Chancellor’s Office Tax Offset Program (COTOP)

You received this letter because you have fees that have been pending payment in your student account from one or more previous semesters when you attended Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College, or Los Medanos College. This letter is to formally notify you of these pending fees and please follow the instructions on the letter to pay the payment within 90 days. The 90 days will allow students time to question/petition the debt and/or pay the college before the tax offset process begins with the Franchise Tax Board.

Online payments may be made via the InSite system www.4cd.edu/insite. Please note that you may not be able to access your information online if you have not used InSite in the past year or if your debt is financial aid related. To activate your account, please contact helpdesk at 925-229-6888.

The charges may include past due fees from former students, Examples include but are not limited to enrollment fees, student record fees, student loans, financial aid overpayments, student fees, library fines, and personal checks written with insufficient funds.

If you have recently paid your outstanding balance by the due date referenced on the letter/email you received, please disregard this bill, and thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

If you paid your outstanding balance after the due date referenced on the letter/email you received, it is possible your account was already submitted to the FTB. The Contra Costa Community College District (4CD) updates balance information with the State Chancellor’s Office frequently; however, if the FTB intercepts the debt after you have paid your outstanding balance, a refund check will be issued to the address on file after all funds have been received and posted to your account. Please verify that 4CD has a current address on file for the refund check.

Debt notifications are sent to currently enrolled students via InSite email and personal email three times per semester. If the balance remains unpaid, students may also receive a notification of COTOP three times between August and October to personal email addresses and mailed to the last known address on file. It is the student’s responsibility to pay their tuition and fees after registering for classes and adhere to the college’s established deadlines.

The debt attempting to be collected will not be reported to credit agencies and will not affect your credit rating. However, you are expected to pay your outstanding balance within 90 days of receipt of your notification from the Contra Costa Community College District (4CD). Once 90 days have passed and you have not made the payment, your outstanding balance will be submitted to the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB).

Yes. You may choose to pay your outstanding balance in installments. However, any remaining outstanding balance will still be submitted to the California Franchise Tax Board until it is paid in full.

If you do not pay the bill, your outstanding balance will be submitted to the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB). FTB will intercept the amount owed from your future state tax refunds, as well as any California lottery winnings or unclaimed property.

Please check your Financial Aid eligibility for the specific semester. For any discrepancies, please contact your college’s Financial Aid Office.

• Contra Costa College Financial Aid Office

• Diablo Valley College Financial Aid Office

• Los Medanos College Financial Aid Office

It is the student’s responsibility to drop courses according to the college’s established deadline. Please pay your outstanding balance online, by mail, by phone, or in-person.

Fees incurred prior to June 30 of the previous academic year, including balances associated with a non-resident status, cannot be retroactively appealed or adjusted. Outstanding balances can only be appealed within one academic year. Students are responsible for following the college’s published class add/drop/withdrawal deadlines.

If you believe you may be a victim of identity theft, please follow the appeal process and submit supporting evidence to the Admissions and Records Office.

You can mark the letter “Return to sender / incorrect address” and place it back in the mail. District attempts to reach debtors through multiple venues, including mail and email.

We are sorry for your loss. Please send applicable documentation (death certificate, program, news article, etc) to the contact information provided in the letter along with your contact information. Once received, we will write off the outstanding balance and contact you for additional information as needed.