“Top Secret” Clearance = 14% Pay Raise Federal contractors in the Washington-Baltimore region paid an average 14% premium to employees with “Top Secret” security clearances, according to a survey by the Human Resources Association of the National Capital Area. Companies typically include the additional compensation in the employee’s base pay, though some said they paid it as a signing bonus. The survey found a “Confidential” clearance increases base pay by an average of 3%; a “Secret” clearance, 13%; “Top Secret” or “Top Secret/SAP,” 14%; and “Top Secret Polygraph,” 23%. Although those were the averages, the amount of additional compensation varied widely among different companies. The association, in cooperation with the Professional Services Council, surveyed 81 contractors of all sizes in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. The survey covered employment practices in 2005. Forty-seven percent of the companies said they paid extra for cleared employees. The companies reported it took an average of 11 weeks to recruit a new employee with a “Top Secret” clearance. Among other findings: *41% of employers paid signing bonuses to new employees; the median bonus was $3,000. *25% paid retention or completion bonuses; the median was $2,000. *70% paid referral bonuses to employees who helped recruit new people; median bonuses ranged from $500 to $1,500.