What is financial disclosure and why does this job require it?
In the Overview section, the job announcement will tell you if a federal job requires the employee to fill out a financial disclosure report.
Some jobs require federal employees to disclose information about assets, income, employment agreements, liabilities, outside activities and gifts. Agencies use this information to identify and resolve real or perceived conflicts of interest.
The Ethics in Government Act requires certain federal employees to file financial disclosure reports. The first report is due within 30 days of entry on duty or earlier (if your agency requires pre-clearance) and then annually. There are two types of federal employees who must file:
- Employees who must complete the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) form 278, which is available to the public on request.
- Employees who must complete the OGE Form 450, which is confidential and not available to the public.
Whether you must file a financial disclosure report depends on the duties of the job. Generally, senior or high-level federal employes like political appointees, members of the Senior Executive Service or GS-15 or above employees must file public financial disclosure reports. Generally, you must file if you’re a GS-15 or below who works in areas like government contracting or procurement, grants, subsidies or licensing, auditing or other jobs. that may require the employee to avoid financial conflicts of interest.