OF 306: Declaration for Federal Employment Online

What is Optional Form 306?

Optional Form 306 is the Office of Personnel Management's Declaration for Federal Employment. Agencies use it to decide whether you are suitable and fit for a federal job, and it may also be used for federal contract work. You usually get it after a tentative or conditional job offer, and you complete it again, or confirm it is still accurate, when you are appointed.

The form asks for your identifying details, citizenship, Selective Service registration if you are a man born after December 31, 1959, and military service. Then come the background questions: convictions, imprisonment, probation or parole in the last 7 years, court-martial, current charges, firings or problem departures in the last 5 years, delinquent federal debt, relatives at the agency and retirement pay. Every Yes needs details in item 16. The form itself says that in most cases you can still be considered for federal jobs.

FileIt walks you through it in plain English, shows the follow-up questions only when they apply, and fills OPM's own PDF (Revised October 2019). It checks that the details your Yes answers need are in item 16 and that the continuation box isn't overfull. You can sign as applicant, and later as appointee, with FileIt's eSignature or by hand, then return it to the hiring agency yourself.

Who fills it: Applicants with a tentative job offer from a federal agency, and appointees confirming their answers. Agencies may also use it for contractors.
Given to: The hiring agency's human resources office.
Pages: 3: instructions and Privacy Act notice, then the two pages of questions and certification.
Signatures: Item 17a as applicant; item 17b again as appointee when you are hired.
Edition: Optional Form 306, Revised October 2019 (OMB 3206-0182); previous editions are obsolete
Agency: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

Who needs to fill out Optional Form 306?

Job seekers who received a tentative or conditional offer for a federal position.
People being appointed to a federal job, who review and sign the form again.
Former federal employees returning to service, who also answer the life insurance questions in item 18.
Contractors whose agency uses the form to assess fitness for federal contract employment.

When to use Optional Form 306

When the hiring agency sends it to you, usually after a tentative job offer.
When you are appointed, to confirm or update every answer as of that day.
When an answer changes before your appointment, so the agency has current information.

What you need before you start

Your full name, Social Security number, date and place of birth, and other names used.
Daytime and night phone numbers.
Your Selective Service registration status, if you are a man born after December 31, 1959.
Branch, dates and type of discharge for any active military duty.
Dates, places and court or agency details for any background question you answer Yes.
If you worked for the federal government before: the date you left and your past life insurance elections.

What’s on Optional Form 306

The 2019 edition has 3 pages. FileIt asks for it in 8 parts, and it is signed by Applicant and Appointee:

General information (items 1-6)Applicant
Selective Service registration (item 7)Applicant
Military service (item 8)Applicant
Background information (items 9-13)Applicant
Additional questions (items 14-16)Applicant
Item 17a: Applicant's certificationApplicant
Items 17b-18: AppointeeAppointee
Appointing officerAppointing officer

How to fill out Optional Form 306, step by step

1 General information (items 1-6)

Name (with "No Middle Name" or "Initial only" if that applies), SSN, place of birth, citizenship, date of birth, other names and phone numbers.

2 Selective Service and military (items 7-8)

Whether you were born male after December 31, 1959 and registered, and up to three rows of active duty with dates and discharge type. Reserve or Guard training alone counts as No.

3 Background and additional questions (items 9-15)

Answer each question Yes or No. Leave out the exceptions the form lists for items 9-11, such as traffic fines of $300 or less and expunged convictions.

4 Continuation space (item 16)

Give the details for each Yes with its item number, including ZIP codes in addresses. Use attached sheets with your name, SSN and item number if you need more room.

5 Certification (items 17-18)

Sign and date as applicant. When you are appointed, review everything, sign 17b and, if you worked for the federal government before, answer item 18.

Common mistakes to avoid

Answering No to a conviction question because the case was minor, when only the exceptions listed on the form may be left out.
Answering Yes without giving the details in item 16 or on an attached sheet.
Counting Reserve or National Guard training as active duty in item 8.
Not updating the form at appointment when something changed since you first signed.
Leaving the Selective Service questions blank. Men born after December 31, 1959 must answer 7b.

After you fill it out

Sign item 17a and return the form to the agency the way its HR office asks.

Keep a copy. You will review the same answers at appointment and sign 17b.

FileIt saves the finished PDF in your vault, so you can reopen it for the appointee update.

Fill out Optional Form 306 online with FileIt

Pick the person. Choose someone from People and FileIt fills in their name, date of birth, address and other details it already knows.
Answer plain-language questions. One part of the form at a time, with the official help text beside each question — 38 fields in all. Your answers save as you go.
Check the live preview. Watch your answers land on the real U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) form, and let FileIt do any worksheet arithmetic.
Generate the official PDF. FileIt prints your answers into the agency’s own PDF and files it in that person’s folder in your vault. Sign it, or send it for e-signature.

FileIt fills the form — it never files or submits anything for you. Deliver the finished form to whoever asked for it, the way the form’s instructions say.

Start Optional Form 306 now — it’s free

Optional Form 306: frequently asked questions

When do I fill out the OF 306?

Usually after a tentative or conditional job offer. You sign it as the applicant, and you review and sign again as the appointee when you are hired.

Will a Yes answer stop me from getting a federal job?

The form says that the circumstances of each event are considered and that in most cases you can still be considered for federal jobs. Give full details in item 16.

What can I leave out of the conviction questions?

For items 9, 10 and 11 the form lets you leave out traffic fines of $300 or less, violations before your 16th birthday, violations before your 18th birthday finally decided in juvenile court or under a Youth Offender law, convictions set aside under the Federal Youth Corrections Act or a similar state law, and expunged convictions. Pleas of nolo contendere still count.

Who has to answer the Selective Service questions?

Men born after December 31, 1959 who are at least 18. Federal law (5 U.S.C. 3328) requires registration for civil service employment unless an exemption applies.

What is item 18 about?

Only appointees who worked for the federal government before answer it: when you left your last federal job, and whether you waived and later cancelled a waiver of life insurance.

Can I sign the OF 306 electronically?

FileIt places eSignature boxes on the applicant and appointee signature lines. Your agency may ask for its own e-signature process or a handwritten signature, so follow its instructions.

Official sources

Blank form (PDF), published by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM): https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of0306.pdf
Official instructions and guidance: https://www.opm.gov/forms/optional-forms/
Edition shown on this page: Optional Form 306, Revised October 2019 (OMB No. 3206-0182) (checked 2026-10-19).

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-10-19.