Interim eligibility guide
What is an interim security clearance? Eligibility, access, and pending status
An interim clearance is a temporary eligibility decision made while the full investigation and final determination are still pending. It is not a separate clearance level, a guaranteed step, or permission to access every category of information at that level.
Reviewed July 13, 2026. Policy references use current DCSA, eCFR, and ODNI guidance; job counts update from approved direct-employer listings.
The short answer
The current National Industrial Security Program rule calls this “temporary (previously called interim) eligibility.” A responsible government security authority may grant it at the Confidential, Secret, or Top Secret level when the temporary-access standard is met. If the full investigative results are favorable, the authority updates the determination to final. DCSA still uses “interim” throughout its cleared-industry guidance, so both terms appear in practice.
Read current 32 CFR § 117.10(l) ↗What interim eligibility is—and is not
A temporary eligibility decision
Not a fourth clearance level
Not automatic access
Not a final outcome
How DCSA evaluates an interim determination
For personnel-security cases submitted by cleared contractors under DCSA's industrial process, every applicant is routinely considered for interim eligibility. DCSA says Interim Secret and Interim Top Secret determinations require these favorable threshold results:
- SF-86 review: a favorable review of the Questionnaire for National Security Positions.
- Fingerprint check: a favorable fingerprint result.
- Citizenship: proof of U.S. citizenship for temporary access under this contractor rule.
- Local records: a favorable review when that check applies.
These are threshold inputs, not a checklist an applicant can score independently. The authorized adjudicative authority—not the employer, recruiter, or Cleared Colorado—makes the determination. Agencies outside DCSA's industrial process may use their own implementation of government-wide temporary-eligibility policy.
Read DCSA's interim determination criteria ↗What “Eligibility Pending” means
In DCSA's industrial guidance, Eligibility Pending means the investigation request was received and reviewed for a possible interim determination, but the interim requirements were not met. DCSA defers adjudication until the requested investigation is complete.
Eligibility Pending is not the same status as final denial
It means there is no interim eligibility to support classified access while final processing continues. It does not prove why the threshold was not met and should not be used to predict the final result. A final denial or revocation is a separate determination with its own notice and due-process path.
Other system labels also have specific meanings. “Action Pending” indicates further adjudicative action. “Eligibility Administratively Withdrawn” means no current eligibility and is usually associated with no industry affiliation; DCSA says that administrative label does not itself reflect adverse information. Do not translate a status from memory—ask the authorized security office what the current record actually shows.
What access can an interim support?
Under current 32 CFR § 117.10(l), temporary Secret or Confidential eligibility can support classified access at the granted level, but Restricted Data, COMSEC, and NATO information require a final Secret determination. Temporary Top Secret can support Top Secret information, while the rule separately limits how it can support those special categories. SCI and SAP access based on temporary eligibility is decided by the applicable granting authority.
Eligibility alone still does not authorize a person to open a file, enter a space, or begin classified duties. The contractor must verify the recorded eligibility, need-to-know, nondisclosure agreement, and any program-specific approval before granting access.
Read ODNI SEAD 8 temporary-eligibility policy (PDF) ↗How long does an interim clearance take?
DCSA's current public interim page does not promise a fixed number of days for an individual decision. The determination happens in connection with investigation initiation after the required threshold information is available, but submission review, fingerprints, citizenship evidence, local records, agency processing, and case-specific facts can affect timing.
The one-year limit in the contractor rule is a limit on how long temporary eligibility may remain in effect without an approved extension—not a promise that an interim will arrive within one year or that final eligibility will be decided by then. Use the sponsoring security office for case status and the separate timeline guide for the broader investigation sequence.
Understand the full security-clearance timeline →Can an interim clearance be withdrawn?
Yes. Current contractor rules allow the responsible security authority to withdraw temporary eligibility if later-developed information calls eligibility into question. The contractor must remove the person from classified access when notified.
The same rule expressly states that withdrawal of temporary eligibility is not a denial, termination, or revocation and cannot be appealed as one. That does not guarantee a favorable final outcome; it preserves the distinction between a temporary-access decision and final adjudication. Follow any case-specific instructions from the authorized security office.
Read how final adjudication uses whole-person review →Understand the separate final denial and appeal process →What an applicant can control
Complete the SF-86 accurately
Use the exact question instructions, close unexplained history gaps, and do not conceal requested information in an attempt to improve interim odds.
Provide requested threshold records
Follow the sponsor's instructions for fingerprints and citizenship evidence through the authorized process.
Respond to follow-up promptly
Use the stated secure channel and deadline when an investigator or security office asks for clarification or documents.
Use the correct status contact
For a DoD contractor case, ask the company's Facility Security Officer. Cleared Colorado cannot see DISS or explain an individual determination.
Current Colorado jobs that allow obtainable clearance timing
Cleared Colorado currently has 518 direct-employer listings across 14 employers whose source language explicitly allows the required clearance to be obtainable. That wording does not guarantee sponsorship, interim eligibility, classified access, employment, or a final favorable determination.
$79,365 - $134,921
$79,365 - $134,921
$79,365 - $134,921
$177,000 - $265,600
Find an employer-stated obtainable opening
Create an accountless Colorado alert by held clearance, workplace, employer, keyword, or polygraph. Confirm initiation and interim status only with the sponsoring organization.