Code of Federal Regulations (alpha)

CFR /  Title 5  /  Part 1639  /  Sec. 1639.40 Applicability and scope.

(a) The regulations in this subpart implement 31 U.S.C. 3720A which authorizes the Department of the Treasury to reduce a tax refund by the amount of a past-due legally enforceable debt owed to a Federal agency.

(b) For purposes of this section, a past-due legally enforceable debt referable to the Department of the Treasury is a debt that is owed to the Board; and:

(1) Is at least $25.00 dollars;

(2) Except in the case of a judgment debt, has been delinquent for at least three months and will not have been delinquent more than 10 years at the time the offset is made;

(3) Cannot be currently collected under the salary offset provisions of 5 U.S.C. 5514;

(4) Is ineligible for administrative offset under 31 U.S.C. 3716(a) by reason of 31 U.S.C. 3716(c)(2) or cannot be collected by administrative offset under 31 U.S.C. 3716(a) by the Board against amounts payable to the debtor by the Board;

(5) With respect to which the Board has given the debtor at least 60 days to present evidence that all or part of the debt is not past due or legally enforceable, has considered evidence presented by the debtor, and has determined that an amount of the debt is past due and legally enforceable;

(6) Which has been disclosed by the Board to a credit reporting agency as authorized by 31 U.S.C. 3711(e), unless the credit reporting agency would be prohibited from reporting information concerning the debt by reason of 15 U.S.C. 1681c;

(7) With respect to which the Board has notified or has made a reasonable attempt to notify the debtor that:

(i) The debt is past due, and

(ii) Unless repaid within 60 days thereafter, the debt will be referred to the Department of the Treasury for offset against any overpayment of tax; and

(8) All other requirements of 31 U.S.C. 3720A and the Department of Treasury regulations relating to the eligibility of a debt for tax return offset have been satisfied.