29 C.F.R. § 20.74 – Purpose.

(a) The regulations in this subpart establish procedures to implement section 5 of the Debt Collection Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-365), 5 U.S.C. 5514. This statute authorizes the head of each agency to deduct from the current pay account of an employee (salary offset) when the employee owes money to the United States. This subpart specifies the agency procedures that will be available in a salary offset by the Department of Labor of an employee's current pay account.
(b) Administrative offset is defined in 31 U.S.C. 3701(a)(1) as “withholding money payable by the United States Government, to or held by the Government for a person to satisfy a debt the person owes the Government.”
A salary offset is a form of administrative offset and is separately authorized and governed by 5 U.S.C. 5514. This authority is consistent with and supplemented by administrative offset regulations of subpart B of 29 CFR part 20.