Owing Money to the Federal Government or the State of Iowa

You may owe the state or federal government money for a variety of reasons, including for tax debt. The federal government and the State of Iowa can be debt collectors in certain circumstances, but they are not your typical debt collectors. They have options available to them to collect that are not available to all debt collectors. The specific circumstances of how a debt can be collected will depend on who you owe the debt to and what the debt is for.

For more information on owing money to the government, visit:

• Federal Resources
  • IRS Offer in Compromise (Internal Revenue Service website)
  • Administrative Wage Garnishment (U.S. Treasury website)
  • Debt Collection Legal Authorities Quick Reference Charts (U.S. Treasury website)​​​​​​​
• Iowa Resources
  • What Can I Do When I Owe Taxes, Court Debt or Other Debts to the State of Iowa? (Iowa Legal Aid)​​​​​​​
  • Collections Information (Iowa Department of Revenue)​​​​​​​
  • Collections Common Questions (Iowa Department of Revenue)​​​​​​​
  • Common Questions About Paying Fines and Court Debt (Iowa Judicial Branch)

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