Security clearance verification guide
How to check your security clearance status
There is no public website where a person can enter a name or Social Security number and verify a security clearance. DCSA directs military members, federal civilians, and contractor personnel to an authorized security contact. That office can interpret the government record and separate eligibility from access, affiliation, investigation, adjudication, and continuous-vetting status.
Reviewed July 13, 2026. Status and system guidance comes from current DCSA applicant, adjudication, records, and DISS sources; job counts update from approved direct-employer listings.
The short answer
Ask the Security Officer, Security Management Office, or Facility Security Officer responsible for your current organization or prospective cleared employer. Ask what the authoritative record shows—not simply whether your clearance is “active.” A recruiter, public records search, badge, résumé, prior briefing, investigation copy, or DISS screenshot is not a substitute for authorized verification.
Use DCSA's official status-contact guide ↗“Active clearance” can hide six different facts
Employers often use “active” as shorthand. The security office may need to check several separate parts of the record before deciding whether you meet a job's requirement.
Investigation
Adjudication
Eligibility
Access
Affiliation
Continuous vetting
Who should you contact?
| Your situation | Investigation status | Eligibility or clearance status |
|---|---|---|
| Military | Duty-station Security Officer or recruiter | Duty-station Security Officer |
| Federal civilian | Hiring agency Security Officer or HR representative | Agency Security Officer |
| DoD contractor | Company Facility Security Officer | Company Facility Security Officer |
| Other federal contractor | The security contact for the sponsoring agency or cleared employer | The organization's authorized security office |
| No current affiliation | Request your investigation records if needed | A prospective cleared employer's authorized security office must evaluate the current record |
DCSA says it can discuss case information only with the authorized contacts for the relevant service, agency, or company. For DoD adjudication information, individuals are prohibited from contacting DCSA Trust Decision directly about their own clearance; the SMO or FSO contacts DCSA on their behalf.
Read DCSA's clearance-status contact rule ↗Can you check DISS yourself?
DISS is the DoD system of record for personnel security, suitability, and credential management. It is not a public subject portal. DCSA says DISS accounts and roles are assigned by authorized components, agencies, and companies and require approved credentials and permissions. Having eligibility or a CAC does not automatically authorize a person to search their own record.
Do not use another person's account, ask an unauthorized colleague to look you up, or submit an SSN to an online “clearance lookup.” Give sensitive identifiers only through the approved process established by the authorized security office.
Read the official DCSA DISS FAQ ↗Do not request a DISS screenshot as proof
DCSA states that there is no authorized use of DISS printouts and that Security Officers and Facility Security Officers should not print, screenshot, or provide DISS screens to another agency or person. The receiving security office should verify the record through its authorized workflow. Cleared Colorado never collects clearance proof, DISS images, SF-86 pages, or investigation identifiers.
What exactly should you ask the security office?
Which eligibility level is recorded?
Ask whether the authoritative record shows Secret, Top Secret, or another determination and whether it is interim or final.
Do I currently have access?
Eligibility and access are different. Ask whether any access is current and what organization or program granted it.
Is there a current affiliation or relationship?
A DoD record may show an owning or servicing relationship, while another agency may use different terminology and systems.
Is an investigation or adjudication still pending?
A pending case, interim result, no determination, or unresolved action is not the same as final current eligibility.
What does continuous-vetting enrollment show?
For DoD personnel, ask about enrollment and the PVQ date without treating either field as a standalone clearance decision.
What can I state to the recruiter?
Use only accurate, nonsensitive wording. Let the receiving security office perform verification instead of attaching records to the application.
What if you no longer have a security office?
DCSA directs people who are no longer affiliated with the federal government to request their records. Its records page allows a person to request a prior Standard Form, e-QIP or eApp form, or a copy of a background investigation. Those records can help reconstruct history, but they are not a live self-service determination of current eligibility, access, or acceptance for a new position.
If a cleared employer selects you for a position, its authorized security staff can establish the appropriate relationship and evaluate the authoritative record, reciprocity, level, investigation history, and any additional SCI, SAP, or polygraph requirements. A former employer, public job board, or ordinary recruiter cannot grant access.
What if your investigation is still pending?
A pending investigation is a different search intent from verifying a prior eligibility record. Use the sponsor-specific contact above for the case status, and keep investigation, adjudication, interim eligibility, final eligibility, access, and the job start date as separate milestones.
See pending-case phases and status contacts →Current Colorado jobs requiring an active clearance
Cleared Colorado currently has 532 direct-employer listings that explicitly require an active Secret-or-higher clearance, across 13 employers. That is employer posting language—not verification that a particular applicant's eligibility, access, affiliation, investigation, or continuous-vetting status meets the requirement.
Recently found active-clearance openings
$86,800 - $165,200
$132,400 - $251,600
$107,500 - $204,500
$107,500 - $204,500
$103,600 - $155,400
Verify first, then search by the exact level
Use the authorized security office for status verification. Use Cleared Colorado to monitor direct-employer openings by clearance, workplace, employer, keyword, or polygraph without uploading clearance records.