Home | A Guide to the Paperwork Reduction Act

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<a class=" usa-nav__link " href="/about/"> <span>About the PRA</span> </a> </li> <li class="usa-nav__primary-item"> <a class=" usa-nav__link " href="/do-i-need-clearance/"> <span>Do I need clearance?</span> </a> </li> <li class="usa-nav__primary-item"> <a class=" usa-nav__link " href="/clearance-process/"> <span>PRA approval process</span> </a> </li> <li class="usa-nav__primary-item"> <a class=" usa-nav__link " href="/clearance-types/"> <span>Clearance types</span> </a> </li> <li class="usa-nav__primary-item"> <a class=" usa-nav__link " href="/burden/"> <span>Estimating burden</span> </a> </li> <li class="usa-nav__primary-item"> <a class=" usa-nav__link " href="/additional-resources/"> <span>Additional resources</span> </a> </li> </ul> <div class="usa-nav__secondary"> <ul class="usa-nav__secondary-links"> <li class="usa-nav__secondary-item js-glossary-toggle"> <a href="javascript:void(0)" class="icon-glossary"> <svg class="display-none desktop:display-block" aria-hidden="true" width=" 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href="/contact">Get PRA Help</a> </li> </ul> <form class="usa-search usa-search--small site-search" role="search" action="https://search.usa.gov/search" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="get"> <input type="hidden" name="affiliate" id="affiliate" value="digitalgov-pra" autocomplete="off" /> <label for="query" class="usa-sr-only">Search</label> <input type="text" name="query" id="query" autocomplete="off" class="usagov-search-autocomplete" /> <button class="usa-button" type="submit"> <img src="/assets/uswds/img/usa-icons-bg/search--white.svg" class="usa-search__submit-icon" alt="Search" /> </button> </form> </div> </div> </nav> </header> <main id="main-content"> <div class="bg-primary text-white margin-bottom-3 tablet:margin-bottom-6"> <div class="grid-container padding-y-3 tablet:padding-y-6"> <div class="measure-1 font-heading-md tablet:font-heading-xl line-height-serif-4 margin-bottom-4"> The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) is a law governing how federal agencies collect information from the public. </div> <a href="/about/" class="usa-button usa-button--secondary width-auto">Learn what the PRA does</a> </div> </div> <div class="grid-container margin-bottom-3 tablet:margin-bottom-6 usa-layout__docs-main"> <h2 class="hr font-family-serif margin-bottom-3 tablet:margin-bottom-6"><span>Get started with the PRA</span></h2> <div class="grid-row grid-gap"> <div class="tablet:grid-col-4 display-flex margin-bottom-205 tablet:margin-bottom-0"> <a href="/do-i-need-clearance/" class="border border-base radius-sm padding-x-5 padding-y-3 tablet:padding-5 hover:bg-base-lightest hover:shadow-2 text-no-underline"> <h3 class="margin-top-0 text-primary-vivid icon-arrow font-heading-sm">When does the PRA apply?</h3> <p class="text-ink margin-bottom-0 line-height-sans-4">What kind of information needs PRA approval, and what鈥檚 exempt.</p> </a> </div> <div class="tablet:grid-col-4 display-flex margin-bottom-205 tablet:margin-bottom-0"> <a href="/clearance-process/" class="border border-base radius-sm padding-x-5 padding-y-3 tablet:padding-5 hover:bg-base-lightest hover:shadow-2 text-no-underline"> <h3 class="margin-top-0 text-primary-vivid icon-arrow font-heading-sm">Plan ahead for the PRA process</h3> <p class="text-ink margin-bottom-0 line-height-sans-4">The approval process often takes between 6-9 months; get your information organized early.</p> </a> </div> <div class="tablet:grid-col-4 display-flex margin-bottom-205 tablet:margin-bottom-0"> <a href="/contact/" class="border border-base radius-sm padding-x-5 padding-y-3 tablet:padding-5 hover:bg-base-lightest hover:shadow-2 text-no-underline"> <h3 class="margin-top-0 text-primary-vivid icon-arrow font-heading-sm">Get help with the PRA</h3> <p class="text-ink margin-bottom-0 line-height-sans-4">Find agency resources to help you prepare your request.</p> </a> </div> </div> </div> </main> <footer class="usa-footer usa-footer--slim" role="contentinfo"> <div class="footer-contact bg-base-light padding-y-1 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