INSTRUCTIONS TO 

FEDERAL AGENCIES 

Preparing 

Administrative Wage 

Garnishment Forms 

SF-329

December 2016

U.S. Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Debt Management Services 
Instructions to Federal Agencies 

Preparing Administrative Wage Garnishment Forms 

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Rev. December 2016 

Purpose.......................................................................Page 1

Background................................................................Page 1

Paperwork Reduction Act.........................................Page 2

AWG Statutory and Regulatory Requirements......Page 3

Preparing the AWG Form........................................Page 4

Letter to the Employer & 

Important Notice to the Employer...............Page 4 

Wage Garnishment Order ...........................Page 5 

Wage Garnishment Worksheet....................Page 8 

Employer Certification .................................Page 9 

How to Obtain AWG Forms.....................................Page 10 

Inquiries......................................................................Page 10 
Instructions to Federal Agencies 

Preparing Administrative Wage Garnishment Forms 

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Rev. December 2016 

1

Purpose 

This document explains how Federal Agencies prepare administrative wage 

garnishment orders by using Standard Form 329 (SF-329). This document 

does not confer any rights that a person would not otherwise have, nor does failure 

to follow the instructions contained in this document necessarily 

invalidate an administrative wage garnishment order. 

Background 

Wage garnishment is a process whereby an employer withholds amounts 

from an employee’s wages and pays those amounts to the employee’s creditor 

in satisfaction of a wage garnishment order issued by the creditor. 

A Federal Agency collecting delinquent, non-tax debt may garnish the wages 

of a debtor without first obtaining a court order. This process, known as 

Administrative Wage Garnishment (AWG), is authorized by section 31001(o) 

of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA), Pub. L. 104-134, 110 

Stat. 1321-358 (Apr. 26, 1998), codified at 31 U.S.C. ' 3720D. The rules 

and procedures governing administrative wage garnishment were published 

as a Final Rule in the Federal Register on May 6, 1998 (63 FR 25136). 

In accordance with the Final Rule, the Financial Management Service (FMS), 

a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, promulgated Standard Form 329 

(SF-329) which Federal agencies are required to use to issue AWG orders. 
Instructions to Federal Agencies 

Preparing Administrative Wage Garnishment Forms 

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Rev. December 2016 

2

Paperwork Reduction Act 

The administrative wage garnishment process under the DCIA is an 

administrative action taken by a Federal Agency against a debtor’s employer. 

Therefore, any collection of information under the AWG order is exempt from the 

requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (44 U.S.C. ' 3501 et seq.). 

See 44 U.S.C. ' 3518(c)(1)(B)(ii) 

- Act does not apply to the collection of information during the conduct of an

administrative action involving an agency against specific individuals or entities.
Instructions to Federal Agencies 

Preparing Administrative Wage Garnishment Forms 

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Rev. December 2016 

3

AWG Statutory and Regulatory Requirements 

Federal Agencies must ensure that AWG orders are issued in accordance with the 

requirements of the DCIA and the Final Rule. Before issuing any AWG orders, 

agencies should review the requirements of 31 U.S.C. ' 3720D and 

31 C.F.R. ' 285.11 (63 FR 25136, May 6, 1998) with their agency counsel.

1. Notice to the debtor. At least 30 days before an agency initiates

garnishment proceedings, the agency must give the debtor written notice

informing him or her of the nature and amount of the debt, the intention

of the agency to collect the debt through deductions from pay, and an

explanation of the debtor’s rights regarding the proposed action.

2. Due process. The agency must provide the debtor with an opportunity

to inspect and copy the agency’s records related to the debt, to establish a

repayment agreement, and to receive a hearing concerning the existence

or amount of the debt and the terms of a repayment schedule.

3. Hearings. Agencies must prescribe regulations for the conduct of

AWG hearings. A hearing must be held prior to the issuance of an AWG

order if the debtor’s request is timely received. For hearing requests that

are not received in the specified time frame, an agency need not delay the

issuance of the AWG order prior to conducting a hearing. The hearing

official must issue a written decision no later than 60 days after the date on

which the request for such hearing was received by the agency.
Instructions to Federal Agencies 

Preparing Administrative Wage Garnishment Forms 

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Rev. December 2016 

4

Preparing the AWG Form 

Unless the agency receives information that the agency believes justifies a delay 

or cancellation of the AWG order, the agency issuing the AWG order is required 

to send, by first class mail, an AWG order to the debtor’s employer (1) within 30 

days after the debtor fails to make a timely request for a hearing, or, (2) if the 

debtor made a timely request for a hearing, within 30 days after a final decision is 

made by the agency to proceed with the garnishment. 

