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I don't buy it -- I've held clearances from that required a NAC to ones that required an SSBI, and got my first US National Security clearance when I was 16 and continuously held a clearance for about 20 years, as both a federal civil servant and a contractor, and never once was asked not to discuss my pay.

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I buy it. It is fairly well known that too much or the wrong kind of debt can cost you even secret clearance. So for other compartments to require pay secrecy is well in line with that concern.

You can have high salary and still be indebted. Also you don't have to discuss salary to negotiate how much they would like to earn as an extra (and that may not even be money). I don't buy it, that doesn't make sense.

Nor were you likely given a W-2 that came with (S/NF) in front of the gross earnings field.

IOW, IT worker in the GP’s post was making something up.

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