The Education Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said Monday.

Currently, roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans.

The Trump administration ’s announcement marks an end to a period of leniency that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. No federal student loans have been referred for collection since March 2020, including those in default. Under President Joe Biden, the Education Department tried multiple times to forgive millions of people’s student loans, only to be stopped by courts.

“American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said.

  • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
    12·
    2 days ago

    To successfully have both private and federal student loans discharged in bankruptcy, you must show that repaying the loans causes an “undue hardship” on you and your dependents. That’s a tougher standard than those who file for bankruptcy must show to discharge credit card debt, personal loans or past-due utility bills. In many cases, however, it’s worthwhile to try to show you meet this standard if you have a case for it.

    There are alternatives to bankruptcy if your loan payments are unaffordable, and since bankruptcy has serious consequences for your credit and financial life, look into those first. If bankruptcy is the right choice for you, here’s how it can wipe out or reduce student loan debt. Source