Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a law that gives you the right to request information from the federal government. It's often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government.
Please note that we provide a lot of information on our website for your convenience. We encourage you to search our website for the information you need before making a formal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and agreeing to pay a fee.
If you have questions about payments, savings bonds or delinquent debt owed to the federal government, you can get useful information by calling the following numbers:
| If your questions are about…. | Call this number: |
|---|---|
| Debt owed to the government | 800-304-3107 |
| Savings Bonds | 844-284-2676 |
| Payments | 800-826-9434 or 855-868-0151 or 816-414-2100 |
Please remember that first-party requests (requests seeking your own records) are processed under the Privacy Act not the FOIA. If you are seeking first-party records, please contact the program office system manager at the address shown in the applicable System of Records (SORN) at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-10-15/pdf/2012-25209.pdf or http://www.treasury.gov/FOIA/Pages/bpdpa2.aspx or http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-09-19/pdf/2014-22366.pdf
Other Sources
- For information about Treasury Securities (T-bills, notes, and bonds, savings bonds, and other special securities), visit our website at: www.treasurydirect.gov.
- For information about banks, contact the Comptroller of the Currency
- For information about taxes, contact the Internal Revenue Service
- For information about credit, you may want to contact your state or local department of consumer affairs
- Like other Federal agencies, we have a locator system called GILS, which stands for Government Information Locator Service. Visit the GILS website and enter whatever you want to search for, i.e., "debt collection", and you'll see a list of entries containing that term.
After you look around on your own, if you don't find what you want to know about us and you want to make a FOIA request, here's what's involved:
Submitting a FOIA Request
- Your request must be in writing and signed.
- You must state that you're making the request under the FOIA.
- You need to describe the records you're requesting. The more specific you are, the easier it is for us to locate the records.
- You need to tell us what category of requester you are -- commercial, media, educational, all others -- because there are different fee structures.
- Since fees might be charged, you'll need to agree to pay
We work hard to respond promptly to FOIA requests. However, you might not get everything you ask for. Some of the information we do not disclose includes:
- who owns Treasury securities;
- who has delinquent debt owed to the federal government;
- personal information about employees or other individuals;
- information that would cause competitive harm to a business, such as a contractor.
If we withhold information, you may appeal, and if your appeal is denied, you have the right to go to court to request the release of records.
You may send your request by the following methods:
By U.S. Mail to:
Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Service)
Cynthia Sydnor/Denise Nelson
Disclosure Office
401 Fourteenth Street, SW
Room 508B
Washington, DC 20227
By Fax: 202-874-5484
Online at: https://www.treasury.gov/foia/pages/gofoia.aspx
Try looking around on our website first -- it will probably be the most convenient way for you to get information.
For links to other valuable FOIA resources, check our Electronic Reading Room
Our Other Major Websites
TreasuryDirect is the first and only financial services website that lets you buy and redeem Treasury securities, including U.S. Savings Bonds, directly from the U.S. Department of the Treasury in paperless electronic form.
The Administrative Resource Center works with federal agencies to improve the agency's success by delivering responsive, customer-focused, cost-effective administrative support.
The Do Not Pay Business Center was developed to support federal agencies in their efforts to reduce the number of improper payments.
A free service offered by the Department of the Treasury to help business and individual taxpayers conveniently pay all their federal taxes electronically.
