Revenue & Recovery Frequently Asked Questions

For more information please go to Office Locations

8:00 to 5:00 Monday thru Friday
Central Phone Number (619) 515-6200*

*An automated attendant is provided to better direct your call to our specific service areas.

Due to the confidential nature of the account information, we request that all inquiries regarding accounts be made via phone.

Agents are available Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm, excluding County holidays, and may be reached at (619) 515-6200.

For more information on where to call about your bill, please go to Office Locations.

For more information on your account, please go to Office Locations.

For more information on where to call about your payments, please go to Office Locations.

Certain types of obligations carry a "joint and several" liability. This means that each person is individually responsible to pay the entire bill. Generally, these types of obligations occur when individuals:

• have jointly received County services that must be repaid; or
• have been identified by the Court as co-defendants in a case and are ordered to repay an obligation.

This is not a duplicate charge. Payments made by each responsible party are applied to the total obligation.

If you and another responsible party are living at the same address and you wish to receive only one monthly statement, please contact us.

Where allowable, 10% annual interest is charged on the unpaid principal balance.

Revenue and Recovery cannot change monthly payments set by court order. Contact an attorney for assistance in petitioning the court to obtain a modified order. Upon receipt of the modified order, Revenue and Recovery will adjust the monthly payment terms.

Monthly payment amounts that were not ordered by the court are based on financial ability. Please fill out the Financial Statement completely and return it to Collections. Once you have returned it, you will be contacted for a financial evaluation that will determine your monthly payments. You will be required to bring proof of income and proof of expenses. If you have any questions please contact Revenue and Recovery.

You can provide new address, phone, and employment information by mail, fax, phone or in person. Please provide your full name, Revenue and Recovery account number, and a phone number where you can be reached on any correspondence. See How to Contact Us for our hours, phone and fax numbers, and our office locations.

If you are unable to make your monthly payment by the scheduled due date, contact us by phone or in person immediately. Regular contact from you may help to minimize the possibility of enforcement action being initiated against you. It is very important that Revenue and Recovery be kept informed about your current financial situation.

Revenue and Recovery participates in the State and Federal Tax Refund Intercept Programs. Welfare overpayments, court ordered fines, restitution, and dependency attorney fees are just a few of the types of delinquent accounts that are subject to tax intercept.

When an account is identified as eligible for a tax refund intercept, a notice of intent to intercept is mailed by the Franchise Tax Board to each of the responsible persons. If the account is then paid in full or satisfactory repayment arrangements are made prior to the tax intercept, the account can be deleted from the intercept list.

To protect against having your tax refund intercepted, it is important to pay your account in full or keep your account current by sending your full payment each month.

When a minor is ordered by the Superior Court-Juvenile Division to pay a fine, penalty assessment, or restitution, the order is generally made payable to Revenue and Recovery and a statement will be sent to the minor at the residence address identified by the court. Minors are responsible for the repayment of their court ordered obligations.

Additionally, the parent(s) or guardian(s) of a minor child may be liable for the fines, penalties, and/or restitution, that the Court has ordered the minor to pay. Such liability can result in money judgments against the parent(s) or guardian(s) and the garnishment of their wages or attachment of assets.

When a minor fails to make payments as ordered by the Court, the parent(s) or guardian(s) may be billed.

The parent(s) or guardian(s) of a minor child ordered to pay fines, penalties, and/or restitution can be held liable for the payment of these amounts. Such liability can result in money judgments against the parent(s) or guardian(s) and the garnishment of their wages or attachment of assets.

When the Court appoints an attorney to represent the parent or minor in a case, the parent or guardian is liable for the cost of any legal services provided for themselves, and is equally liable with the other parent or guardian for the cost of legal services provided for the minor.

The parent(s) or guardian(s) is (are) responsible for costs of legal services provided to a minor in a dependency case, as well as for the costs of any legal services provided for themselves.

The parent(s) or guardian(s) is (are) not liable for the cost of legal services provided to a minor in a delinquency case.

As the parent(s) or guardian(s) is (are) still responsible for costs of legal services provided to a minor in a dependency case, as well as for the costs of any legal services provided for themselves.