The AWG Form (SF-329) consists of four documents. The agency issuing 

the AWG order should mail all of the following 4 documents in one package 

to the employer after preparing the package in accordance with the instructions 

described in subsequent sections: 

1. Letter to Employer & Important Notice to Employer (SF-329A)

2. Wage Garnishment Order (SF-329B)

3. Wage Garnishment Worksheet (SF-329C)

4. Employer Certification (SF-329D)

Letter to Employer & Important Notice to Employer (SF-329A)

The agency is not required to insert any information on the Letter to Employer 

& Important Notice to Employer. This document explains the purpose of the 

AWG order and alerts the employer to its responsibility to comply with the 

directions contained in the AWG order as well as the employer’s legal obligations 

with respect to the AWG order. 
Instructions to Federal Agencies 

Preparing Administrative Wage Garnishment Forms 

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Rev. December 2016 

5

Wage Garnishment Order (SF-329B)

The Wage Garnishment Order must be completed by the agency issuing the 

AWG order in accordance with the following instructions. 

Box #

1 Date of this Order. Insert the date the agency issued the AWG order. 

The date the agency issued the order is the date an agency official 

determines that the debtor failed to make a timely request for a hearing, 

or if the debtor made a timely request for a hearing, the date a final 

decision is made by the agency to proceed with the garnishment. 

2 Date Mailed to Employer. Insert the date the agency mailed the AWG 

order. Agencies should take the necessary steps to ensure that the AWG 

order is mailed the same day as the date inserted in this box.

3 Creditor Agency Tracking No. Insert the number used by the agency 

to identify the AWG order. 

4 Employee Name / Employee Alias Name. Insert the full name of the 

debtor on file and any alias names by which the debtor may be known at 

his place of employment.

5 Employee Social Security No. Insert the debtor’s social security 

number.

6-7 Employer and Employer Mailing Address. Insert the complete legal 

name and mailing address of the debtor’s employer. Agencies should 

not abbreviate the name of the employer. For example, Donut Shop 

of America should not be shortened to Donut Shop as the latter may be 

a different entity. To the extent practical, agencies should contact the 

debtor’s employer to obtain the legal name and address of the debtor’s 

employer. For corporations, agencies may verify the information with 

the centralized corporation records maintained by the State in which the 

employer is doing business. For other entities, agencies may verify the 

information with centralized records maintained by the county or town 

in which the employer is doing business. 
Instructions to Federal Agencies 

Preparing Administrative Wage Garnishment Forms 

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Rev. December 2016 

6

Box #

8-9 Creditor Agency and Creditor Agency Mailing Address for 

Correspondence. Insert the complete name and mailing address of 

the agency issuing the AWG order. Agencies should be identified as 

agencies of the United States, for example, U.S. Department of the 

Treasury rather than Department of the Treasury, to avoid confusion 

with State agencies with similar names.

10-13 Contact Name, Telephone No., Internet e-mail address, and Fax No.

Insert the name, telephone number (with area code), internet e-mail 

address, and fax number (with area code) of a person within the creditor 

agency who can respond promptly to questions about the information

contained in the AWG order. 

14-15 Amount Due and As of (Month/Day/Year). Insert the total amount due

and the date this amount was calculated. Agencies should ensure that 

the amount due includes all interest, penalties, and other costs as of the 

date listed in the As of box.

Section 1. Order

16-20 ABA Routing No., Account No., Agency Location Code (ALC) No.,

Account Title, and Other information required (i.e., tracking no.,

debtor name, etc.). At this time, our system cannot receive and process 

electronic payment files from employers administrating AWG orders. 

Leave these fields blank. 

