(a) This subpart specifies the procedures to be used by agencies in collecting debts by administrative offset.
(b) This subpart does not apply to:
(1) Debts arising under the Social Security Act, except as provided in 42 U.S.C. 404;
(2) Payments made under the Social Security Act, except as provided for in 31 U.S.C. 3716(c) (see 31 CFR 285.4, Federal Benefit Offset);
(3) Debts arising under, or payments made under, the Internal Revenue Code (except for offset of tax refunds) or the tariff laws of the United States;
(4) Offsets against Federal salaries (such offsets are covered by subpart F of this part);
(5) Offsets under 31 U.S.C. 3728 against a judgment obtained by a debtor against the United States;
(6) Offsets or recoupments under common law, State law, or Federal laws specifically prohibiting offsets or recoupments of particular types of debts;
(7) Offsets in the course of judicial proceedings, including bankruptcy;
(8) Intracontractual offsets to satisfy contract debts taken by a contracting officer under the Contract Disputes Act, 41 U.S.C. 7101-7109; or
(9) Foreign Debt.
(c) Unless otherwise provided for by contract or law, debts or payments that are not subject to administrative offset under 31 U.S.C. 3716 may be collected by administrative offset under the common law or other applicable statutory authority.
(d) In bankruptcy cases, agencies may request legal advice from OGC concerning the impact of the Bankruptcy Code, particularly 11 U.S.C. 106, 362, and 553 on pending or contemplated collections by offset.
(a) Prior to initiation of collection by administrative offset, a creditor agency must:
(1) Send the debtor a written Notice of Intent to Collect by Administrative Offset, by mail or hand-delivery, of the type and amount of the debt, the intention of the agency to use non-centralized administrative offset (which includes a USDA administrative offset) to collect the debt 30 days after the date of the Notice, the name of the Federal agency or USDA agency from which the creditor agency wishes to collect in the case of a non-centralized administrative offset, the intent to refer the debt to Treasury for collection through centralized administrative offset (including possible offset of tax refunds) 60 days after the date of the Notice if the debt is not satisfied by offset within USDA or by agreement with another Federal agency, and an explanation of the debtor's rights under 31 U.S.C. 3716; and
(2) Give the debtor the opportunity:
(i) To inspect and copy agency records related to the debt;
(ii) For a review within the agency of the determination of indebtedness in accordance with subpart F of this part; and
(iii) To make a written agreement to repay the debt.
(b) The procedures specified in paragraph (a) of this section are not required when:
(1) The offset is in the nature of a recoupment;
(2) The debt arises under a contract subject to the Contracts Disputes Act;
(3) In the case of a non-centralized administrative offset, the agency first learns of the existence of the amount owed by the debtor when there is insufficient time before payment would be made to the debtor/payee to allow for prior notice and an opportunity for review. When prior notice and an opportunity for review are omitted, the agency will give the debtor such notice and an opportunity for review as soon as practicable and will promptly refund any money ultimately found not to have been owed to the government; or
(4) The agency previously has given a debtor any of the notice and review opportunities required under this part, with respect to a particular debt (see, for example, § 3.11). With respect to loans paid on an installment basis, notice and opportunity to review under this part may only be provided once for the life of the loan upon the occurrence of the first delinquent installment. Subsequently, if an agency elects this option, credit reporting agencies may be furnished periodically with updates as to the current or delinquent status of the loan account and the borrower may receive notice of referral to TOP for delinquent installments without further opportunity for review. Any interest accrued or any installments coming due after the offset is initiated also would not require a new notice and opportunity to review.
(c) The Notice of Intent to Collect by Administrative Offset will be included as part of a demand letter issued under § 3.11 to advise the debtor of all debt collection possibilities that the agency may employ.
(a) A debtor who intends to inspect or copy agency or USDA records with respect to the debt must notify the creditor agency in writing within 30 days of the date of the Notice of Intent to Collect by Administrative Offset. In response, the agency must notify the debtor of the location, time, and any other conditions, consistent with part 1, subpart A, of this title, for inspecting and copying, and that the debtor may be liable for reasonable copying expenses. A decision by the agency under this paragraph will not be subject to review under subpart F of this part or by NAD under part 11 of this title.
