SF 85: Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions
SF 85 is the background investigation questionnaire for low-risk, non-sensitive federal positions. It supports the basic suitability check most federal employees and many contractors go through.
This is the genuine OPM PDF, unmodified. Source: OPM official page.
What is SF 85?
SF 85, Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions, collects the information needed for the lowest tier of federal background investigation. It covers where you have lived, gone to school, and worked over the past several years, your citizenship, selective service registration, military service, and recent illegal drug use, and it includes releases authorizing the government to verify the information.
Most people never touch the paper form: agencies initiate the investigation and the applicant completes the questionnaire electronically in eApp, the online system that replaced e-QIP. The PDF is the reference version, useful for gathering your addresses, employers, and references before you sit down with the electronic version. Investigations based on the SF 85 are conducted by DCSA or another authorized investigative service provider.
Who files SF 85?
- Applicants and appointees to low-risk, non-sensitive federal positions
- Federal contractor personnel who need a basic suitability or credentialing determination, such as for a PIV card
- Current employees whose position requires a new or updated low-tier investigation
- Interns and other temporary staff entering federal facilities or systems in non-sensitive roles
How to fill out SF 85
- Wait for the sponsoring agency to initiate your case; you cannot start a background investigation on your own.
- Gather your history before you begin: residences, employment, and education covering the period the form asks about, plus references and their contact information.
- Complete the questionnaire in eApp when you receive the invitation, answering every question truthfully and completely; use the PDF as a worksheet, not as the submission.
- Review, certify, and release the questionnaire electronically, and sign the release forms the system generates.
- Respond promptly if an investigator or the agency contacts you to resolve discrepancies; the agency, not you, receives the result of the investigation.
Get SF 85
OPM publishes SF 85 as a flat PDF with no built-in form fields, so there is no quick-fill form here. Open it in the editor to type directly onto the pages, tick boxes and sign, or download the official blank and complete it in your PDF reader or by hand.
Frequently asked questions
Is SF 85 a security clearance form?
No. SF 85 supports a suitability determination for non-sensitive, low-risk positions. Positions involving classified information use SF 86, and public trust positions use SF 85P. If your job requires a clearance, you will be given the appropriate higher-tier form.
Can I submit the SF 85 PDF on paper?
Only if the sponsoring agency specifically instructs you to. Agencies overwhelmingly use eApp for questionnaire completion, and a paper form submitted without instruction will not start an investigation.
What happens if I make a mistake on the form?
Honest mistakes can be corrected during the process; deliberate false statements are a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. 1001 and a common reason for unfavorable suitability decisions. If you discover an error after release, tell the sponsoring agency or the investigator.