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About

RevUp Intercept

The Commonwealth Intercept Program provides eligible public Massachusetts entities a way to reclaim outstanding debt. 

When a debtor is issued payment from the Commonwealth’s accounting system), Department of Revenue tax refunds, or Lottery winnings greater than $600, Intercept steps in and collects those funds on behalf of the participating organization. 

As of June 30, 2024, the Commonwealth Intercept Program has recovered more than $312 million for the taxpayers of Massachusetts. This comprises an essential component of the Commonwealth’s non-tax revenue, assists in debtor payment responsibility and compliance, and improves government accountability of taxpayer dollars. 

Getting started

Massachusetts executive agencies and departments, authorities, quasi-state authorities, public universities and community colleges, municipalities, and housing authorities are eligible to participate. 

The Commonwealth Intercept Program is provided at zero cost to participating eligible organizations. 

Organizations seeking to participate should contact 617-964-2468 or [email protected] to get started. The Office of the Comptroller will meet with your organization to learn about your needs and provide training and resources.

Types of Debt Eligible for Intercept

Some debts may have a statute of limitations that should not be exceeded. Please note: statute of limitations requirements are not specific to the Commonwealth Intercept Program – any statute of limitations should be abided regardless of the collection method used. The Commonwealth Intercept Program CANNOT check or verify any ageing requirements; therefore, it will be entirely your responsibility to ensure all debts submitted comply with these laws. We strongly suggest you contact your attorney to clarify any statute of limitations questions that may arise. 

The debt can be Intercepted from the following payouts: 

The debt must be outstanding for at least 120 days, and the debtor must have received at least four past due collection notices requesting payment. The invoices must contain dunning language citing the prospect of the delinquency to be referred to the Commonwealth Intercept Program and debt collection services, as well as language citing that the debtor has a right to a hearing to dispute their debt. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Intercept work?

Participating entities submit a set of debt records to the Intercept Web Application by uploading and inputting their organization’s debt information into a specification formatted .xml or .txt file into the web-based system. Once the end user certifies that the debt data is correct, the debt records are then submitted for processing. Please note: the Intercept Web Application does not have any ability to validate this data and therefore it is solely the responsibility of participating users to ensure their submitted data is correct. 

These submitted debt records are matched ongoingly against various state payment systems by attempting to find the debtor’s tax identification number (TIN), either their social security number (SSN) or federal tax identification number (FEIN). The automation process of matching and collecting a debt is called an “Intercept”. 

Once a successful Intercept occurs, the amount of the debt (either in partial or full amount) plus an administrative fee is subtracted from the debtor’s payment and any remaining refund is sent out directly to the individual or corporation. 

How does the debtor find out about the Intercept?

The Intercept debtor will receive either: 

  • A net payment intercept notice with a net check amount 
  • A zero-dollar intercept notice when the entire payment has been intercepted. 

The notice will also provide the debtor with applicable entity contact information for any further questions. 

How much does this cost?

Whenever debt is recovered for a participating organization, a program administrative fee is assessed: 

  • Commonwealth’s accounting system payments (+$15) 
  • Department of Revenue personal and corporate tax refunds (+$10) 
  • Lottery payouts greater than $600 (+$15)

NOTE: An administrative fee up to $25 may be deducted. 

What is the applicable authority for the Commonwealth Intercept Program?

  • M.G.L. c. 7A, §§ 3, 8, 18 and 19 

*Not all eligible entities are required to comply 

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