Reading your SF-50 to determine your service and appointment type

If you don’t know which service you’re in or your appointment type, you can refer to your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action).

How to find your SF-50

Many agencies use OPM’s electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) tool, which is an online system for managing personnel documents. Agencies that use eOPF have their own URL. For example, OPM’s eOPF can be found at https://eopf.opm.gov/opm/, whereas the Social Security Administration’s eOPF can be found at https://eopf.opm.gov/ssa/. The eOPF tool is often only accessible from your agency’s internal network.

However, not all agencies use the eOPF tool. Ask your Human Resources department if you’re not sure where to find your SF-50.

How to read your SF-50

Your appointment type

Tenure - Block 24

On your SF-50, look for Block 24 named “Tenure”. You may see a 0, 1, 2, 3 or asterisk.

  • A 0 indicates that you may be in the Senior Executive Service or appointed by the President subject to Senate confirmation. You may also be in a group that is not defined in The Guide to Data Standards.
  • A 1 indicates that you’re a permanent, career employee and have completed three years of service.
  • A 2 indicates that you’re a career-conditional employee. You’re in a permanent position, but you haven’t completed three years of service yet and may still be in your probation period.
  • A 3 indicates that may be on a temporary or term appointment.
  • An asterisk indicates that you were appointed through a specific hiring authority that deviates from the above.

Ask your Human Resources department for more information if you’re unsure about what’s in your Tenure block.

Your service type

Position occupied - Block 34

Look at Block 34 named “Position occupied”. You may see a 1, 2, 3, 4 or asterisk.

If you have an asterisk or questions about Block 34, ask your Human Resources department to tell you the service type.

Exceptions

The Department of Defense and other agencies have exceptions to these rules. For example:

  • If you have Tenure: 0 and Position occupied: 1, you’re a current temporary employee.
  • If you have Tenure: 3 and Position occupied: 1, you’re a current term employee.

If you see a combination of numbers you don’t understand, ask your Human Resources department.