Has anyone here ever failed a Fed background check?

[Anonymous]

I have a few fed job applications in and am worried about a couple of things regarding my background check (hoping that I get an offer) - (a) I have a lot of speeding camera tickets, and (b) my credit score isn't great. Tickets are paid and I can improve my credit score over the next couple of months, but has anyone had a problem with these issues in a background check?

[Anonymous]

HOW bad is your credit score? Do you owe taxes or have you defaulted on your student loan? Could someone blackmail you about your debts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a few fed job applications in and am worried about a couple of things regarding my background check (hoping that I get an offer) - (a) I have a lot of speeding camera tickets, and (b) my credit score isn't great. Tickets are paid and I can improve my credit score over the next couple of months, but has anyone had a problem with these issues in a background check?

What kind of background check? Public trust is going to be different that top secret.

Hard to believe just speeding tickets are a problem. DUIs on the other hand... And how bad a credit score?

[Anonymous]

The camera tickets are nothing. They probably don't even see those on your background check since they aren't flagged as moving violations.

The credit score is probably not a big deal unless you have a weird history of borrowing large amounts of money and not paying it back. Incredibly, I have known some people to have dismal credit scores who still have clearances. I don't know how that happened but it did. If you have deep debt because of a spending problem or living above your means, that might make the investigators perk up a bit, but if you just have some student loans or something like that, it's fine.

[Anonymous]

One of my former co-workers did for Lyon about why he had left a past job. He was terminated and is barred from working for the federal hocenermwnt ever again.

I believe as long as you're current on your debts, your credit score itself doesn't matter. I don't know about the speeding camera tickets.

[Anonymous]

Yikes sorry for the typos.

[Anonymous]

OP here. As of yesterday, score is 680. It fluctuates based on my monthly balance on my Amex. I didn't realize that until I started using Credit Karma and will stop using my Amex so much (but I run it up to get points then pay it all off). I also have mortgage, car note, and student loans but no other credit cards. I don't have any judgments or liens -- I'm just sloppy about making payments on time. It's been my New Year's resolution every year for the last 10 years to do better...but alas....

[Anonymous]

I know many people who get pubic trust denied. At the agency I work at they are really strict WRT drug uses and finances. One person had a top secret - went through a nasty divorce and had to declare bankruptcy as their spouse did not make payments on the house. Since they had financial issues, had public trust denied - and lost top secret.

For the most part, having a crappy credit score is one thing - you are capable of paying just lazy and don't. It is the people who have a large amount of debt and can't pay OR who they can not figure out how the paid it off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know many people who get pubic trust denied. At the agency I work at they are really strict WRT drug uses and finances. One person had a top secret - went through a nasty divorce and had to declare bankruptcy as their spouse did not make payments on the house. Since they had financial issues, had public trust denied - and lost top secret.

For the most part, having a crappy credit score is one thing - you are capable of paying just lazy and don't. It is the people who have a large amount of debt and can't pay OR who they can not figure out how the paid it off.

This is helpful. I just checked the job listing and it's a public trust clearance. My circumstances aren't extreme like the example you posted (thank goodness), so I'll do better and raise my score and continue to cross my fingers that I even get an interview. I'm just thinking ahead at this point and don't want to mess up my chances with my own laziness/stupidity.

[Anonymous]

Setup auto pay on your credit card bill. Late payments are lazy!

[Anonymous]

No way. None of this would make you fail unless your credit score was in the toilet. I have seen why people fail background checks for the Feds and it's truly egregious stuff.

[Anonymous]

In this day and age, there is no excuse for late payments. Why haven't you just scheduled them, OP? I learned that lesson when I was in college!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In this day and age, there is no excuse for late payments. Why haven't you just scheduled them, OP? I learned that lesson when I was in college!

LOL at PP.

I know several people with multiple foreclosures and recent bankruptcies that maintain high level clearances. But I suspect that maintaining a clearance is easier than going through the process of a new hire?

[Anonymous]

As PP's have said, it's debt more than credit score. If you objectively have an acute for cash, you are more easily blackmail-able (and it has nothing to do with your trustworthiness).

For drugs, if you are not actively using and you are honest and open about your history you are probably okay. Maybe having been a homeless junkie would not be surmountable, but several joints in college is fine...as long as you are honest. If you are not honest and they find out, once again it's an indication that you could be blackmailed.

Other financial stuff is less of an issue. When I was sworn in for my Fed job, I was actually under IRS audit for what was actually an underpayment (inadvertent) on my part. While it was not fully active, my job required a higher than TS level background check. I was really concerned the audit would derail my job, but it was a total non-issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As PP's have said, it's debt more than credit score. If you objectively have an acute for cash, you are more easily blackmail-able (and it has nothing to do with your trustworthiness).

For drugs, if you are not actively using and you are honest and open about your history you are probably okay. Maybe having been a homeless junkie would not be surmountable, but several joints in college is fine...as long as you are honest. If you are not honest and they find out, once again it's an indication that you could be blackmailed.

Other financial stuff is less of an issue. When I was sworn in for my Fed job, I was actually under IRS audit for what was actually an underpayment (inadvertent) on my part. While it was not fully active, my job required a higher than TS level background check. I was really concerned the audit would derail my job, but it was a total non-issue.

Don't we all have an acute need for cash!?!