What are disqualifiers for a Top Secret clearance?

Financial Issues. Top secret clearance holders must have no significant financial concerns. If the background check reveals a considerable amount of debt, missed payments, tax evasion, collection judgments, check fraud, foreclosures, embezzlement or bankruptcies, your application might be rejected.

What is a disqualifier for security clearance?

Any illegal or unauthorized entry into information technology systems is a security clearance disqualifier. It includes illegal or unauthorized modification, manipulation, destruction, or denial of access to information on a system.

How many people get denied a top secret clearance?

But don't lose heart – 20-30% of all interim security clearances are denied, but that is vastly different than the figure of final clearance denials, which hovers around 1%.

What do they check for a top secret clearance?

Credit and criminal history checks will be conducted on all applicants. For a Top Secret security clearance, the background investigation includes additional record checks which can verify citizenship for the applicant and family members, verification of birth, education, employment history, and military history.

Why would you fail a security clearance?

You Have a Criminal History

Never lie about or downplay something that happened in the past. Those who are investigating your background have access to all of the information they need to find out about your criminal history. If you are anything but honest, you can trigger a denial of your security clearance.

Top Reasons Applicants are Denied a Security Clearance

How hard is it to get a top secret clearance?

The Office of Personnel Security and Suitability conducts about 25,000 of these interviews annually, for clearances at all three security levels. The process generally takes between four and eight months, but with the current Department of Defense backlog it can take more than a year to receive top secret clearance.

What can ruin a security clearance?

In fact, one common area that can be troublesome on a background check is financial behavior that indicates the applicant is frequently over-extended on credit, personal debt, etc. Having too much debt and not enough income creates a potential circumstance where a security clearance application can be disqualified.

Do security clearances check Internet history?

Although security clearance background checks can be intensely thorough, the government can't view your emails, Internet browsing history, hard drive data, and other virtual assets without a subpoena or warrant.

Do security clearances look at text messages?

INTERNET HISTORY, EMAILS, TEXT MESSAGES AND iCLOUD

Security clearance background investigators do not check your browsing history, read your emails, surveil your every move, bug your telephones, or photograph you commuting to work. That's just not feasible, or allowable.

Does top secret clearance look at social media?

A. The short answer is yes. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper signed Security Executive Agent Directive 5 in May that allows investigators to analyze information posted publicly on social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as part of security clearance background checks.

Who do they interview for Top Secret clearance?

Once you have submitted your completed SF 86, you can expect to wait anywhere from 3 to 12 months while investigators look into all the information on the questionnaire. In particular, investigators will perform numerous interviews with your former employers, neighbors and landlords, among others.

What stops you from getting a clearance?

Does Top Secret require polygraph?

Polygraph tests accompany some Top Secret or TS/SCI clearances; however, they are not required to obtain either type of clearance and are not part of the clearance background investigation.

Is Top Secret clearance worth it?

The highest levels of clearance can lead to even higher salaries. The Human Resource Association of the National Capital Area also reported that employees with top secret security clearance could earn up to 60% more than those without top secret clearance in certain jobs.

How long does Top Secret clearance take?

In general, expect a CONFIDENTIAL or SECRET clearance to take between 1 and 3 months. A TOP SECRET will probably take between 4 and 8 months. However, some individuals have been waiting for the results of their TOP SECRET investigation for more than one year.

What questions are asked in a CI polygraph?

Questions asked might concern drug and alcohol use, sexual misconduct, mental health, family relationships, compulsive or addictive behavior and more. A Lifestyle Polygraph can also attempt to look for issues in a person's private life for which he or she might be susceptible to blackmail or coercion.

How much does a Top Secret clearance cost?

The average cost to process a TOP SECRET clearance is between $3,000 and about $15,000, depending upon individual factors. The government pays the cost of clearances for military personnel and civilian government employees.

Can you lose your clearance if you fail a polygraph?

The reality is while the government can't deny a security clearance based solely on a failed polygraph, it can absolutely deny a clearance based on negative information disclosed during a polygraph – that's the entire point.

Do they interview friends for secret security clearance?

An investigator may show up to your current employers office. Not sure about your neighbors. I was interviewed by an investigator because I was listed as an associate or friend of a Soldier obtaining a Top Secret Clearance. So friends may be interviewed.

Do they contact references for secret clearance?

References are less likely to be contacted for a Secret security clearance, but if there are issues, references may be contacted to verify issues. Likewise, if you're less likely to need a personnel subject interview for a Secret clearance determination – unless there are issues an investigator needs to clarify.

What is the difference between secret and top secret clearance?

While the investigations are different and separate, the adjudicative criteria – with the exception of “Foreign Influence” – are exactly the same. The critical difference between a secret security clearance investigation and a top secret security clearance investigation is the Personal Subject Interview.

Can you have an OnlyFans with a security clearance?

It's unlikely an OnlyFans account would come out in the course of an investigation of its own accord, but failing to list it could be considered lying and result in a security clearance denial or revocation for that reason – nothing to do with the site or the type of content the clearance holder is releasing.

Can mental health issues affect security clearance?

Seeking mental health services does not affect one's ability to gain or hold clearance eligibility. Adjudicators regard seeking necessary mental health treatment as a positive step in the security clearance process.

What are the levels of security clearance?

There are three levels of security clearance: confidential, secret, and top secret.

What is a Tier 5 security clearance?

Tier 5 – Top Secret Security Clearance

As the highest level of security clearance, applicants can expect a more rigorous examination. If approved, this clearance gives cleared personnel access to information or material that could cause disastrous damage to national security. Tier 5 is the only tier in this category.