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U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Fill out OF 306 online

Declaration for Federal Employment

The OF 306 is the Declaration for Federal Employment. Agencies use the answers to decide whether you are acceptable for federal or federal contract employment, and to work out your enrollment status in the government's life insurance program. Most applicants are asked to fill it in after a tentative job offer, but depending on the position you may be asked earlier in the hiring process. Before you are appointed you update your answers and certify them again.

Fill out OF 306Blank form from the OPM

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Edition
Revised August 2023
Pages
3
Fillable fields
56
Checked against the OPM
November 8, 2026

GuruPDF is not affiliated with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. This page explains the form in plain words; it is not legal or tax advice. Always check the official instructions before you file.

Who uses OF 306

  • People applying for a federal job whose hiring agency asks for the form
  • Applicants who have received a tentative or conditional job offer
  • Appointees who must review, update and recertify their answers before they are appointed
  • People being assessed for fitness for federal contract employment
  • Appointees who worked for the federal government before (item 18)

Before you start

  • Your full name, Social Security Number, date of birth and place of birth
  • Any other names you have used, such as a maiden name or nickname, and day and night phone numbers with area codes
  • Your Selective Service registration status, if you were born a male after December 31, 1959
  • Branch, dates and type of discharge for any active military duty
  • For any "YES" answer you must explain in item 16: dates, places, and the names and addresses of the police department, court, military authority or employer involved
  • If you worked for the federal government before: the date you left your last federal job and whether you waived any life insurance

How to fill out OF 306

  1. General Information (items 1 to 6)

    Type your answers or print clearly in dark ink. Enter your full name as first, middle, last and suffix. If your name has only initials, write them and add "Initial only"; if you have no middle name, write "No Middle Name". Then give your Social Security Number (item 2), place of birth with city and state or country (3a), whether you are a U.S. citizen, with your country of citizenship if not (3b), date of birth (4), other names you have used (5) and day and night phone numbers (6).

  2. Selective Service Registration (items 7a to 7c)

    Item 7a asks whether you were born a male after December 31, 1959. If not, go to item 8. If yes, item 7b asks whether you registered with the Selective Service System; if you did, go to item 8. If you did not register, explain why in item 16 (item 7c).

  3. Military Service (item 8)

    Answer whether you have ever served in the U.S. military. If your only active duty was training in the Reserves or National Guard, answer "NO". If you answer "YES", list the branch, the from and to dates, and the type of discharge for all active duty.

  4. Background Information (items 9 to 13)

    Answer yes or no to each question: convictions, imprisonment, probation or parole in the last 7 years (9), a military court-martial conviction in the past 7 years (10), current charges for any violation of law (11), being fired, quitting after being told you would be fired, leaving by mutual agreement because of specific problems, or being debarred from federal employment in the last 5 years (12), and being delinquent on any federal debt (13). For items 9 to 11, include convictions after a plea of no contest; the form lists what to leave out, such as small traffic fines, some offenses committed before age 16 or 18, and convictions that were set aside or expunged. For every "YES", give the details the question asks for in item 16.

  5. Additional Questions (items 14 and 15)

    Item 14 asks whether any relative of a type listed on the form works for the agency or government organization you are submitting the form to; if yes, give the relative's name, relationship, and the department, agency or branch of the Armed Forces they work for in item 16. Item 15 asks whether you receive, or have ever applied for, retirement pay, a pension or other retired pay based on military, federal civilian or District of Columbia Government service.

  6. Continuation Space / Agency Optional Questions (item 16)

    Use this space for the details asked for in items 7 through 15 and 18c, and include ZIP Codes in all addresses. If you need more room, attach letter-size sheets marked with your name, Social Security Number and the item number. If your agency has printed questions for your position here, answer them as instructed.

  7. Certifications / Additional Questions (items 17 and 18)

    Read the certification in item 17. An applicant reviews the answers and signs and dates item 17a. An appointee reviews every answer and attachment, makes any corrections, initials and dates each change, and signs and dates item 17b. The appointing officer's date box is for the agency. Answer item 18 only if you are being appointed and have worked for the federal government before: the date you left your last federal job (18a), whether you waived Basic Life or any optional life insurance (18b), and, if so, whether you later canceled the waiver (18c). Each of 18b and 18c can be answered yes, no or do not know; if 18c is "NO", list in item 16 the types of insurance whose waivers were not canceled.

After you fill it out

Give the completed form to the hiring agency in the way it tells you; the form says to follow the instructions the agency provides. Some agencies collect it through an online onboarding system such as USA Staffing. Before you are appointed, you will be asked to update your answers and certify them again. The form recommends that you keep a copy for your records.

Signing: An applicant signs and dates item 17a, and an appointee signs and dates item 17b. OPM's USA Staffing help center says the form owner approved electronic signatures on the OF 306 and that a signature applied through USA Staffing counts as an ink signature; for any other copy, sign it the way your hiring agency tells you.

Watch out for

  • A false statement on any part of the form may be grounds for not hiring you or for firing you after you begin work, and may be punished by fine or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001).
  • OPM says that if the hiring agency asks you to fill out the form, you must complete all of it.
  • If you change an answer when you are being appointed, initial and date each change or addition.
  • The form says previous editions are obsolete and unusable. If your hiring agency gives you its own copy or an onboarding link, follow its instructions.

Questions about OF 306

Do I have to answer every question on the OF 306?

Yes. OPM says that if the hiring agency asks you to fill out the form, you must complete it in its entirety and answer truthfully and completely.

Will a "YES" answer in the background section stop me from being hired?

Not necessarily. The form says the circumstances of each event you list will be considered, and in most cases you can still be considered for federal jobs.

When will I be asked to fill it out?

The form says most applicants are asked to complete it after a tentative offer of employment, but depending on the position you may be asked to complete it earlier in the hiring process, so follow the instructions your hiring agency gives you. Before you are appointed, you will be asked to update your answers and certify them again.

What if I need more space for my answers?

Use item 16 or attach letter-size (8.5 by 11 inch) sheets. Put your name, Social Security Number and the item number on each sheet.

Who needs to answer item 18?

Only appointees who have been employed by the federal government before. Life insurance elections from earlier federal employment may affect your eligibility for life insurance in the new appointment, and these answers help your personnel office decide correctly.

Official information

Page text last reviewed November 7, 2026.

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