Debt Collection Management Staff

• Nationwide Central Intake Facility
• Debt Account Operations Group
• Private Counsel Program
• Annual Reports to Congress
• Contact the Staff

The Debt Collection Management Staff (DCM) provides the operational, litigation support, policy and client support services, training, and reporting needed to facilitate the collection of debts owed to the United States Government.

Per Executive Order 14247, “Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account” as of 9/30/2025, the DCM is only accepting electronic payments.  For more information, please see DCM Bulleting on Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account.

Nationwide Central Intake Facility

The Nationwide Central Intake Facility (NCIF), located in Washington, D.C., is the central location at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) where Federal Agencies should refer civil debts for litigation and enforced collection that have a principal balance is $1,000,000 ($1M) or less, exclusive of interest or penalties, or such other amount as the Attorney General may direct, in accordance with the Federal Claims Collection Standards, 31 C.F.R. Part 904. The NCIF assigns these referrals to the appropriation United States Attorneys' Offices (USAO) or private counsels in support of USAOs.

In addition, the NCIF Program Management Office provides operational and auditory support to the Consolidated Debt Collection System, as well as reporting needs of DCM such as Annual Report to Congress, Congressional, GAO and OIG Inquiries, DOJ Statement of Custodial Activity (SCA), Financial Litigation Report, and Freedom of Information Act requests.

For general questions, please contact us at NCIF@usdoj.gov. For information about the referral process, please view the Agency Debt Referral Briefing Guide.

Debt Accounting Operations Group

The Debt Accounting Operations Group (DAOG) provides financial services for the receipt, disbursement, accounting, and reporting of payments received from and on behalf of debtors whose debts are being collected by various components of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The vast majority of the debts for which payments are received are referred to DOJ by other agencies of the Federal government.  The primary means for the disbursement of debtor payments to Federal agencies is the Treasury, Intra-governmental Payment and Collection System (IPAC). DAOG also disburses funds to non-Federal recipients through the issuance of Treasury checks, or electronic transfers via the Automated Clearing House service (ACH). 

If you are a non-federal entity (victim in a criminal case, relator in a qui tam case, debtor expecting a refund), and you need to inquire about your Federal payment, please contact the DOJ, United States Attorneys' Office, Litigating Division, or Private Counsel Office that is handling your debt.

Federal Agencies may contact the DCM-DAOG staff to request disbursement /accounting information for a debt referred to DOJ at DAOG.Disbursement.Submittals@usdoj.gov.

The Private Counsel Program (PCP) is the point of contact for law firms contracted to collect debts owed to the Federal government. DOJ launched the PCP following the passage of the Federal Debt Recovery Act of 1986 which first authorized the use of private law firms for this purpose. The PCP, part of the Debt Collection Management Staff in Washington, D.C., runs the program with oversight by the United States Attorney's Offices at the district level. The program is currently running in 19 districts nationwide with further expansion planned.

Authorizing Legislation/Regulation: Section 3718 of Title 31 of U.S. Code

• Solicitations for private counsel services are distributed solely through the General Service Administration's electronic posting system website. Counsel interested in obtaining a Request for Proposals (RFP) from the Department to enable them to bid on debt collection business should visit the Contract Opportunities website.
• The RFP provides instructions about how to prepare bids and the estimated number of cases and amount of debt that may be referred to Private Counsel in the specific judicial district. Paper copies of RFPs are not available.