5 C.F.R. § 1820.7 Payments and collections.
Title 5 - Administrative Personnel
(a) Payments. Payment of fees shall be made by check or money order payable to the United States Treasury. (b) Advance payments. A requester is not required to make an advance payment unless: (1) The OSC estimates or determines that the requester may be required to pay fees in excess of $250, in which case the requester will be notified of the estimated cost. The requester must then furnish satisfactory assurance of full payment if the requester has a history of prompt payment of Freedom of Information Act fees. If the requester has no history of payment, then the requester may be required to furnish an advance payment up to the full estimated cost; or (2) The requester has previously failed to pay a fee assessed in a timely fashion (i.e., within 30 days of the date of billing), in which case the requester may be required to— (i) Pay the full amount owed plus any applicable interest as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, or prove payment of the alleged amount in arrears, and (ii) Make an advance payment of the full amount of the estimated cost before a new or pending request will be processed. (c) Effect of nonpayment. When the OSC acts under either paragraph (b)(2)(i) or (b)(2)(ii) of this section, the administrative time limits prescribed in 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(6) of the Freedom of Information Act will begin only after the fee payments described above have been received. (d) Interest charges. Interest may be charged to any requester who fails to pay fees assessed within 30 days of the date of billing. Interest will be assessed on the 31st day following the day on which the bill for fees was sent, and will be calculated at the rate prescribed in 31 U.S.C. 3717. Receipt of fees, even if not processed, will stay the accrual of interest. (e) Collections. If the OSC deems it appropriate in order to encourage repayment of fees assessed in accordance with these regulations, the OSC will use the procedures authorized by the Debt Collection Act of 1982 (Public Law No. 97–365), including disclosure to consumer reporting agencies and use of collection agencies.
Title 5: Administrative Personnel
PART 1820—PUBLIC INFORMATION
§ 1820.7 Payments and collections.
