 75 requests that data from the losing agency, which completes and returns it while the official personnel folder follows later.
The form covers items such as current position and pay, service computation dates, leave balances, retirement coverage, life and health insurance enrollment, and any outstanding personnel matters. It is an administrative record exchanged between HR offices; the employee is the subject of the form rather than the person who files it.
Who files SF 75?
- HR specialists at a gaining agency requesting data about an employee transferring in
- Losing-agency HR offices completing and returning the requested employment data
- Staffing offices verifying pay, leave, and benefits information before setting an entrance-on-duty date
- Benefits officers confirming retirement and insurance coverage will continue without a break
How to fill out SF 75
- The gaining agency enters the selectee's identifying information and the position they have been selected for.
- The gaining HR office sends the SF 75, or conducts the equivalent exchange by phone or secure email using the form as the script, to the employee's current or most recent agency.
- The losing agency completes the data sections: pay and position, service computation dates, leave balances, retirement coverage, and insurance enrollments.
- The losing agency returns the completed form to the gaining HR office, which uses it to process the appointment and set pay and benefits.
- The information is later verified against the official personnel folder when it arrives; discrepancies are resolved between the two HR offices.
Quick fill SF 75 on this page
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Frequently asked questions
Do employees fill out SF 75 themselves?
No. The SF 75 is exchanged between the HR offices of the gaining and losing agencies. As the transferring employee you may be asked to confirm details, but the form itself is completed by agency staff.
Why does the gaining agency need this before my personnel folder transfers?
Official personnel folders can take weeks to move between agencies. The SF 75 gives the gaining agency the data it needs immediately to put you on the payroll at the right rate, credit your leave, and keep your retirement and insurance coverage continuous.
Does SF 75 replace the official personnel folder?
No. It is preliminary data. The official personnel folder remains the authoritative record, and the gaining agency reconciles the SF 75 information against it once the folder arrives.