Permanent-Career, Competitive service

Competitive service consists of all civil service positions in the executive branch of the Federal government with some exceptions.  The exceptions are defined in Section 2102 of title 5, United States Code (5 U.S.C. 2102).

To determine if your Federal employment was or is within the competitive service, look at your SF-50, “Notification of Personnel Action”, in the section “Position Data”, block number 34 (“Position Occupied”).  The competitive service is denoted by a “1” in that block.

Permanent – Career status as a federal employee is achieved by fulfilling 3 years of substantially continuous service as a career-conditional employee in the competitive service.

If you are or were a Federal employee, refer to your SF-50, “Notification of Personnel Action”, in the section “Employee Data”, block number 24 (“Tenure”) to determine your tenure group.  (If you have a “1” in that block and a “1” in block 34 you are a permanent – career employee, if there is a “2” in block 24 and a “1” in block 34 you are a career-conditional employee.)