Identifying details
Name (Last, First, Middle Initial), Social Security Number and birthdate (month and year).
SF181
Ethnicity and Race Identification
- Agency
- GSA
- Revision
- Revised August 2005
- Fillable fields
- 11
- Pages
- 1
- Official source
- GSA form page
- Checked
- October 20, 2026
Standard Form 181 (SF 181): Ethnicity and Race Identification
Standard Form 181 (SF 181), Ethnicity and Race Identification, is a one-page form with two questions about ethnicity and race. It is printed as a U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) form from the Guide to Personnel Data Standards, Revised August 2005, citing 42 U.S.C. Section 2000e-16. GSA hosts a copy in its forms library.
The Privacy Act Statement says the information is requested under 42 U.S.C. Section 2000e-16 and in compliance with the Office of Management and Budget's 1997 Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. It says providing it is voluntary and has no impact on your employment status, but if information is missing, your employing agency will attempt to identify your race and ethnicity by visual observation.
The form asks for your name, Social Security Number and birthdate (month and year), then Question 1 on Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and Question 2 on racial categories. You can fill it out free in your browser on this page and download the result without an account.
What's on SF 181
Agency Use Only
A box reserved for the agency, below the identifying details.
Privacy Act Statement
The authority for the request, that answering is voluntary, how the information is used, and why the SSN is requested under Executive Order 9397.
Question 1: Hispanic or Latino
A yes or no question. The form defines Hispanic or Latino as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
Question 2: racial categories
Five categories, each with its printed definition: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White.
How to complete SF 181
- 1
Read the Privacy Act Statement
The heading asks you to read the Privacy Act Statement and instructions before completing the form.
- 2
Fill in your details
Enter your name as Last, First, Middle Initial, your Social Security Number and your birthdate as month and year.
- 3
Answer Question 1
Check Yes or No for Hispanic or Latino. The specific instructions say to go to Question 2 regardless of your answer to Question 1.
- 4
Answer Question 2
Place an X in the box for each racial category with which you most closely identify. The form says to check as many as apply.
- 5
Leave Agency Use Only blank
The box at the top is marked Agency Use Only. The PDF gives no mailing address or routing instructions.
Why fill Form SF181 on indox
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Use, authority and privacy
Where it goes
The PDF gives no filing address. It refers to your employing agency and has an Agency Use Only box.
Voluntary answers
The form says providing ethnicity and race information, and the SSN, is voluntary and has no effect on employment status.
Missing information
If ethnicity or race is missing, the employing agency will attempt to identify it by visual observation. If the SSN is not provided, other agency sources may be used to obtain it.
Authority
Ethnicity and race under 42 U.S.C. Section 2000e-16 and OMB's 1997 Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. SSN under Executive Order 9397.
Edition
Standard Form 181, Revised August 2005, Previous editions not usable, NSN 7540-01-099-3446. GSA's page lists Federal Personnel Manual Supplement 298-1 as its authority.
Related forms
Who uses SF 181?
The Privacy Act Statement describes who provides the answers and who uses them.
Official sources and the blank
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Questions about Form SF181
Who issues SF 181?
The form is printed as a U.S. Office of Personnel Management form from the Guide to Personnel Data Standards, Revised August 2005. GSA hosts a copy in its forms library.
Is answering SF 181 voluntary?
The form says providing this information is voluntary and has no impact on your employment status.
What happens if I leave the questions blank?
The form says that in the instance of missing information, your employing agency will attempt to identify your race and ethnicity by visual observation.
Can I check more than one race on SF 181?
Yes. Question 2 says to check as many as apply.
Do I answer Question 2 if I answered Question 1?
Yes. The specific instructions say to go to Question 2 regardless of your answer to Question 1.
Why does SF 181 ask for my Social Security Number?
The form says the SSN is requested under Executive Order 9397 for uniform, orderly administration of personnel records. It says providing it is voluntary and other agency sources may be used if it is not provided.
How is the information used?
The form says it is used to plan for equal employment opportunity throughout the Federal government, to locate individuals for personnel research or survey response, and for summary statistics and workforce studies.