SF-50 Form

Standard Form 50, SF-50 Form for short, and known as the Notification of Personnel Action, is a federal government form that documents important employment information for a federal employee. It is a legal document that can significantly impact someone seeking to retire from the federal government and can also impact eligibility for certain benefits. For this reason, it is vital for anyone who works in the federal government to understand what their SF-50s are and how to properly manage them. The SF-50 is necessary to record officially any changes that occur in a federal worker’s status, such as accessions, conversions, separations, awards, and corrections or cancellations of these actions.

Form SF-50 should be filled out by a Human Resources officer and be sent to an employee whose position, pay, or qualifications have been changed. Keeping copies of all SF-50s in case of future disputes or questions is a good idea. The SF-50 is available through the OPM website and is free to download.

How to Request a Copy of Form SF-50?

To request a copy of the SF 50, you must submit a completed SF 180 form to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). This standard form can be found online or in print at the NPRC website. The SF 180 requires you to provide your name, title, and dates of employment in the federal government. If you have an SF-50, you must also provide the number on the form.

It is also essential to include a valid email address and mailing address that is safe for you to receive your documents. The NPRC cannot email copies of SF 50s for security reasons, so you must send your request via mail or secure fax. This may slow down the process, but it is for your protection. Additionally, if you are asking for your SF-50, the NPRC will need your personal identifying information (PII), such as your social security number and date of birth. This is for your safety and is required by law.

How to File Form SF-50?

An SF-50 has three main sections: the “FROM” section, the “TO” section, and the block 31. The “FROM” section contains information about the employee’s previous job in the “From” field, and the “TO” section contains information about the employee’s current job in the “To” field. The last field, block 31, indicates which retirement system is used by OPM to calculate an employee’s pension.

It’s recommended that employees review their SF-50s every time they receive them. This will allow them to catch any errors or inconsistencies. It’s also important to ensure that the SF-50 is accurate, as it can greatly impact an employee’s future retirement plans. For example, one federal employee was told that they were not eligible to retire when they reached their SF-50’s retirement eligibility date because six months of service were incorrectly categorized as non-creditable on the form.