Lesson 1: The Basics

The Difference between a Payee and Debtor

In TINS, payee and debtor mean different things:

• A payee is an individual or other entity receiving a payment from the state of Texas. As such, this individual or business has a payee record set up in TINS. A payee in TINS may or may not be on hold, depending on if they do or do not have a debt with the state.
• A debtor is an individual or a business that owes a debt to the state of Texas. Debtors are set up in TINS so that, in the event they also become payees, their payments will be held and applied to their debts. It is not necessary for individuals or other entities to be set up in TINS as payees before they are set up as debtors — many individuals and other entities on hold are not yet state payees.

Next: State Agency Responsibilities - Becoming a Hold Source Agency