(b) The debtor may, in response to the Notice of Intent to Collect by Administrative Offset, propose to the creditor agency a written agreement to repay the debt as an alternative to administrative offset. Any debtor who wishes to do this must submit a written proposal for repayment of the debt, which must be received by the creditor agency within 30 days of the date of the Notice of Intent to Collect by Administrative Offset or 15 days after the date of a decision adverse to the debtor under subpart F of this part. In response, the creditor agency must notify the debtor in writing whether the proposed agreement is acceptable. In exercising its discretion, the creditor agency must balance the government's interest in collecting the debt against fairness to the debtor. A decision by the agency under this paragraph will not be subject to review under subpart F of this part or by NAD under part 11 of this title. For proposed agreements to pay delinquent amounts owed on FSA FLP loans, the proposed payments in the agreement must cure the delinquency before the next loan installment is due, or within 90 days, whichever is sooner.
(c) A debtor must request an administrative review of the debt under subpart F of this part within 30 days of the date of the Notice of Intent to Collect by Administrative Offset for purposes of a proposed collection by non-centralized administrative offset and within 60 days of the date of the Notice of Intent to Collect by Administrative Offset for purposes of a proposed collection by referral to Treasury for centralized offset against other Federal payments that would include tax refunds.
(a) In cooperation with the Federal agency certifying or authorizing payments to the debtor, a creditor agency may make a request directly to a payment authorizing agency to offset a payment due a debtor to collect a delinquent debt from, for example, a Federal employee's lump sum payment upon leaving government service in order to pay an unpaid advance. Unless prohibited by law, when centralized administrative offset is not available or appropriate, past due, legally enforceable nontax delinquent debts may be collected through non-centralized administrative offset.
(b) A non-centralized administrative offset may start 31 days after the date of the Notice of Intent to Collect by Administrative Offset, any time after the final determination in an administrative review conducted under subpart F of this part upholds the creditor agency's decision to offset, or any time after the creditor agency notifies the debtor that its repayment proposal submitted under § 3.42(b) is not acceptable if the 30-day period for the debtor to request review of the Notice has expired, unless the creditor agency makes a determination under § 3.41(b)(3) that immediate action to effectuate the offset is necessary.
(c) A payment authorizing agency may conduct a non-centralized administrative offset only after certification by a creditor agency that:
(1) The debtor has been provided notice and opportunity for review as specified in § 3.41; and
(2) The payment authorizing agency has received written certification from the creditor agency that the debtor owes the past due, legally enforceable delinquent debt in the amount stated, and that the creditor agency has fully complied with its regulations concerning administrative offset.
(d) Payment authorizing agencies will comply with offset requests by creditor agencies to collect debts owed to the United States, unless the offset would not be in the interest of the United States with respect to the program of the payment authorizing agency or would otherwise be contrary to law. Appropriate use should be made of the cooperative efforts of other agencies in effecting collection by administrative offset.
(e) When collecting multiple debts by non-centralized administrative offset, agencies will apply the recovered amounts to those debts in accordance with the interests of the United States, as determined by the facts and circumstances of the particular case, particularly the applicable statute of limitations.
(f) Debts arising from the shipment of commodities procured by CCC are subject to the following:
(1) Debts due CCC from a carrier for overcharges will be offset against amounts due to the carrier under freight bills involving shipments if:
(i) The carrier, without reasonable justification, has declined payment of the debt or has failed to pay the debt after being given a reasonable opportunity to make payment; and
(ii) The periods of limitation as specified in 49 U.S.C. 11705(f) or 49 U.S.C. 14705(f) have not expired;
(2) Debts due to CCC from a carrier for loss or damage will be offset against amounts due to the carrier under freight bills involving shipments if:
(i) Timely demand for payment was made on the carrier;
(ii) The carrier has declined payment of the debt without reasonable justification or has ignored the debt; and
(iii) The periods of limitation as specified in 49 U.S.C. 11706(e) or 49 U.S.C. 14706(e) have not expired; and
(3) Any overcharge, loss, or damage debt due to CCC on which the applicable period of limitation has expired may be offset against any amounts owed by CCC to the carrier which are subject to limitation.
