According to law, a man must register with Selective Service within 30 days of his 18th birthday. Selective Service can accept a late registration but not after a man has reached his 26th birthday. Registration is a way the government keeps a list of names of men from which to draw in case of a national emergency requiring rapid expansion of the Armed Forces. By registering all young men, Selective Service ensures that a future draft will be fair and equitable. Some men may have failed to register during the time they were eligible to do so and may now find they are ineligible for certain benefits including federal grant programs, federal job training under the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act, federal jobs or security clearance as a contractor, and U.S. citizenship for immigrants. NOTE: Registering with Selective Service does not mean the person is joining the military.