Please read first
This article is general information to help you prepare, not legal or ethics advice. Rules differ by agency, employer, state and role, and they can change. Your Roster can’t determine whether you are eligible to participate. For a decision about your own situation, consult your agency’s designated ethics official, your employer or your own counsel.
Can current federal employees do outside AI work?
In many cases, yes, with conditions. Federal ethics rules don’t prohibit outside work as a category. Many federal employees teach, consult, write or hold second jobs. What the rules do is set boundaries around that work, and many agencies add their own requirements on top of the government-wide standards.
The most common considerations fall into a few areas:
- 01
Prior approval
Many agencies require written approval from the ethics office before you take on paid outside work. Even where approval isn’t required, asking for an opinion in advance is a good way to protect yourself.
- 02
Your own time and resources
Outside work generally can’t use official time, government equipment, government email or government systems.
- 03
Speaking only for yourself
You shouldn’t use your title or position in a way that suggests your agency endorses the work, or represent your views as the government’s.
- 04
Conflicts with your official duties
Outside work shouldn’t involve matters you handle in your job, organizations you oversee or deal with officially, or financial interests that could affect your official decisions. There are also specific rules about being paid for activities that relate to your official duties, which is one of the most important questions to raise with your ethics office.
- 05
No nonpublic information
Information you have access to because of your government role can’t be used for outside work. More on this below.
These principles come from the government-wide Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (5 CFR part 2635) and the supplemental rules many agencies publish. Your ethics office can tell you exactly which apply to you.
Your Roster’s approach for current government employees
We set our process up so the ethics question gets answered before any paid work starts, not after.
- Step 1
Tell us your status
At sign-up, you indicate whether you’re a current government employee, a contractor or formerly in public service.
- Step 2
Get written approval
Current government employees obtain written approval from their agency ethics office. Paid work doesn’t begin until that approval is on file with us.
- Step 3
Screen each engagement
Before you’re matched, we review engagements for potential conflicts, and you can decline any assignment for any reason.
A self-certification checkbox alone isn’t enough for us to start paid work with a current government employee. Requiring written approval protects you, your agency and the integrity of the work.
Why we never ask for classified information, CUI or nonpublic agency information
Your Roster does not request, accept or pay for classified information, controlled unclassified information (CUI) or any nonpublic agency information. That’s a firm line, for three reasons:
The rules require it
Using nonpublic information for outside work is prohibited, and mishandling classified information or CUI carries serious consequences.
It protects you
Your clearance, your career and your reputation are worth far more than any engagement. We won’t put them at risk.
The work doesn’t need it
AI training draws on your judgment and publicly available knowledge, not on what your office holds. The value is in how you think, not what you can access.
We want your experience, never your agency’s information.
In practice, that means:
- Tasks are built around realistic, hypothetical or publicly documented scenarios.
- You never need to reference specific internal programs, documents, procurements or deliberations.
- If a task ever seems to call for something you shouldn’t share, stop and let us know. We’ll change or remove the task, with no penalty to you.
Contractors, former employees and state and local staff
Government contractors
Your employer and your contract
Your obligations usually come from your employer and your contract: outside-work policies, nondisclosure agreements and organizational conflict-of-interest provisions. Check with your employer before you start, and never use client or program information.
Former federal employees
Post-employment rules
Post-employment rules mainly restrict representing others before the government on matters you worked on. Obligations to protect nonpublic information continue after you leave. If you separated recently, your former agency’s ethics office can give advice on your situation.
State and local employees
Your jurisdiction’s code
Rules vary widely by state, county and city. Check your jurisdiction’s ethics code or ethics commission, and your employer’s outside-employment policy.
Questions to bring to your ethics official
A short conversation with your ethics office is usually the fastest way to get comfortable. Questions that tend to help:
- Does my agency require prior written approval for paid outside work, and what form do I use?
- Does this work relate to my official duties in a way that affects whether I can be paid for it?
- Are there organizations I should not work with, directly or indirectly, because of my current role?
- Are there financial disclosure or reporting steps I need to take?
- Are there topic areas I should avoid given my position or clearance?
It helps to describe the work accurately: paid, part-time review and evaluation of AI responses in your professional field, done on your own time, using only public information and your own professional judgment.
A quick checklist before you begin
- I’ve confirmed my agency’s or employer’s outside-work requirements.
- If I’m a current government employee, I have written ethics approval to share with Your Roster.
- I’ll work on my own time, on my own devices and accounts.
- I’ll speak only for myself, not for my agency or employer.
- I’ll never share classified information, CUI or nonpublic information, and I’ll flag any task that seems to ask for it.
Taking these steps up front means you can focus on the work itself, knowing the groundwork is in place.
This resource provides general information only and is not legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not a substitute for guidance from your agency’s ethics officials, your employer or your own counsel. Each participant is responsible for confirming and complying with the rules that apply to them. Your Roster may update this resource as rules and our processes change.