The US security clearance ladder, explained plainly

There is no official "Level 5" security clearance. Executive Order 13526 sets three classification levels: Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret. When people say "Level 5," they usually mean a Tier 5 (T5) background investigation, the investigation used for Top Secret eligibility, SCI eligibility, and DOE Q access.

This is general, factual information, not legal, security, career or financial advice. Eligibility and policy are decided by the government, adjudicators and the hiring organization's security office.

If you work in GovCon or you're trying to, clearance terminology matters at hiring time. Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret describe classification levels. SCI access and polygraph requirements add separate conditions. A job-board label can help you search, but the hiring organization's security team must verify your eligibility and authorize access.

What are the levels of security clearance?

The levels describe the harm that unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause to national security:

These definitions come from Executive Order 13526, section 1.2. They describe the information, rather than the seniority or technical difficulty of a job. The same section says that, except as otherwise provided by statute, no other terms are used to identify US classified information. That is why "Level 5" never appears as a classification.

Under the five-tier investigation model, Confidential and Secret eligibility generally require a Tier 3 investigation; Top Secret requires Tier 5. NACLC and SSBI are older investigation names you may still see in resumes. An investigation supplies evidence for adjudication; completing one does not itself grant a clearance. The tier follows from how the position is designated:

The designations and forms come from DCSA's case types and forms table; the clearance mapping comes from GAO-22-104093. Tier 5 is the highest of the five tiers. See our investigation tiers guide.

Is TS/SCI a fourth classification level?

Sensitive Compartmented Information concerns intelligence sources, methods, or analytical processes and is handled within formal access-control systems. SCI is not a classification above Top Secret.

Job ads use "TS/SCI" as shorthand. Some require current SCI access; others accept TS eligibility and the ability to obtain SCI access. Those are different starting conditions. Ask the recruiter which one the position requires, then let the security team verify the record.

ICD 704 governs SCI personnel-security eligibility. Actual access also requires authorization for the information your work needs and the required briefings and nondisclosure agreement. Access to one compartment does not grant access to another.

A polygraph is another requirement that depends on the agency and position. SEAD 2 defines the two screening types:

• A counterintelligence-scope polygraph covers espionage, sabotage, terrorism, unauthorized disclosure or removal of classified information, unreported foreign contacts, and misuse of government information or defense systems.
• An expanded-scope polygraph, which some organizations call full-scope, adds criminal conduct, drug involvement, and falsification of security questionnaires and forms.

Neither is a new classification level. An existing examination is not a universal pass for another agency or program. SEAD 2 calls for reciprocal acceptance only when the examination is consistent with the type and age the receiving agency requires, and the gaining security authority decides whether it can accept it. Our TS/SCI guide explains the distinctions.

How should you read the clearance requirement in a job ad?

Top Secret eligibility can satisfy the classification-level requirement for Secret work, but it does not authorize access by itself. Need-to-know, an appropriate nondisclosure agreement, and the organization's access approval still apply. A full-scope polygraph does not remove those conditions. If a posting offers sponsorship, our guide to getting a cleared job without a clearance covers how that path works.

What happens to eligibility when you leave cleared work?

Leaving a cleared job can end your access while leaving an eligibility determination on record. How that record can be used by a new sponsor depends on its status, your break in service, any new information, and the gaining agency's rules.

The date of your last investigation alone does not tell you whether you are currently eligible. Do not apply a "24 months since investigation" expiration rule. Have an authorized security officer check the applicable government record, such as DISS for DoD personnel-security records.

DCSA's Continuous Vetting program also changes the old periodic-reinvestigation model. Ongoing vetting does not remove self-reporting or questionnaire-update requirements. DCSA's April 2026 contractor guidance ends periodic reinvestigations for NISP contractor personnel and instead requires an updated Personnel Vetting Questionnaire (the SF-86 in eApp, with releases) every five years regardless of eligibility level, timed from the PVQ Date in DISS. Your security office manages the applicable requirements.

DISS Release 14.5, implemented April 2, 2026, also changed what happens when you leave. When your affiliation with a Security Management Office ends, DCSA says a 45-day grace period begins; if no new office takes over, your CV status changes to "unenrolled." DCSA says eligibility is not affected unless there is unresolved derogatory information, and re-enrollment happens automatically with a new office, without new forms, provided you remain eligible.

How do DOE Q and L authorizations compare?

The Department of Energy uses Q and L access authorizations. A Q generally rests on a Tier 5 investigation and an L on Tier 3, but treating them as simple substitutes for Top Secret and Secret misses the Atomic Energy Act information categories.

