(a) Administrative offset, as defined in 31 U.S.C. 3701(a)(1), means withholding funds payable by the United States (including funds payable by the United States on behalf of a State government) to, or held by the United States for, a person to satisfy a claim.

(b) Business day means Monday through Friday, excluding Federal legal holidays. For purposes of computation, the last day of the period will be included unless it is a Federal legal holiday.

(c) Day means calendar day. For purposes of computation, the last day of the period will be included unless it is a Saturday, a Sunday, or a Federal legal holiday.

(d) Debtor means an individual who owes a delinquent non-tax debt to the United States.

(e) “Delinquent” or “past-due” non-tax debt means any non-tax debt that has not been paid by the date specified in GSA's initial written demand for payment or applicable agreement or instrument (including a post-delinquency payment agreement), unless other satisfactory payment arrangements have been made.

(f) Disposable pay means that part of the debtor's compensation (including, but not limited to, salary, bonuses, commissions, and vacation pay) from an employer remaining after the deduction of health insurance premiums and any amounts required by law to be withheld. For purposes of this part, “amounts required by law to be withheld” include amounts for deductions such as social security taxes and withholding taxes, but do not include any amount withheld pursuant to a court order.

(g) Employer means a person or entity that employs the services of others and that pays their wages or salaries. The term employer includes, but is not limited to, State and local Governments, but does not include an agency of the Federal Government as defined by 31 CFR 285.11(c).

(h) Evidence of service means information retained by GSA indicating the nature of the document to which it pertains, the date of submission of the document, and to whom the document is being submitted. Evidence of service may be retained electronically or otherwise, so long as the manner of retention is sufficient for evidentiary purposes.

(i) Financial hardship means an inability to meet basic living expenses for goods and services necessary for the survival of the debtor and his or her spouse and dependents. See §105-57.010 of this part.

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

(k) For the purposes of the standards in this part, the terms “claim” and “debt” are synonymous and interchangeable.

They refer to an amount of money, funds, or property that has been determined by GSA to be due the United States from any person, organization, or entity, except another Federal agency, from sources which include loans insured or guaranteed by the United States and all other amounts due the United States from fees, leases, rents, royalties, services, sales of real or personal property, overpayments, penalties, damages, interest, fines and forfeitures and all other similar sources, including debt administered by a third party as an agent for the Federal Government. For the purposes of administrative offset under 31 U.S.C. 3716, the terms “claim” and “debt” include an amount of money, funds, or property owed by a person to a State (including past-due support being enforced by a State), the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

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

(m) For the purposes of the standards in this part, unless otherwise stated, “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Treasury or the Secretary's delegate.

(n) Garnishment means the process of withholding amounts from an employee's disposable pay and the paying of those amounts to GSA in satisfaction of a withholding order.

(o) Hearing means a review of the documentary evidence concerning the existence and/or amount of a debt, and/or the terms of a repayment schedule, provided such repayment schedule is established other than by a written agreement entered into pursuant to this part. If the hearing official determines that the issues in dispute cannot be resolved solely by review of the written record, such as when the validity of the debt turns on the issue of credibility or veracity, an oral hearing may be provided.

(p) Hearing official means a Board Judge of the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA).

(q) Withholding order means “Wage Garnishment Order (SF 329B)”, issued by GSA. For purposes of this part, the terms “wage garnishment order” and “garnishment order” have the same meaning as “withholding order.”

(r) In this part, words in the plural form shall include the singular and vice versa, and words signifying the masculine gender shall include the feminine and vice versa. The terms “includes” and “including” do not exclude matters not listed but do include matters that are in the same general class.

[68 FR 68761, Dec. 10, 2003, as amended at 78 FR 29247, May 20, 2013]