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Payment Issue Resolution

Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP)

Section 3085—Certification of Payments to Treasury

3085.10—Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP)

All federal funds in ASAP accounts are preauthorized by federal entity COs with active records in Fiscal Service. For information on ASAP federal entity rules, procedures, user requirements, and format, see ASAP.

3085.20—Secure Payment System (SPS)

Federal entities that disburse through Fiscal Service must use the SPS system to create payment schedules. This system allows designated federal entity personnel to create, certify, and submit payment schedules to Fiscal Service over a browser/web interface in a secure fashion with a strictly enforced separation of duties.

Federal entities are required to use SPS to create payment schedules. Same-day and small-volume next-day payments must be initiated through SPS or ITS.gov and the Payment Automation Manager (PAM) large-volume or bulk files must be certified through SPS using the system-generated SPS SF 1166: Voucher and Schedule of Payments for Summary Schedule.

Two different user types are required and responsible for a federal entity to submit schedules to SPS. First, a DEO with an active designation on file at Fiscal Service creates a schedule and submits the schedule for certification. Then, a CO with an active designation on file at Fiscal Service examines the schedule and, upon verification, certifies the schedule, which results in the schedule being submitted to Fiscal Service.

For information on the rules governing users, federal entity requirements, and file formats, see SPS.

The use of SPS satisfies the certification requirements contained in 31 U.S.C. 3325 and 3528.

Treasury Offset Program (TOP)

Section 30105—Fiscal Service Payments Processed Through Offset

The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA), codified in pertinent part at 31 U.S.C. § 3716, requires federal disbursing officials to withhold all or part of federal payments made to persons who owe delinquent nontax debts in order to satisfy the debts. This process is known as “offset.” Fiscal Service has issued regulations governing offset of federal payments to collect delinquent nontax debt at 31 CFR 285.5. Authority for collecting delinquent tax debts through the continuous levy of certain federal payments can be found at 26 U.S.C. § 6331(h).

Note: Same-day ACH payment requests, are offset through the Treasury Offset Program (TOP), while Fedwire same-day payment requests are not directly offset through the TOP. However, SPS is required to determine if payees of Fedwire same-day payment requests have active delinquent debts in the TOP database. If the tax identification number (TIN) on a Fedwire payment matches a TIN with an active delinquent debt, the creation of a same-day payment is blocked. When a same-day Fedwire payment is blocked and the DEO has not indicated that the payment is not eligible for offset, the federal entity should proceed to recreate the payment using a different payment type (check or ACH), which can be processed through the existing offset process.

Treasury Checks