Your SF-50: the single most important document in your federal career.

The SF-50 is the document federal employees see most often and understand least. It arrives via email or eOPF notification after every personnel action — often several times a year — and most employees glance at the pay change and file it. Very few read the blocks that define their legal status. This is a mistake. In a RIF, the tenure group, service computation date, and veterans' preference fields determine retention standing. In a dispute over pay, the step, grade, pay rate determinant, and legal authority blocks define what the employee is entitled to. In a separation, the SCD for leave determines the final lump-sum leave payment. In a future application for federal reemployment, the SF-50 history is the proof of eligibility for reinstatement, CTAP, and ICTAP.

The current reorganization environment has elevated the importance of SF-50 literacy. Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans submitted under the January 2025 DOGE executive order have produced RIF notices, reassignments, and position abolishments across multiple departments. Employees whose tenure codes, SCDs, or performance ratings are incorrectly recorded have found themselves on the wrong side of retention standings determined by those fields. The SF-50s that should have been corrected years earlier now determine outcomes in real time. This guide covers the blocks that matter, how to read them, how to identify errors, and how to request corrections.

Section I What the SF-50 is and is not

The legal function

The SF-50 is the required written notification of personnel actions affecting an employee's status, tenure, position, or compensation. It is used to document and report accessions, conversions, separations, promotions, reassignments, within-grade increases, pay adjustments, details, and corrections or cancellations of prior actions. Every SF-50 is generated from an SF-52 (Request for Personnel Action), which initiates the action, and is then filed permanently in the employee's Official Personnel Folder.

The eOPF

Today, the Official Personnel Folder exists primarily in electronic form as the eOPF. Employees can access their eOPF through their agency's HR system using their PIV card credentials. The eOPF contains all SF-50s, along with benefits election forms, performance records, position descriptions, and other official personnel documents. Employees should verify they can access their eOPF and know how to download individual documents — the process varies by agency.

What the SF-50 is not

The SF-50 is not a performance record, not a disciplinary record, not a decision on contested action. It is the official notification of an administrative action that has been approved and processed. Separate documents govern performance ratings (Form DA-2-OPM or agency equivalent), disciplinary actions (the specific notices and decisions in each case), and appeals or grievances. The SF-50 records the result — the action that took effect — not the reasoning behind it.

Frequency

A typical federal employee receives several SF-50s per year: one for each WGI, one for any promotion or reassignment, one for any detail exceeding 30 days, one for any change in personal data (tenure change, veterans' preference update, FLSA change), and others for specific pay adjustments. During a reorganization or after a major life event (military buyback, benefit election change), the frequency can be much higher. Each one should be reviewed.

Section II The action blocks — what happened

The top portion of the SF-50 documents the specific action being taken.

Block 1 — Name

The employee's name exactly as it appears in agency records. Errors here (spelling, missing middle initial, incorrect former name) should be corrected promptly because they cascade across all personnel records.

Block 2 — Social Security Number

The employee's SSN. This is redacted on copies provided to the employee through most modern eOPF systems but remains on the agency record.

Block 3 — Date of Birth

The employee's date of birth. Used for retirement eligibility calculations.

Block 4 — Effective Date

The date the personnel action took effect. Most actions are effective at the beginning of the day; separations and terminations of grade or pay retention are effective at the end of the day (midnight). This date is critical for pay calculations, WGI waiting-period calculations, and leave accrual.

Block 5-A — Code (NOA)

The three-character Nature of Action code identifying the type of personnel action. The codes follow a standardized OPM system — see Section VI below for a summary of common codes.

Block 5-B — Nature of Action

The text description of the NOA code. For example, code 892 appears with the description "Regular WGI" or similar standard text.

Blocks 5-C through 5-F — Legal Authority

The statute or regulation authorizing the action. The code appears in 5-C and the text description in 5-D; if a second authority applies, it appears in 5-E and 5-F. Common legal authorities: "Reg 531.405" (for WGIs under 5 CFR 531.405), "5 USC 3304" (for competitive examining appointments), "Reg 335.103" (for merit promotion). Always verify that the legal authority matches the action being taken.

Blocks 6-A through 6-F — Second Action

When a second action occurs on the same effective date (for example, a simultaneous promotion and change of duty station), Block 6 documents the second action. These blocks normally remain blank for standard single-action SF-50s.

Section III Position and pay blocks

Blocks 7 through 22 document the position and pay before and after the action.

Blocks 7–14 — From (previous position)

These blocks describe the employee's position before the action: position title and number, pay plan (GS, WG, GM, SES, ST, SL, etc.), occupational code (series), grade, step or rate, salary (total including locality), and organization name and location. For initial appointments, these blocks are blank because there is no previous federal position of record.

