(a) Interest.

(1) The Endowment will assess interest on all delinquent debts unless prohibited by statute, regulation, or contract.

(2) Interest begins to accrue on all debts from the date that the debt becomes delinquent. The Endowment will not recover interest if you pay the debt within 30 days of the date on which interest begins to accrue. The Endowment shall assess interest at the rate established annually by the Secretary of the Treasury under 31 U.S.C. 3717, unless a different rate is either necessary to protect the interests of the Endowment or established by a contract, repayment agreement, or statute. The Endowment will notify you of the basis for its finding when a different rate is necessary to protect the interests of the Endowment.

(3) The Chairperson may extend the 30-day period for payment without interest where he or she determines that such action is in the best interest of the Endowment. A decision to extend or not to extend the payment period is final and is not subject to further review.

(b) Penalty. The Endowment will assess a penalty charge, not to exceed 6 percent a year, on any portion of a debt that is delinquent for more than 90 days.

(c) Administrative costs. The Endowment will assess charges to cover administrative costs incurred as a result of your failure to pay a debt before it becomes delinquent. Administrative costs include the additional costs incurred in processing and handling the debt because it became delinquent, such as costs incurred in obtaining a credit report or in using a private collection contractor, or service fees charged by a Federal agency for collection activities undertaken on behalf of the Endowment.

(d) Allocation of payments. A partial or installment payment by a debtor will be applied first to outstanding penalty assessments, second to administrative costs, third to accrued interest, and fourth to the outstanding debt principal.

(e) Additional authority. The Endowment may assess interest, penalty charges, and administrative costs on debts that are not subject to 31 U.S.C. 3717 to the extent authorized under common law or other applicable statutory authority.

(f) Waiver.

(1) The Chairperson may (without regard to the amount of the debt) waive collection of all or part of accrued interest, penalty charges, or administrative costs, if he or she determines that collection of these charges would be against equity and good conscience or not in the best interest of the Endowment.

(2) A decision to waive interest, penalty charges, or administrative costs may be made at any time before a debt is paid. However, where these charges have been collected before the waiver decision, they will not be refunded. The Chairperson's decision to waive or not waive collection of these charges is final and is not subject to further review.