5 C.F.R. § 2418.1
What definitions apply to the regulations in this part?
Cite as 5 C.F.R. § 2418.1 (2026)
As used in this part:
Administrative offset
or
offset
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 debt owed by the person. The term “administrative offset” includes, but is not limited to, the offset of Federal salary, vendor, retirement, and Social-Security-benefit payments. The terms “centralized administrative offset” and “centralized offset” refer to the process by which the Treasury Department's Financial Management Service offsets Federal payments through the Treasury Offset Program.
Administrative wage garnishment
means the process by which a Federal agency orders a non-Federal employer to withhold amounts from a debtor's wages to satisfy a debt, as authorized by 31 U.S.C. 3720D, 31 CFR 285.11, and this part.
Agency
or
federal agency
means a department, agency, court, court administrative office, or instrumentality in the executive, judicial, or legislative branch of the Federal Government, including government corporations.
Chairman
means the Chairman of the FLRA or his or her designee.
Creditor agency
means any Federal agency that is owed a debt.
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. As used in this part, the term “debt” does not include, as described in 31 U.S.C. 3701(d), debts arising under: The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 1
et seq.
); the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 301
et seq.
), except to the extent provided under sections 204(f) and 1631(b)(4) of such Act [42 U.S.C. 404(f) and 1383(b)(4)] and section 3716(c) [31 U.S.C. 3716(c)], or the tariff laws of the United States.
Debtor
means a person who owes a debt to the United States.
Delinquent debt
means a debt that has not been paid by the date specified in the agency'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.
Delinquent FLRA debt
means a delinquent debt owed to the FLRA.
Disposable pay
has the same meaning as that term is defined in 5 CFR 550.1103.
Employee
or
Federal employee
means a current employee of the FLRA or other Federal agency, including a current member of the Armed Forces, Reserve of the Armed Forces of the United States, or the National Guard.
Executive Director
means the Executive Director of the FLRA or his or her designee.
FCCS
means the Federal Claims Collection Standards, which were jointly published by the Departments of the Treasury and Justice and codified at 31 CFR parts 900 through 904.
Financial Management Service
means the Financial Management Service, a bureau of the Treasury Department, which is responsible for the centralized collection of delinquent debts through the offset of Federal payments and other means.
FLRA
means the Federal Labor Relations Authority and all of its components.
FLRA debt
means a debt that a person owes the FLRA.
Payment agency
or
Federal payment agency
means any Federal agency that transmits payment requests in the form of certified payment vouchers, or other similar forms, to a disbursing official for disbursement. The “payment agency” may be the agency that employs the debtor. In some cases, the FLRA may be both the creditor agency and the payment agency.
Person
means an individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization, State or local government, or any other type of entity other than a Federal agency.
Salary offset
means a type of administrative offset to collect, from the current pay account of a Federal employee, a debt that the employee owes.
Tax refund offset
is defined in 31 CFR 285.2(a).
Treasury Department
means the United States Department of the Treasury.
Waiver
means the cancellation, remission, forgiveness, or non-recovery of a debt allegedly owed by an employee to an agency as permitted or required by 5 U.S.C. 5584, 10 U.S.C. 2774, 32 U.S.C. 716, 5 U.S.C. 8346(b), 42 U.S.C. 404(b), or any other law.
- Cross-references to the US Code
- 10:277426:131:370131:371631:3720D32:71642:30142:4045:55845:8346
- Cross-references to the CFR
- 31:285.1131:285.25:550.1103.