ConServe: tax debt, student loan or tuition? The rules differ

Before anything else, find out who ConServe is collecting for, because each kind of account is checked in a different place.

• A federal tax debt comes after a letter from the IRS itself telling you the account has been assigned to a private agency. You can confirm what you owe by logging in to your account on the IRS website.
• A federal student loan shows up in your account on the Department of Education's student aid website, with its status and the agency handling it.
• Tuition or a private loan is confirmed by the college's bursar's office or the lender, which can tell you whether the account was sent to ConServe and for how much.

If none of those can confirm the account, ask ConServe for the written notice and do not pay until the creditor is clear.

ConServe is one of the private collection agencies the IRS uses for certain overdue federal tax debts, alongside CBE and Coast Professional. That program has strict rules, and they make a near-certain test for fakes: under the IRS program, the IRS writes to you before a private agency contacts you; the agency must identify itself as an IRS contractor and will not ask for payment made directly to it or by prepaid or gift card; all payments go to the IRS, with checks payable to the United States Treasury; and the agency cannot take enforcement action against you.

So if someone claiming to be ConServe asks you to pay them, or to pay by gift card, about a tax debt, it is not genuine. Check your balance on the IRS website yourself, and pay only the IRS.

When ConServe collects a federal loan in default, pay can be withheld by the government itself; our garnishment guide sets out the 15 percent cap and your right to object.

ConServe has described its work as accounts receivable management for colleges and universities, guaranty agencies and private lenders. Ask first whether the loan is federal. A defaulted federal loan never becomes too old to collect, and the government can take part of your pay through its own administrative process, without a lawsuit. The routes back to good standing, rehabilitation and consolidation, belong to the Department of Education, so you can check any offer with the Department itself.

For a private student loan or unpaid tuition, the ordinary rules apply: the creditor must sue and win before garnishing, and state time limits apply.

For a debt owed to a college or lender, ask ConServe for the validation notice, which must name the creditor and itemize the balance. Collection fees added on top of tuition are a common point of dispute, so ask how any fees were calculated and whether your enrollment agreement allows them.

A written dispute inside the validation period makes ConServe stop collecting until it mails verification. You can write to Fairport or use the borrower email address on its contact page; keep a copy either way.

Thinking about paying ConServe? Read whether you should pay a collection agency first, because paying an old or unverified debt can backfire.

A written dispute is your strongest first step; our guide on how to write a debt validation letter includes a free sample.

Say ConServe mails a notice on Wednesday, September 1, 2027 about $2,940.00 in unpaid tuition.

1. Labor Day (September 6) and the weekend do not count, so the fifth working day after mailing is Thursday, September 9, 2027.
2. The dispute period can end no earlier than Saturday, October 9, 2027.
3. Write to Fairport by certified mail, naming the college as the creditor and asking how any collection fees were calculated.

For the rules that apply where this example is set, see debt collection law in New York.