topic Re: Credit check and top secret clearance in General Credit Topics

Credit check and top secret clearance

Subexistence — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 23:49:15 GMT

Due to the equifax breach, I have my transunion and equifax bureaus locked. The company I will intern for in the summer is sponsoring me for a top secret clearance which will do a credit check.

I want to know how I can find out when I can lock my reports again. I'd prefer to be able to lock my reports before my clearance is completely processed.

Re: Credit check and top secret clearance

pipeguy — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 23:55:21 GMT

You can "lift" a freeze for a stated period of time up to 30 days at NO cost in Virginia (some states allow for a charge, usually $10, to lift a freeze) - since I know you are currently interning in Virginia, you can lift the freeze for 2-3-4 weeks no problem. Given that this is a background investigation that you don't really want to "delay or interfere with" if it was me I'd lift the freeze for 30 days and not worry about it.

Re: Credit check and top secret clearance

Subexistence — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 23:58:52 GMT

@pipeguy wrote:
You can "lift" a freeze for a stated period of time up to 30 days at NO cost in Virginia (some states allow for a charge, usually $10, to lift a freeze) - since I know you are currently interning in Virginia, you can lift the freeze for 2-3-4 weeks no problem. Given that this is a background investigation that you don't really want to "delay or interfere with" if it was me I'd lift the freeze for 30 days and not worry about it.

Unfortunetly I'm a Maryland resident but I can lock both transunion via trueidentidy and equifax via trustedid for free. Also if I pay maryland taxes, I don't need to pay virginia taxes.

Re: Credit check and top secret clearance

pipeguy — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 00:07:16 GMT

@Subexistence wrote:
@pipeguy wrote:
You can "lift" a freeze for a stated period of time up to 30 days at NO cost in Virginia (some states allow for a charge, usually $10, to lift a freeze) - since I know you are currently interning in Virginia, you can lift the freeze for 2-3-4 weeks no problem. Given that this is a background investigation that you don't really want to "delay or interfere with" if it was me I'd lift the freeze for 30 days and not worry about it.
Unfortunetly I'm a Maryland resident but I can lock both transunion via trueidentidy and equifax via trustedid for free. Also if I pay maryland taxes, I don't need to pay virginia taxes.

Maryland taxes are much higher - if you are working in Virginia, do yourself a favor and move to the land of the freer. Note I was born and raised in Maryland but I would not move back there today for any reason (taxes, cost of living, gas, politics, idiotic local regulations, etc etc). Yes in Virginia we suffer through the cost of personal property tax on our cars, but that's a lot less than the Maryland County piggyback 50% income tax in addition to state tax oh... and Virgina does not tax "rain" as they do in Maryland.

Note I'm staying away from discussing politics

Re: Credit check and top secret clearance

Subexistence — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 00:11:07 GMT

@pipeguy wrote:
@Subexistence wrote:
@pipeguy wrote:
You can "lift" a freeze for a stated period of time up to 30 days at NO cost in Virginia (some states allow for a charge, usually $10, to lift a freeze) - since I know you are currently interning in Virginia, you can lift the freeze for 2-3-4 weeks no problem. Given that this is a background investigation that you don't really want to "delay or interfere with" if it was me I'd lift the freeze for 30 days and not worry about it.
Unfortunetly I'm a Maryland resident but I can lock both transunion via trueidentidy and equifax via trustedid for free. Also if I pay maryland taxes, I don't need to pay virginia taxes.
Maryland taxes are much higher - if you are working in Virginia, do yourself a favor and move to the land of the freer. Note I was born and raised in Maryland but I would not move back there today for any reason (taxes, cost of living, gas, politics, idiotic local regulations, etc etc). Yes in Virginia we suffer through the cost of personal property tax on our cars, but that's a lot less than the Maryland County piggyback 50% income tax in addition to state tax oh... and Virgina does not tax "rain" as they do in Maryland.

Note I'm staying away from discussing politics

If I already submitted my tax forms to my employer, do I still have the option to go back and do Maryland taxes?

