There are many fascinating reasons why people can be rejected for a security clearance. Perhaps they are sleepers of a foreign power. Or maybe they are members of the notorious Anonymous hacker fraternity – desperate to divulge American secrets and establish a new world order. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!

In reality, the reasons why most permissions are rejected are decidedly not very sexy. They are generally downright boring. the the main reason why applicants for authorization are rejected is due to financial issues. An applicant’s exorbitant credit card debt or delinquent loans could make them vulnerable to blackmail – or raise questions about their judgment.

So it makes sense that so many clearance seekers contact ClearanceJobs with questions about financial issues. This week, an applicant asked, “Can I take out a loan or incur debt during the security clearance process?” ” Yes. And no.

can new debt wait?

In the past, the recommendation may have been to avoid incurring debt when applying for a security clearance or re-investigation. Such debt could negatively affect your credit score and – therefore – negatively affect your background investigation.

Unfortunately, when applicants can wait more than a year for their authorizations, problems may arise. You may need to take out a loan for a new car. Or maybe medical issues have forced you to take on more debt. These things happen and the authorization arbitrators know it. They will judge you based on concept of “whole person”, taking into account your character and other behaviors.

If possible, however, let your security guard know before you incur new debt. They will be able to advise you and help you alleviate problems if necessary. That said, common sense rules still apply; don’t buy a Porsche if you make $ 50,000 a year.

Much of the customs clearance process is like the Pirate Code: “more what you would call guidelines than actual rules”. This case-by-case system aims to take into account the whole person, increase the security of the process, and allow applicants with the lowest risks / highest needs to complete the process. However, it also creates a lot of questions for applicants. For this reason, ClearanceJobs maintains LiquidationJobsBlog.com – a forum where authorization applicants can seek advice from the authorized community on their specific security issues. Ask CJ explores the questions asked about the ClearanceJobs Blog Forum.

If you have a difficult security clearance question, you can post your questions or concerns on LiquidationJobsBlog.com.