17 CFR §204.52
Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
- (a)Notification before tax refund offset. Reduction of an income tax refund will be made only after the Commission makes a determination that an amount is owed and past-due and gives or makes a reasonable attempt to give the debtor 60 days written notice of the intent to collect by tax refund offset.
- (b)Contents of notice. The Commission's notice of intent to collect by tax refund offset (Notice of Intent) will state:
- (1)The amount of the debt;
- (2)That unless the debt is repaid within 60 days from the date of the Commission's Notice of Intent, the Commission intends to collect the debt by requesting a reduction of any amounts payable to the debtor as a Federal income tax refund by an amount equal to the amount of the debt and all accumulated interest and other charges;
- (3)A mailing address for forwarding any written correspondence and a contact name and a telephone number for any questions; and
- (4)That the debtor may present evidence to the Commission that all or part of the debt is not past due or legally enforceable by:
- (i)Sending a written request for a review of the evidence to the address provided in the notice;
- (ii)Stating in the request the amount disputed and the reasons why the debtor believes that the debt is not past due or is not legally enforceable; and
- (iii)Including in the request any documents that the debtor wishes to be considered or stating that the additional information will be submitted within the remainder of the 60-day period.
- (c)To the extent that a debt owed has not been established by judicial or administrative order, a debtor may dispute the existence or amount of the debt or the terms of repayment. With respect to debts established by a judicial or administrative order, Commission review will be limited to issues concerning the payment or other discharge of the debt.