Re: Credit check and top secret clearance

pipeguy — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 00:39:15 GMT

If you live in Maryland you pay Maryland Taxes if you move to Virginia you pay Virginia taxes, people move all the time. That said, depending on where you live throughout the year can get a bit tricky as to where you file but in general you can get credit for taxes paid to another state or split tax obligations depending on how much time you live in various states. (This is an in general answer, lots of factors in play depending on the state). As far as your employer, you must file a new withholding W4 when you move to a new state.

Re: Credit check and top secret clearance

marty56 — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 10:42:25 GMT

I think some of the ID theft monitoring services will alert you when someone access your CR. You could unlock all your reports, use the service till the company pulls your CR, then cancel if you you want. Note the some clearances require periodic updates so they will pull your CR during that update. Currently the updates that I know about are every 5 years but YMMV.

O/T I am not sure if a CR freeze will block employment CR checks or not. I'll defer to others.

Re: Credit check and top secret clearance

joltdude — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 01:48:45 GMT

I asked someone in RL about this.... technicially it depends... the level of clearance your going for they can supposedly pull through the freeze.. that said.. you don't want to ... ahem with this process and they might ask you to unlock it anyways.. and suggests biting the bullet and proactively unlocking them ALL and wait for them to do the pulls.... You want to make this process as seamless as possible.....

Just unlock it....and let it complete...

-J

Re: Credit check and top secret clearance

Subexistence — Sun, 21 Jan 2018 03:49:03 GMT

@joltdude wrote:
I asked someone in RL about this.... technicially it depends... the level of clearance your going for they can supposedly pull through the freeze.. that said.. you don't want to ... ahem with this process and they might ask you to unlock it anyways.. and suggests biting the bullet and proactively unlocking them ALL and wait for them to do the pulls.... You want to make this process as seamless as possible.....

Just unlock it....and let it complete...
-J

Will I need to unfreeze innovis as well?

Re: Credit check and top secret clearance

Remedios — Sun, 21 Jan 2018 12:21:37 GMT

I've worked for pharmaceutical company (research) for the past 15 years. We do "business" with NIH.I can tell you from the personal experience that either they get to see whatever is it that they want to see, or you're out. Nobody is going to ask more than once. If you're not willing to give them access to your reports, the next intern in line will. If you do decide to give them access to your reports in exchange for top clearance...i'd be really curious if aliens are amongst us and where are they hiding Optimus Prime.

Re: Credit check and top secret clearance

joltdude — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 04:41:36 GMT

I wouldnt sweat unlocking Innovis.. Just the big three..

But if your asked to.. Just do it...

Re: Credit check and top secret clearance

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 05:52:53 GMT

As a military veteran of 27 years with various "permanent" and/or interim levels of clearances during my tenure, I can tell you this much - you tell the COMPLETE TRUTH and you are an open book. If they ask you if you were a bully in school, ever cheated on your spouse, snorted coke, etc., etc., etc. - you answer them HONESTLY because they WILL find out the truth (if they don't already know beforehand - most likely scenario). The OPM's job is to certify you are an honest person with all of the (sometimes uncomfortable) truths on paper so they know you cannot be bribed by enemies, both Foreign and Domestic and that's that... PERIOD.

LOOK - they aren't going to use your answers against you to get you fired, or in the case of the military, dishonorably discharged for lying to your recruiter to get into the military in the first place...PROMISE you! It's not their job, nor is it their intent. Your commander will only see either "Denied" or "Granted"... much like hard-pulls vs soft-pulls' visibility to potential "pre-approved" credit grantors do (IOW, they don't bother looking at the dirt unless it becomes a national security issue).

Full disclosure: I was a military recruiter briefly myself, before I saw the horrors of war and realized I could no longer send people to the desert anymore.

Back to the topic: You tell them about EVERY skeleton in your closet they ask about, including any credit woes, missteps, whatever, and you'll most likely get that Top you're needing. Best of luck and I hope this helps!