21 Mailing address for check payments. Insert the address to which the 

employer may mail check payments for amounts withheld under the 

AWG order.
Instructions to Federal Agencies 

Preparing Administrative Wage Garnishment Forms 

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Rev. December 2016 

7

Section 2. Wage Garnishment Amount. 

(a) If the agency has agreed with the debtor to an exact dollar amount

to be deducted from the debtor’s wages, insert the dollar amount in

Section 2(a). For example, if the agency and the debtor agree that $100

per pay period may be deducted from the debtor’s wages, insert 100 after

the $__ in Section 2(a). If Section 2(a) is completed, the agency should

skip Section 2(b) and proceed to Creditor Agency Certification.

(b) If Section 2(a) is not completed (because the agency and debtor have

not agreed to an exact dollar amount to be deducted from the debtor’s

wages), the agency must complete Section 2(b)(1). Insert the

percentage of the debtor’s disposable pay that the employer is ordered

to deduct. The percentage will be 15% unless the agency either

agrees to a different percentage, or is ordered by a hearing official

to accept a different percentage, e.g., 10%.

Creditor Agency Certification. 

The head of the agency, or his or her delegatee, must sign the Wage Garnishment 

Order. The delegatee must be an official or employee of the agency. In addition, 

the signatory’s printed name and title should be printed or typed where indicated. 
Instructions to Federal Agencies 

Preparing Administrative Wage Garnishment Forms 

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Rev. December 2016 

8

Wage Garnishment Worksheet (SF-329C)

The agency is not required to insert any information on the Wage Garnishment 

Worksheet. The Worksheet may be used by the employer to calculate the Wage 

Garnishment Amount to be deducted from a debtor’s disposable pay under the 

AWG order. At the agency’s option, the agency may insert the debtor name and 

social security number as a convenience to the employer. The agency must 

include the Worksheet as part of the AWG order form even if the Wage 

Garnishment Order specifies a dollar amount to be withheld because the employer 

may wish to attach the Worksheet to the Employer Certification. 

See paragraph #3 of the Employer Certification. 
Instructions to Federal Agencies 

Preparing Administrative Wage Garnishment Forms 

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Rev. December 2016 

9

Employer Certification (SF-329D) 

The information on the Employer Certification to be completed by the agency 

issuing the AWG order duplicates some of the information required to be 

provided by the agency on the Wage Garnishment Order (SF-329B) as instructed 

above. The agency issuing the AWG order must complete the following: 

Date of this Order. Insert the date the agency issued the order from 

Box #1 of the Wage Garnishment Order. 

Date Mailed to Employer. Insert the date the agency mailed the order 

from Box #2 of the Wage Garnishment Order. 

Creditor Agency Tracking No. Insert the number used by the agency to 

identify the AWG order from Box #3 of the Wage Garnishment Order. 

Employee Name. Insert the full name of the debtor and any alias names 

by which the debtor may be known from Box #4 of the Garnishment 

Order. 

Employee Social Security No. Insert the debtor’s social security number 

from Box #5 of the Wage Garnishment Order. 

Creditor Agency and Creditor Agency Mailing Address for 

Correspondence. Insert the complete name and mailing address 

of the agency issuing the AWG order from Boxes #8-9 of the 

Wage Garnishment Order. 

The employer is required to complete the rest of the Employer Certification 

and to return the completed Employer Certification to the agency issuing the 

AWG order. An authorized representative of the employer is required to sign 

and date the Employer Certification at the bottom of page 2 of the 

Employer Certification. 
Instructions to Federal Agencies 

Preparing Administrative Wage Garnishment Forms 

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Rev. December 2016 

10

How to Obtain AWG Forms 

Creditor agencies may obtain AWG forms (SF-329) from DMS’ web site at:

https://fiscal.treasury.gov/debt-management/resources/guides-forms-downloads.html 

Inquiries 

Any inquiries may be made to: 

U. S. Department of the Treasury 

Bureau of the Fiscal Service 

Debt Management Service 

Government Wide Debt Collection Policy Branch 

401 14th St, SW 

Washington, DC 20227 

Attn: Alberta Holloway, Branch Manager 

Telephone: 202-874-7025

Fascimile: 202-874-8024

For additional information on AWG and or the entire debt collection program, please 

visit: https://fiscal.treasury.gov/cross-servicing/awg/awg-background.html