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Appendix 6 Documentation of Collection Activities

Debt Collection/Write-off Checklist for Individual Debtor Files

Agency:

Program:

Debtor Name: Amount Owed:

Debtor Taxpayer Identifying Number Date Debt Incurred:

1. a.

b.

c.

d.

Has the debtor been contacted?

Was the contact by telephone and/or letter?

Number of times debtor has been contacted?

Have any of the calls been documented, with the

Yes No

Yes No 

1 2 3 4 5

following information included?

Date of calls

Name of agency representative who called?

Name of person contacted?

Notes taken on substance of calls?

Notes taken on follow-up action of agency?

Dates recorded of follow-up action taken?

Yes No

Yes No

Yes No

Yes No

Yes No

Yes No

e. Number of letters?

Are copies of replies in file or stored

electronically?

Are copies of agency responses to debtor’s

letters or notes on agency follow-up action

maintained in the file?

1 2 3

Yes No

Yes No

f. Are all documents dated? Yes No
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Documentation of Collection Activities

g. Was the debtor informed in writing of agency policy on:

accrual of interest? Yes No

penalties? Yes No

administrative costs? Yes No

debtor’srights? Yes No

amount and basis of debt? Yes No

possible collection actions which may

be used to collect the debt? Yes No

h. Was the debt resolved through a:

voluntary repayment agreement? Yes No

compromise? Yes No

i. If such agreement(s) were reached, has the agency

documented:

terms of the repayment agreement?

terms of the compromise?

Yes 

Yes

No 

No

2. a. Is interest being assessed on the delinquency?

If no, is a reason given as to why not?

If yes, is the rate of interested also indicated

in the file?

Yes 

Yes

Yes

No 

No

No

b. Are penalties being assessed on the delinquency?

If no, is a reason given as to why not?

If yes, is the amount of the penalty indicated in

the file?

Yes 

Yes

Yes

No 

No

No

c. Are administrative costs being assessed on the

delinquency? Yes No

If no, is a reason given as to why not?

If yes, are the administrative costs charged also

indicated in the file?

Yes

Yes

No

No
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Documentation of Collection Activities

3. Has the debt been referred to a credit reporting bureau? Yes No

If a consumer debt, was the debtor notified? Yes No

Is the notification letter in the debtor’s file? Yes No

Is any debtor response also in the file? Yes No

If the debt has been referred, does the file

contain the date of initial referral? Yes No

Are the names of the credit bureaus to whom

the debt was referred recorded in the file? Yes No

If not, does the agency retain that information

elsewhere? Yes No

4. Is the debt secured? Yes No

Has liquidation of the security been attempted? Yes No

Has the agency documented:

its decisions whether or not to liquidate

collateral? Yes No

its attempts at liquidating the collateral? Yes No

the results of any collateral liquidation? Yes No

5. Has the debt been referred to Treasury Offset Program for

offset? Yes No

If not, is a reason given why not? Yes No

6. Has the agency tried to collect the debt using

non-centralized offset? Yes No

If not, is a reason given why not? Yes No

Has the debt been referred for cross-servicing? Yes No

If not, has the reason been documented in the file? Yes No

7. Has the agency authorized the use of administrative wage

garnishment in cross-servicing? Yes No

If not authorized through cross-servicing, has

the agency attempted to collect the debt using

administrative wage garnishment? Yes No

If not, has the reason been documented in the file? Yes No
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Documentation of Collection Activities

8. If the debt has not been referred for cross-servicing, has the

agency referred the debt to a private collection agency? Yes No

If not, has the reason been documented in the file? Yes No

9. Has the debt been referred for litigation? Yes No

If yes, has the agency properly documented the

referral action in the file? Yes No

If not, has the reason been documented in the file? Yes No