(a)
(1) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, after the notice and review opportunity requirements of § 3.41 are met, an agency will refer debts which are over 120 days delinquent to Fiscal Service for collection through centralized administrative TOP 61 days after the date of the Notice of Intent to Collect by Administrative Offset provided in accordance with § 3.41. If the debtor requests review under subpart F of this part, referral of the debt must occur within 30 days of the final decision upholding the agency decision to offset the debt if the debt is more than 120 days delinquent.
(2) For FSA FLP and Rural Development debt:
(i) The delinquent loan servicing procedures and timeframes required by the ConAct will be followed; and.
(ii) Offsets will not occur during any moratorium required by the ConAct.
(b) After the notice and review opportunity requirements of § 3.41 are met, and administrative review under subpart F of this part is not sought or is unsuccessful on the part of the debtor, an agency may refer a debt that is less than 120 days delinquent.
(c) Agencies will refer debts to Treasury for collection in accordance with Treasury procedures specified in 31 CFR 285.5.
(d) The agencies will ensure that:
(1) The names and TINs of debtors who owe debts referred to Treasury under this section will be compared to the names and TINs on payments to be made by Federal disbursing officials. Federal disbursing officials include disbursing officials of Treasury, the Department of Defense, the United States Postal Service, other government corporations, and disbursing officials of the United States designated by Treasury. When the name and TIN of a debtor match the name and TIN of a payee and all other requirements for offset have been met, the payment authorizing agency must offset a payment to satisfy the debt.
(2) Any USDA official serving as a Federal disbursing official for purposes of effecting centralized administrative offset under this section, or Fiscal Service on behalf of the disbursing official, must notify a debtor or payee in writing that an offset has occurred to satisfy, in part or in full, a past due, legally enforceable delinquent debt. The notice must include the information specified in paragraph (d)(4) of this section.
(3) As described in 31 CFR 285.5(g)(1) and (2), any USDA official serving as a Federal disbursing official for purposes of centralized administrative offset under this section, or Fiscal Service on behalf of the disbursing official, will furnish a warning notice to a payee or debtor prior to beginning offset of recurring payments. Such warning notice will include the information specified in paragraph (d)(4) of this section.
(4) The notice will include a description of the type and amount of the payment from which the offset was taken, the amount of offset that was taken, the identity of the creditor agency requesting the offset, and a contact point within the creditor agency who will respond to questions regarding the offset.
(5) The priorities for collecting multiple payments owed by a payee or debtor will be those specified in 31 CFR 285.5(f)(3).
(a) A USDA payment authorizing agency, to satisfy either a non-centralized or centralized administrative offset under §§ 3.43 and 3.44, may offset:
(1) A debtor's pro rata share of USDA payments due any entity in which the debtor participates, either directly or indirectly, as determined by the creditor agency or the payment authorizing agency or:
(2) USDA payments due any entity that the debtor has established, or reorganized, transferred ownership of, or changed in some other manner the operation of, for the purpose of avoiding payment on the claim or debt, as determined by the creditor agency or the payment authorizing agency.
(b) Prior to exercising the authority of this section to offset any portion of a payment due an entity, the creditor agency must have provided notice to that entity in accordance with § 3.41 of its intent to offset payments to the entity in satisfaction of the debt of an individual debtor participating in that entity.
USDA will take action to effect administrative offset against tax refunds due to debtors under 26 U.S.C. 6402 in accordance with the provisions of 31 U.S.C. 3720A through referral for centralized administrative offset under § 3.44.
Upon providing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) written certification that a debtor has been afforded the procedures provided in § 3.41, creditor agencies may request OPM to offset a debtor's anticipated or future benefit payments under the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (Fund) in accordance with regulations codified at 5 CFR 831.1801 through 831.1808. Upon receipt of such a request, OPM will identify and “flag” a debtor's account in anticipation of the time when the debtor requests, or becomes eligible to receive, payments from the Fund.