The SF 181 form, Ethnicity and Race Identification, is a Standard Form of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on which a federal employee reports ethnicity and race. It asks two questions: whether you are Hispanic or Latino, and which racial categories you most closely identify with. OPM's forms page lists it for use with current federal employees only. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the official PDF is published by OPM.
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What is SF 181?
Standard Form 181 (SF 181), Ethnicity and Race Identification, is the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) form that a current federal employee uses to record their ethnicity and race for their personnel records. It is headed "Guide to Personnel Data Standards."
The form has an identification block (name, Social Security number and birthdate by month and year), an "Agency Use Only" area, and two questions. Question 1 asks whether you are Hispanic or Latino, defined on the form as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. Question 2 asks you to select, with an "X," the racial categories you most closely identify with, and you may check as many as apply. The categories, each defined on the form, are:
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- Asian
- Black or African American
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
- White
The Privacy Act Statement on the form says the information is requested under 42 U.S.C. Section 2000e-16 and in line with the Office of Management and Budget's 1997 Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. It is used to plan for equal employment opportunity throughout the Federal government, and for personnel research, survey response and summary statistics. The form is marked "Previous editions not usable."
Who needs to file SF 181?
OPM's standard forms page lists SF 181 "for use with current federal employees only." If you are a current federal employee asked to identify your ethnicity and race for your personnel records, this is the form.
Providing the information is voluntary and, according to the Privacy Act Statement, has no impact on your employment status. If information is missing, your employing agency will attempt to identify your race and ethnicity by visual observation.
The Social Security number is also voluntary. The form states that failing to provide it has no effect on your employment status, but that other agency sources may be used to obtain it if you leave it out.
People who are not current federal employees are outside the audience OPM gives for the form. The form describes no representative or third party who may complete it for someone else.
How to fill out SF 181
Read the Privacy Act Statement
Read the Privacy Act Statement and the Specific Instructions before you complete the form. They explain that providing the information is voluntary and how it is used.
Enter your name
In the identification block, enter your name in the order the form asks: Last, First, Middle Initial.
Enter your Social Security number
Enter your Social Security Number in the next box. Providing it is voluntary; if you leave it out, the form says other agency sources may be used to obtain it.
Enter your birthdate
Enter your birthdate as month and year only, as the box is labeled Birthdate (Month and Year).
Leave Agency Use Only blank
Do not write in the Agency Use Only area. Your employing agency uses it.
Answer Question 1
Mark Yes or No to "Are You Hispanic or Latino?" The form defines this as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
Answer Question 2
Whatever you answered to Question 1, go on to Question 2. Place an "X" in each racial category you most closely identify with: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander or White. Check as many as apply.
Review and download the completed PDF
Check your name, the month and year of birth and both answers. Download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and return it to your employing agency as described under How to submit.
How to submit SF 181
SF 181 prints no mailing address, portal, fax number or office to send it to, so it is returned through your employing agency. The Privacy Act Statement refers to "your employing agency" and to the OPM or employing agency that maintains the records, and the form has an Agency Use Only area that the agency completes, not you.
- Complete the form: fill in the identification block and Questions 1 and 2, then sign off nothing else; the form has no signature line.
- Return it to your employing agency: follow the agency's own instructions for how and where it collects the form.
- Keep Agency Use Only blank: that area is for the agency.
Because no fee or deadline is printed on the form, ask your employing agency about any timing it sets. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels your employing agency uses.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Skipping Question 2 after answering Question 1; the form says to go to Question 2 regardless of your answer to Question 1.
- Checking only one racial category when several apply; Question 2 says to check as many as apply.
- Treating Hispanic or Latino as a racial category; Question 1 defines it regardless of race and Question 2 covers race separately.
- Writing a full birthdate when the form asks for month and year only.
- Writing in the Agency Use Only area, which is for the employing agency.
- Using an older edition of the form; it is marked "Previous editions not usable."
- Using the form when you are not a current federal employee, since OPM lists it for current federal employees only.
Frequently asked questions
What is the SF 181 form?
The SF 181 form, Ethnicity and Race Identification, is an OPM Standard Form on which a current federal employee reports whether they are Hispanic or Latino and which racial categories they identify with. Agencies use the data for equal employment opportunity planning and workforce studies.
Is it mandatory to fill out the SF 181?
No. The Privacy Act Statement on the form says providing the information is voluntary and has no impact on your employment status. If information is missing, your employing agency will attempt to identify your race and ethnicity by visual observation.
Who should use Standard Form 181?
Current federal employees. OPM's standard forms page lists SF 181 as "for use with current federal employees only." The form does not describe anyone else completing it on an employee's behalf.
Can I select more than one race on the SF 181?
Yes. Question 2 tells you to check as many racial categories as apply to you. The five categories are American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White.
Do I answer Question 2 if I answer Yes to Hispanic or Latino?
Yes. The Specific Instructions say that regardless of your answer to Question 1, you go to Question 2. The Hispanic or Latino definition applies regardless of race, so the two questions are answered separately.
Do I have to give my Social Security number on the SF 181?
No. The form says the number is requested under Executive Order 9397 and that providing it is voluntary, with no effect on your employment status. If you do not provide it, other agency sources may be used to obtain it.
Can I fill out the SF 181 form online?
Yes. You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not submit the form; you return it through your employing agency.
Can I use an older edition of SF 181?
No. The form carries the notice "Previous editions not usable" and is marked Revised August 2005. Use the current OPM version of the form.
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