Blocks 15–22 — To (new position)

These blocks describe the position after the action. The same fields as Blocks 7–14 are populated for the new position. On lateral reassignments, only the organization name and duty station change; on promotions, the grade, step, and salary change; on pay adjustments, the salary changes while other fields remain constant.

Blocks 12 and 20 — Pay breakdown

Block 12 on a "from" position shows previous total annual salary, often broken into sub-blocks for basic pay (12A), locality adjustment (12B), adjusted basic pay (12C), and other pay (12D). Block 20 shows the same breakdown for the new position. When the action is not an award or bonus, Block 12 shows former total annual salary and Block 20 shows new total annual salary.

What to verify

Confirm the pay plan, grade, step, and salary match the offer or expected outcome. Confirm the occupational code matches the actual position (errors here can affect classification, qualification for future positions, and series-specific benefits). Confirm the organization name reflects the current organization.

Section IV Status blocks — tenure, SCD, veterans' preference

Blocks 23 through 39 document the employee's employment status and other personnel data. These are the blocks that most directly affect RIF retention, leave accrual, and long-term benefits.

Block 23 — Veterans' Preference

A single-digit code indicating veterans' preference status: 1 (none), 2 (5-point preference), 3 (10-point disability), 4 (10-point compensable disability), 5 (10-point other), or 6 (10-point 30-percent or more disabled). Veterans with prior military service should verify this code is correct. If it reflects "none" and the employee is a veteran, provide a DD-214 (Member 4 copy) to HR for correction. Veterans' preference affects hiring, RIF retention, and other personnel actions.

Block 24 — Tenure

The tenure code reflecting the nature of the appointment: 1 (permanent), 2 (conditional — typically career-conditional or probationary), 3 (indefinite/term), or 0 (no status). Tenure group I has the strongest RIF retention standing, followed by tenure group II and then tenure group III. An error in this block can cause an employee to be treated as lower-tenure than they actually are, reducing their retention standing in a RIF.

Block 26 — Veterans' Preference for RIF

A separate veterans' preference code used specifically in RIF calculations. This may differ from Block 23 in specific circumstances. Both should be accurate for employees in positions covered by RIF procedures.

Block 27 — FEGLI

The current Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance election. Employees should verify the code matches what they intended to elect — errors can cost thousands of dollars in coverage over a career.

Block 29 — Pay Rate Determinant

A code indicating whether the employee is subject to any special pay-setting rules. A value of "0" means no special rules; other values indicate special rates, retained rates, superior qualifications pay setting, and other variations. Employees with pay rate determinants other than 0 should confirm they understand what the code means and that it is accurate.

Block 31 — Service Computation Date (SCD)

The SCD used to calculate leave accrual. Under Title 5 rules, employees with fewer than 3 years of creditable service accrue 4 hours of annual leave per pay period; 3 to 15 years accrue 6 hours; 15 or more years accrue 8 hours. The SCD includes all federal civilian service and creditable military service (if a buyback has been completed — see our Benefits pillar guide on military service buyback). An error in the SCD can reduce annual leave accrual for years before the error is discovered.

Important: the SCD Leave is different from the SCD used for retirement calculations and the SCD used for RIF retention. These can all be different dates depending on creditable service categories. Employees with military service, civilian service at different agencies, or specific categories of non-federal service should confirm all three SCDs are correct.

Blocks 32–33 — Work Schedule and Hours

Block 32 indicates the work schedule (full-time, part-time, intermittent). Block 33, if part-time, specifies the number of hours per pay period.

Section V Retirement plan, FLSA, and position occupied

Block 30 — Retirement Plan

A code indicating the employee's retirement system coverage. FERS, CSRS, and specialized variants (FERS-RAE, FERS-FRAE for employees hired in specific time windows, CSRS Offset for employees with prior CSRS service) each have different contribution rates and benefit formulas. Errors in this block can result in incorrect contributions being deducted from pay for years before the error is detected. Employees should confirm the retirement plan code matches their actual coverage — especially employees hired around coverage-change boundaries (2013, 2014) where different FERS variants apply.

Block 34 — Position Occupied

A code indicating the type of federal service: 1 (competitive service), 2 (excepted service), 3 (SES career reserved), 4 (SES general), 5 (SES limited term), and others. This block affects competitive standing, reinstatement rights, and qualification for future positions that require specific service types.

