Frequently Asked Questions about the Cross-Servicing Program for Debtors
The following questions are for debtors whose debts have been referred to the Cross-Servicing program.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service collects overdue (delinquent) nontax debt for other federal agencies.
If you owe money to a federal agency and you did not pay it on time, your delinquent debt generally must be referred to the Cross-Servicing program and the Treasury Offset Program for collection action.
Before your debt is referred to these programs, the agency to whom you owe the debt will send you a letter notifying you of the debt, alerting you to the consequences of non-payment, and providing you with an opportunity to ask questions about the debt or enter into a repayment agreement based on your ability to pay.
You can pay online, by phone, or by mail.
Online:
- Go to our secure website, Pay.gov, and follow the instructions. Pay.gov accepts the following payment methods: bank account (ACH), debit card, and PayPal.
- Online Bill Payment: Sign into your bank’s website and add the Bureau of the Fiscal Service as a payee. You can make a one-time payment, or you can set up recurring payments through your bank’s online bill payment system when applicable.
By phone:
- Call 888-826-3127. The call is toll free. Give the representative your debit card or bank account information.
By mail:
- Send a check or money order to pay your debt. On the memo line of your check or money order, write the Treasury Case Number or Account Number for your debt. You will find that number in the letter you got from us about the debt. We need that to be sure to assign your payment to your debt. If you mail your payment, the address is:
- U.S. Department of the Treasury
P.O. Box 979101
St. Louis, MO 63197-9000
Yes. To ask for proof that you owe the debt, call 888-826-3127 and talk to a debt recovery analyst. We will get the documents about your debt from the agency to which you owe the debt. We will then send the documents to you.
Maybe. Generally, federal agencies must assess on delinquent debts, interest, penalties, and the cost of managing your debt. These amounts are generally required under 31U.S.C.§ 3717 or under your loan agreement. Therefore, the amount you owe may go up the longer you wait to pay.
Maybe. Generally, federal agencies must report delinquent debt to credit bureaus. Credit bureaus give you a credit score that others (such as car dealers or banks) may use to decide whether to give you a loan or what interest rate to charge you.
You might be able to pay your debt over time through an installment agreement. Call 888-826-3127 to discuss your options with a debt recovery analyst.
You will have to give the analyst information about your finances. You may be asked to provide a financial statement, evidence about your expenses, and copies of your recent tax returns.
If you can't pay the full amount that you owe, even over time, you can talk about that with a debt recovery analyst. Call 888-826-3127.
You may be eligible for a compromise agreement or other relief. With a compromise agreement, you satisfy your debt by paying less than the full amount of the debt.
You will have to give the analyst information about your finances. You may be asked to provide a financial statement, evidence about your expenses, and copies of your recent tax returns.
By law, we may be required to report to the IRS how much of the debt you did not have to pay. That may count as income to you for tax purposes. We will send you a Form 1099-C, which tells you what we reported to the IRS.
If you think you don't owe the debt, you can dispute the debt (tell us why you think this is an error) with this form: Debtor Dispute Form.
To dispute the debt, you should send us a letter. In the letter, tell us why you don't owe the debt or why you think the amount due on the debt is incorrect. Include a copy of any documents that support your dispute. For example, if you have already paid the debt, send proof of that. Be sure to keep a copy of your documents for yourself.
Send your letter and other documents to this address:
- U.S. Department of the Treasury
P.O. Box 830794
Birmingham, AL 35283-0794
When we get your letter and other documents, we will ask the agency that referred your debt to us to look at what you wrote and get back to us with their response.
If you prefer, you may dispute your debt by calling 888-826-3127 and speak with a debt recover analyst. The analyst can walk you through the process of disputing the debt. If the agency says the debt is valid (you really owe them money), we will continue collecting it.
If the agency says there was an error, they will fix the error.
Once a debt becomes delinquent, agencies are generally required to collect it through the offset of certain federal payments (for example, tax refund payments and social security payments) and certain state payments owed to you. For more information about offsets, see the Treasury Offset Program.
If you have questions about whether collection through offset will continue while you are making payments on your debt, talk to a debt recovery analyst. Call 888-826-3127.
Yes. A federal agency can order an employer to withhold up to 15 percent of an employee's pay to pay an overdue (delinquent) nontax debt. This is called "administrative wage garnishment" or "AWG." The agency can start AWG without getting an order from a court.
For more information about wage garnishment, see AWG Background for Individuals.
If the person named in the letter as the person who owes the debt is in jail or has died, let us know. Call 888-826-3127 to talk to a debt recovery analyst.
The analyst will tell you what papers you must send to show that the person is in jail or has died. Send the papers to us at this address:
- U.S. Department of the Treasury
P.O. Box 830794
Birmingham, AL 35283-0794
We will review the papers and let you know what to do next.
If you have filed for bankruptcy protection and are subject to the automatic stay, let us know right away so we can immediately stop normal collection actions.
Call us at 888-826-3127 or write to us:
- U.S. Department of the Treasury
P.O. Box 830794
Birmingham, AL 35283-0794
Fax: (855) 292-9700
Fiscal Service Contact Information
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Debt Recovery Analyst: 1-888-826-3127
U.S. Department of the Treasury
P.O. Box 830794
Birmingham, AL, 35283-0794
Fax: (855) 292-9700