The U.S. Department of Education will restart collections on federal student loans in default beginning May 5, ending a pause that began in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic[1][2][3][4].

The Department of Education will send defaulted loans to debt collection starting May 5. What to do if you're behind on payments.

Student loan wage garnishment is back. Women, who hold two-thirds of student debt, face the biggest hit as the Education Department resumes collections.