If you have legally (in Court) relinquished all parental rights to the child, please contact us. You must provide our office with a copy of the court order relinquishing your parental rights.

You have been sent a Notice of Action letter that advised you of reason for the overpayment and the amount you were overpaid. Follow the information on the back of the notice for requesting a State Hearing, or:

• Go to the County of San Diego's Health & Human Services Agency web site for additional information. (See the Frequently Asked Questions area.)
• Contact the County of San Diego's Health & Human Services Agency; access Customer Service Center at 1-866-262-9881.
• Contact the State's Public Inquiry and Response Unit at 1-800-952-5253.

When Social Security sends a retroactive check to Revenue and Recovery, we are required to keep the portion of the check for the period that you received General Relief from the County.

For example, if you were on General Relief in January 1999 through March 1999, and your SSI retroactive check covered benefits for March 1999 through July 1999, Revenue and Recovery would keep the funds for March. It is the only month that you were on General Relief and were eligible for SSI benefits.

You may be receiving a bill because you may have been on General Relief prior to your SSI eligibility period and, therefore, your retroactive check was insufficient to reimburse the County for the full period that you were on General Relief.

SSI retroactive funds received for months that you were not on General Relief with the County will be refunded to you. If you have any additional questions about your specific account, please contact us

Creditors, including the County, can record various documents with the County Recorder that result in real property liens. A copy of any document recorded against your property can be obtained from the County Recorder for a small fee.

If you are currently in an escrow, ask your escrow or title company officer to contact our Lien Services Unit at (619) 515-6200, option "6".

The following information must be supplied:

• A copy(s) of the document(s) to be cleared
• A completed Statement of Information form pertaining to the judgment or lien debtor
• The legal property description and parcel number
• The type of escrow transaction (purchase, sale, refinance)

For non-escrow lien clearances, call (619) 515-6200, option "6". Our Lien Services staff will take your information and assist you in initiating the clearance process. Fill out the USCIS or Party Clearance form and return with a copy of your Driver's License or ID.

Upon payment of the debt in full, a satisfaction document will be issued to the escrow officer or to you (non-escrow) that must be recorded with the County Recorder to lift the lien.

If Revenue and Recovery previously issued a Satisfaction of Judgment document, you may obtain a copy from the Court that originally entered the judgment.

If a satisfaction document has not been previously issued, and if your debt has been paid in full, you may contact the Lien Services Unit at (619) 515-6200, option "6" and request that one be prepared for you.

Accounts that are not a matter of public record that are referred to the Office of Revenue and Recovery for collection are currently not being reported to Credit Bureaus. However, Revenue and Recovery reserves the right to begin reporting these accounts to Credit Bureaus in the future.

If a court has entered a judgment against you, it becomes a matter of public record. When a Credit Bureau searches for information to include in a credit report, they search the public records for any open items. If the public record shows an outstanding lien or judgment, this will appear on your credit report.

If you have not paid the outstanding amount, contact Revenue and Recovery to make arrangements for payment. If you have paid the outstanding amount, a Satisfaction of Judgment should have been filed with the Court that originally entered the judgment, and you can obtain a copy from the Court. If a Satisfaction of Judgment has not been filed, contact the Lien Services Unit at (619) 515-6200, option "6" and request that one be prepared for you.

Call Collections at (619) 515-6200, option "3" for information on Wage Assignments and Garnishments.

One of the USCIS requirements for obtaining legal entry into the United States is that you provide proof that you do not owe money to a governmental agency. To request San Diego County clearance for citizenship and immigration, call the Lien Services Unit at (619) 515-6200, option "6". Fill out the USCIS or Party Clearance form and return with a copy of your Driver's License or ID.

In an effort to reduce the amount of court-ordered debt, the California Legislature allowed the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) and courts to form partnerships to collect court-ordered debt. The Court-Ordered Debt Collections Program is authorized under Section 19280 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code. FTB's collection process begins when a case is referred to them by the collection entity. FTB will first mail you a demand for payment. If the debt is not resolved within 10 days, FTB can issue a levy against your bank accounts, wages, or other miscellaneous sources of income.