Blocks 35–39 — Additional position data

These blocks include the FLSA category (exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act, or non-exempt), bargaining unit status (whether covered by a collective bargaining agreement), and duty station code. The FLSA category is particularly important for employees whose positions involve overtime work — non-exempt employees are entitled to overtime pay; exempt employees generally are not. See our Career & Pay guide on overtime, compensatory time, and premium pay.

Block 45 — Remarks

Text remarks elaborating on the action. For example, a WGI SF-50 may state "Work performance is at an acceptable level of competence" to confirm the statutory requirement was met. A promotion SF-50 may include remarks about eligibility under a specific merit promotion program.

Blocks 46–50 — Administrative

Employing department or agency code, personnel office identifier, approval date, and the signature and title of the approving official. These establish the chain of custody for the action and are useful when requesting corrections from HR.

Section VI Common Nature of Action codes

The full NOA code catalog runs to hundreds of codes across the 000–999 range. A working knowledge of the most common codes is sufficient for reading routine SF-50s.

100 series — Appointments

The 100 series covers initial appointments and reappointments. Common codes: 100 (career appointment), 101 (career-conditional appointment), 130 (reinstatement), 170 (excepted appointment). A new employee's first SF-50 will carry a 100-series code indicating the type of appointment.

300 series — Separations

The 300 series covers separations from federal service. Common codes: 301 (optional retirement), 302 (mandatory retirement at age 65 for specified positions), 317 (resignation), 352 (RIF separation), 357 (removal for cause), 385 (death in service). Separation actions have specific effective date rules — separations are effective at the end of the day (midnight) rather than the beginning.

700 series — Position changes

The 700 series covers moves within federal service. Common codes: 702 (promotion), 713 (reassignment), 721 (change to lower grade — voluntary), 750 (detail). Each code carries specific implications for pay, benefits, and competitive standing.

800 series — Pay adjustments

The 800 series covers pay-related actions that do not involve a change in position. Common codes: 892 (regular WGI), 893 (QSI), 830 (adjustment of base salary, typically for annual pay raises), 866 (change in step rate resulting from superior qualifications or other pay-setting actions).

001 and 002 — Cancellations and corrections

NOA code 001 cancels a previously processed personnel action — used when an action was processed in error and needs to be reversed. Code 002 corrects data on a previously processed action — used to fix errors such as incorrect SCDs, tenure codes, or personal data. If an employee needs a correction, the agency typically processes a code 002 action that fixes the erroneous data without erasing the fact that the original action occurred.

Section VII Finding errors and requesting corrections

Errors on SF-50s are not rare, and the employee is the person most likely to catch them. Agency HR systems generate SF-50s from upstream data; if the upstream data is wrong, the SF-50 reflects the error.

Common errors

Incorrect SCD for Leave after a break in service or military buyback. Tenure code set to "conditional" when the employee has completed the three-year service requirement for career tenure. Veterans' preference reflecting "none" for a veteran who has not provided the DD-214 to HR. Retirement plan incorrectly coded after a conversion between systems. FLSA status incorrectly coded after a classification change. Pay rate determinant missing or incorrect after a superior qualifications or special rate action.

How to request a correction

While still employed by the agency, contact the servicing human resources office. Describe the specific error (which block, what the current value is, what it should be) and provide supporting documentation (military buyback paperwork for SCD corrections, DD-214 for veterans' preference, prior SF-50s showing correct values, performance records showing career tenure completion). The agency processes a correction action under NOA code 002 that fixes the data while preserving the original action. Minor errors in data that OPM does not track can sometimes be corrected with pen-and-ink updates, but agencies may never use white-out, erasures, or pencil to alter data that OPM requires.

After separation

If an employee is no longer with the federal government and discovers an error on an old SF-50, correction requests go to the Deputy Associate Director, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20415-6000. Corrections to historical records are harder to obtain than corrections while still employed — another reason to catch errors contemporaneously.

Why personal copies matter

Agency eOPF systems are generally reliable, but they are not infallible. During reorganizations, agency transitions, and separations, access can be disrupted. Personal copies of every SF-50 protect the employee against: system errors that corrupt or misfile records, agency transitions during reorganizations, departure from federal service when eOPF access is lost, RIF or appeal situations requiring immediate access to complete personnel history, and disputes over historical benefits or eligibility.

The practice: download each SF-50 as it arrives. Save it to cloud storage and to a physical drive. Include the date in the filename. Retain all SF-50s indefinitely. During the current reorganization environment, retention of personal SF-50 copies has become standard practice for employees in affected agencies. See our Workplace pillar guide on documenting everything for the full personal record-retention strategy.

Section VIII Frequently asked questions