Links to FAQs for Filers:
Link to FAQs for Ethics Officials:
General Questions About Filing
Why must I file this report?
You have been designated by your agency to file the Confidential Financial Disclosure Report to avoid involvement in a real or apparent conflict of interest. Your agency made this decision based on the duties and responsibilities of your position.
How is the information that I report to be used?
The purpose of this report is to assist employees and their agencies in avoiding conflicts between official duties and private financial interests or affiliations. Your agency ethics official will use the information that you provide to determine whether any potential conflicts exist.
Who will look at my report?
The primary person who will be reviewing this form is your agency ethics official. It is possible that a paralegal or an ethics specialist assisting the ethics official in reviewing the OGE Form 450s that come to their office will look at your form. Some agencies also require the filer's supervisor to review the form and sign it. You will need to ask your ethics office whether you should send your form to your supervisor. The Privacy Act Statement lists other limited circumstances and persons who may have access to your report.
There are 2 versions of the form available on the OGE website, non- accessible and accessible. What do these words mean? Which form should I fill out?
The “accessible” version of the form is one that is coded so that a person with a disability, such as a vision impairment, is able to fill out the form with the use of additional software. Both versions of the form ask the employee for the same information. Most employees will fill out the non-accessible version of the form, which is listed first under “Financial Disclosure Forms” on our web page. This version has the ability to automatically generate continuation pages if you need additional space to report your information. You simply click on the “Add Page” button at the bottom of certain pages. The accessible version cannot automatically generate continuation pages. To add pages to the accessible version, employees must open a new file for each additional page they add.
Even after reading the FAQ page and taking the on-line training, I still have some questions. Whom do I contact for assistance?
The best person to contact is your agency ethics official. Consult your agency directory or your agency web page to locate that individual.
May I digitally sign the form and send it electronically to my ethics office (or my supervisor, if required)?
No, you may not digitally sign the form. You must submit a paper copy of the form with an actual signature rather than a digital signature. In the future we plan to approve the use of digital signatures, but for purposes of this year's annual report, you must submit a paper copy.
Where do I send my form after I fill it out?
Contact your agency ethics official to find out where to send your form. Do not send your form to OGE. Each agency has established procedures for the submission of the form. Normally, it will go directly to your agency ethics official, or if your agency requires that your supervisor review the report, to your supervisor.