When the billing official determines that a debt is owed USAID, he or she provides a written notice in the form of a Bill for Collection or demand letter to the debtor. Unless otherwise provided by agreement, contract or order, the written notice informs the debtor of:

The amount, nature and basis of the debt;

The right of the debtor to inspect and copy records related to the debt;

The right of the debtor to discuss and propose a repayment agreement;

Any rights available to the debtor to dispute the validity of the debt or to have recovery of the debt waived (citing the available review or waiver authority, the conditions for review or waiver, and the effects of the review or waiver request on the collection of the debt);

The date on which payment is due which will be not more than 30 days from the date of the bill for collection or demand letter;

The instructions for making electronic payment;

The debt is considered delinquent if it is not paid on the due date;

The imposition of interest charges and, except for State and local governments and Indian tribes, penalty charges and administrative costs that may be assessed against a delinquent debt;

The intention of USAID to use non-centralized administrative offset to collect the debt if appropriate and, if not, the referral of the debt 90 days after the Bill for Collection or demand letter to the Financial Management Service in the Department of Treasury who will collect their administrative costs from the debtor in addition to the amount owed USAID and use all means available to the Federal Government for debt collection including administrative wage garnishment, use of collection agencies and reporting the indebtedness to a credit reporting bureau (see § 213.14);

The address, telephone number, and name of the person available to discuss the debt;

The possibility of referral to the Department of Justice for litigation if the debt cannot be collected administratively.

USAID will respond promptly to communications from the debtor. Response generally will be within 30 days of receipt of communication from the debtor.