The following definitions apply to this subpart:

(a) Administrative offset means withholding funds payable by the United States to, or held by the United States for, a person to satisfy a debt owed by the payee.

(b) Agency means a department, agency or sub-agency, court, court administrative office, or instrumentality in the executive, judicial, or legislative branch of the Federal government, including government corporations.

(c) Centralized salary offset computer matching means the computerized comparison of Federal employee records with delinquent debt records to identify Federal employees who owe such debts.

(d) Consortium means an interagency group established by the Secretary of the Treasury to implement centralized salary offset computer matching. The group includes all agencies that disburse Federal salary payments.

(e) Creditor agency means any agency that is owed a debt, including a debt collection center when acting on behalf of a creditor agency in matters pertaining to the collection of a debt.

(f) Debt means any amount of money, funds, or property that has been determined by an appropriate official of the Federal government to be owed to the United States by a person, including debt administered by a third party acting as an agent for the Federal Government. For purposes of this subpart, the term “debt” does not include debts arising under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 1 et seq.).

(g) Delinquent debt record means information about a past-due, legally enforceable debt, submitted by GSA to FMS for purposes of administrative offset (including salary offset) in accordance with the provisions of 31 U.S.C. 3716(c)(6) and applicable regulations. Debt information includes the amount and type of debt and the debtor's name, address, and taxpayer identifying number.

(h) Disbursing official means an officer or employee designated to disburse Federal salary payments. This includes all disbursing officials of Federal salary payments, including but not limited to, disbursing officials of the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Defense, the United States Postal Service, any government corporation, and any disbursing official of the United States designated by the Secretary.

(i) Disposable pay means the amount that remains from an employee's Federal pay after required deductions for Federal, State and local income taxes; Social Security taxes, including Medicare taxes; Federal retirement programs, including contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP); premiums for life (excluding amounts deducted for supplemental coverage) and health insurance benefits; Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax levies; and such other deductions that are required by law to be withheld.

(j) Federal employee means a current employee of an agency, including a current member of the Armed Forces or a Reserve of the Armed Forces (Reserves), employees of the United States Postal Service, and seasonal and temporary employees.

(k) Federal employee records means records of Federal salary payments that a paying agency has certified to a disbursing official for disbursement.

(l) FMS means the Financial Management Service, a bureau of the Department of the Treasury.

(m) For the purposes of the standards in this subpart, unless otherwise stated, the term “Administrator” refers to the Administrator of General Services or the Administrator's delegate.

(n) For the purposes of the standards in this subpart, unless otherwise stated, the terms “GSA” and “Agency” are synonymous and interchangeable.

(o) Pay means basic pay, special pay, incentive pay, retired pay, retainer pay, or in the case of an individual not entitled to basic pay, other authorized pay.

(p) Paying agency means the agency that employs the Federal employee who owes the debt and authorizes the payment of his or her current pay. A paying agency also includes an agency that performs payroll services on behalf of the employing agency.

(q) Salary offset means administrative offset to collect a debt owed by a Federal employee from the current pay account of the employee.

(r) Secretary means the Secretary of the Treasury or his or her delegate.

(s) Taxpayer identifying number means the identifying number described under section 6109 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 6109). For an individual, the taxpayer identifying number is the individual's social security number.