# Recoupment of Advanced Contract Funds (a) The State Department of Education shall recoup any payments made for costs which were not reasonable and necessary. The amount that is recouped shall be the excess payment over the reasonable or fair market value, or one hundred percent (100%) of the cost, if the cost was not necessary. (b) The State Department of Education may elect to recover any costs of recoupment, including collection services or attorney fees. > NOTE: Authority cited: Sections 8265 and 8269, Education Code. Reference: Section 8269, Education Code. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://title5.caqualityearlylearning.org/costs/recoupment-of-advanced-contract-funds.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.