How long clearances are taking
The latest published average processing times for initial clearances in cleared industry, with every source linked.
Not affiliated with DoD, DCSA, OPM, or any government agency; not legal advice. Free and unofficial. Always follow the official form and your sponsor's instructions.
These are averages of cases that finished in a quarter, as briefed by DCSA to industry. They are not a promise for any single case: cases with issues to resolve take longer, clean ones can be quicker. Figures cover initial clearances for cleared industry (contractors) only.
Fiscal year 2026, quarter 4 (July to September 2026)
| Initial case | Initiation | Investigation | Adjudication | End to end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secret (Tier 3) | 21 days | 71 days | 146 days | 238 days |
| Top Secret (Tier 5) | 23 days | 95 days | 158 days | 276 days |
Source: DCSA Industry Stakeholder Engagement briefing, October 6, 2026 (slides 4–5), as reported by FSOtools, "How long does a security clearance take?". DCSA announced that briefing in its September 30, 2026 Voice of Industry newsletter. The slides themselves were not posted publicly when this page was checked (2026-11-13).
Fiscal year 2026, quarter 3 (April to June 2026)
| Initial case | Initiation | Investigation | Adjudication | End to end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secret | 21 days | 59 days | 117 days | 197 days |
| Top Secret | 20 days | 97 days | 126 days | 243 days |
Source: DCSA presentation at the NISPPAC meeting, as reported by Lindy Kyzer, "How Long Does It Take to Process a Security Clearance? Q3 2026 FY Update", ClearanceJobs, September 2, 2026.
Before you compare numbers
- New yardstick. DCSA now reports the average of all cases. Older reports used the fastest 90% of cases, so older and newer figures are not directly comparable (ClearanceJobs, September 2, 2026).
- Adjudication is now the longest step. In both quarters above, the decision phase took longer than the investigation.
- Government-wide figures differ. The Performance Accountability Council's Trusted Workforce 2.0 quarterly report (legacy metrics, FY26-Q3) covers all agencies and measures different things.
Questions about your own case go to your Facility Security Officer or the sponsoring agency. This site cannot look up cases.
We update this page when a new quarter is published. Last checked 2026-11-13.