Security Clearance in Danger? How Tax Debt Affects Sacramento Government Contractors

Sacramento is a hub for the defense and aerospace industries, as well as federal agencies. For thousands of employees at Aerojet, Intel, or nearby Beale AFB, maintaining a security clearance is a strict condition of employment. Unfortunately, financial trouble is the number one cause of security clearance denial and revocation, falling under Guideline F: Financial Considerations.

Why the Government Cares About Your Taxes

The logic is simple: an individual with significant unpaid debt is viewed as a security risk because they may be vulnerable to bribery, coercion, or blackmail. Furthermore, a failure to file tax returns is seen as a “failure to follow the law,” which questions your reliability and trustworthiness.

If you have unfiled returns or a federal tax lien, you may receive a Statement of Reasons (SOR) or a Letter of Intent to Revoke your clearance. This is a career-ending crisis if not handled immediately.

The “Mitigating Conditions” You Need to Know

The Adjudicative Guidelines (SEAD 4) specifically list conditions that can mitigate security concerns. The most powerful one regarding taxes is:

“The individual has made arrangements with the appropriate creditor or otherwise initiated a good-faith effort to repay overdue creditors or otherwise resolve debts.”

This means you do not have to pay the debt in full instantly to save your clearance. You must simply have a valid, active plan in place.

Our Strategy for Protecting Your Clearance

At Kugelman Law, we work with many clearance holders in the Sacramento region. Our strategy is two-fold:

1. Immediate IRS Resolution

We move fast to get you into a compliant status. This usually involves filing any missing returns immediately (even if you can’t pay the balance yet) and negotiating an Installment Agreement. Once the IRS accepts this agreement, the debt is considered “resolved” for the purposes of adjudication, even if you will be paying it off for years.

2. Documentation for the Adjudicator

We provide you with a legal opinion letter and a package of certified IRS transcripts showing that you are now in compliance. We explain the context of the debt—was it due to a divorce? A medical emergency? A business failure? Context matters. We help you frame the narrative that this was an isolated event, not a pattern of lawlessness.

Do Not Wait for the SOR

If you know you have tax issues and your reinvestigation window is approaching (every 5 years for Top Secret), you must act now. Self-reporting that you have fixed a tax problem looks infinitely better than the investigator finding it during a background check. Protect your career and your clearance by calling Kugelman Law.