How long do you have to keep security clearance and personnel security investigation files after an employee leaves?

There is no single, universal answer. Retention of security clearance and personnel security investigation records depends on the type of record, the agency that holds it, and whether the file is governed by a government-wide schedule or an agency-specific one. The general principle is that these files are kept for a defined period tied to the individual’s separation, then destroyed or transferred according to an approved records schedule.

What governs the retention period

In the U.S. federal government, personnel security and clearance records are typically scheduled records. That means their disposition is set by either:

• A General Records Schedule (GRS) issued by the National Archives, which covers common administrative records held across agencies, including many personnel security and investigative case files; or
• An agency-specific schedule approved by NARA, used when an agency’s records have unique requirements.

Investigative files created by the originating investigative agency (for example, the office that conducts background investigations) are often governed separately from the copies an employing agency keeps in its own personnel security program. The two can carry different retention periods.

Common practice

While exact periods vary, agencies commonly destroy an employee’s personnel security and clearance case file a set number of years after the person separates, the clearance is terminated, or the case is closed — whichever event the schedule specifies as the trigger. Background investigation reports of a sensitive or privacy-protected nature usually have their own, sometimes shorter, retention because they are tightly controlled under the Privacy Act.

How to find the exact number

Because periods change and depend on the record type, verify rather than assume:

• Check the applicable General Records Schedule for personnel security and access clearance records.
• Confirm whether your agency has a tailored schedule that supersedes the GRS.
• Note the disposition trigger (separation, clearance termination, or case closure) and the retention length that follows it.
• Remember Privacy Act obligations apply to many of these files, affecting handling and disposal as well as retention.

For background on disposition authorities and how schedules work, see the declassification topic hub.

When in doubt, consult your agency records officer and the current NARA-approved schedule rather than relying on a remembered figure.