For example, DOE requires Q authorization for Secret Restricted Data. An L does not authorize that access merely because the information is marked Secret. The definitions in 10 CFR 1016.3 set out the split, always subject to need-to-know:

On reciprocity, DOE's personnel-vetting FAQs say a final Secret clearance would result in an L and a final Top Secret clearance would support a Q. DOE also says a current Top Secret clearance with an investigation completed in the previous five years does not need a new investigation for DOE to grant access authorization. Confirm the actual requirement and process with the hiring security office.

Is Public Trust a security clearance?

No. Public Trust refers to moderate- or high-risk positions and the associated suitability or fitness determination. In the five-tier model, non-sensitive moderate-risk Public Trust work generally uses Tier 2; high-risk work uses Tier 4. Tier 1 covers low-risk, non-sensitive work and credentialing.

A Public Trust determination does not authorize access to classified information. A position can also carry national-security sensitivity requirements, so risk and sensitivity must be assessed together. Holding Secret or Top Secret does not automatically satisfy every hiring or suitability requirement.

Do past issues automatically disqualify you?

Bankruptcy, dual citizenship, foreign family relationships, and old offenses are not automatic disqualifiers in isolation. Adjudicators consider the facts, security concerns, mitigating conditions, and the whole person under SEAD 4. Neither the nationality of a relative nor a single line on a credit report predicts the outcome by itself. Our plain-English guide to the 13 adjudicative guidelines walks through each one.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Level 5 security clearance real?

No official US clearance is called Level 5. Executive Order 13526 recognizes three classification levels: Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret. The phrase usually refers to a Tier 5 investigation, which supports Top Secret eligibility, SCI eligibility, and DOE Q access.

What is a T2 investigation?

Tier 2 is the investigation for non-sensitive positions designated moderate-risk Public Trust. It uses the SF 85P questionnaire, according to DCSA's case-type table. It supports a suitability or fitness determination and does not grant access to classified information.

How much does a Tier 5 investigation cost?

DCSA's FY2026 billing rate for a standard Tier 5 investigation for non-DoD agencies was $5,890, or $6,361 for priority service. Those are rates DCSA bills to the agencies it serves. In Federal Investigations Notice 25-03, as summarized by NIH, DCSA says it plans to keep FY2027 rates, effective October 1, 2026, at FY2026 levels.

How do you get a T5 security clearance?

You do not apply for a Tier 5 on your own. The position's designation determines the investigation type: critical-sensitive and special-sensitive positions, and those requiring Top Secret, SCI, or Q access, call for a Tier 5 on the SF 86. Adjudicators then decide eligibility; the investigation alone does not grant a clearance.

Is a DOE Q clearance the same as Top Secret?

DOE's FAQs say that under reciprocity a Q is the equivalent of a Top Secret and rests on the same investigation. DOE also notes that its access authorizations permit access to Restricted Data, and that access to Secret Restricted Data requires a Q. A position with special requirements can still ask for more.

What this looks like inside ClearMatch

Use accurate, unclassified descriptions of your clearance and experience on your profile. Do not present a clearance you once held as currently active without confirming that status, and describe any uncertainty to the hiring security team through its approved process. List certifications and polygraph information truthfully, using only details your security office permits you to share, and keep classified program names, compartment details, and operational information out of resumes and online profiles. ClearMatch uses the information you provide to help find relevant roles and explain the fit. It does not verify government clearance records or grant access; the employer's security review remains a separate step.

In ClearMatch's scan of 117,667 postings from 1,120 employer career sites, Sep 25 to Oct 9, 2026, 56,477 required Secret or higher. Of those, 53% asked for Secret, 15.5% for TS, 15.9% for TS/SCI, 7.3% for TS/SCI with a CI polygraph, and 8.3% for TS/SCI with a full-scope polygraph; 72 asked for Confidential. You can browse those cleared roles by state and clearance, or paste a posting into the job fit check to see how its requirement lines up with your profile.

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Sources: Executive Order 13526, GAO-22-104093, Personnel Vetting, DCSA Case Types & Forms, DCSA Billing Rates & Resources, NIH: DCSA billing rates for FY2026 and FY2027, ICD 704, SEAD 2, SEAD 4, DCSA: Continuous Vetting updates with DISS release 14.5, DCSA: NISP contractor Continuous Vetting update, DOE personnel-vetting FAQs, 10 CFR 1016.3. Policy is set by the government; confirm with your FSO, security office or the official sources above.