After you submit your application, you can keep track of your status by logging in to your account.

If you’re being considered for a job, you will receive a request for additional information via email/text. You must provide that additional information quickly (usually within 48 hours) via an online questionnaire. After your questionnaire is complete, we will review it and may offer you a job.

Job offers are made via email/text message and you will need to log in to your account to accept or decline the offer within 48 hours.

If selected, you will receive an email with information on completing your fingerprinting, background check, and hiring paperwork. These steps must be completed to receive information about training.

If you decline a job offer, you will be placed back into the applicant pool. If you decline job offers three times, you will be removed from the applicant pool.

The Census Bureau performs background checks and reviews criminal records as part of assessing applicants' past conduct and suitability for employment. All candidates who receive a tentative offer of temporary 2026 Census Test employment go through a pre-appointment process.

Your offer may be withdrawn if you do not pass the background check. The process can take several weeks from the job offer to your first day on the job.

The Census Bureau is committed to protecting the confidentiality of the data we collect. Violating the confidentiality of respondent data is a federal crime with serious penalties, including a prison sentence up to five years, a fine up to $250,000, or both.

Every person with access to census information is sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of census data. Therefore, prior to employment, every employee must complete data handling training and agree to take on the responsibility of protecting census data.

After you have successfully completed all the steps above, you are ready to be sworn in as an official Census Bureau employee.

Your exact time commitment for the paid training will be determined by the position and operation that you've been selected to fill. You will receive this information by email. If you do not complete the training, you will not receive a work assignment.

Selected applicants are officially hired when they are sworn in and have taken the oath of office. This usually happens when you schedule an online appointment after you clear the background check.