By Cora Lewis
NEW YORK (AP) – Millions of student borrowers can start paying this summer, according to estimates from the Credit Bureau Transunion.
The company predicts that around 3 million borrowers will be able to move to default by August. That means your payment has been over 270 days. At that point, loan holders are at risk of 15% of their pay being stagnated by the government, and their money is heading towards unpaid debt. There were no clear indications as to when wage decorations would begin.
After the pandemic-era suspension ended when student loan payments ended in May, borrowers had to reassess the status of their loans and budgets. According to Transunion, another 2 million borrowers will default from default in September.
Biden administration grace period. During that time, payments were not counted against credit scores that were late or missed, so it ended in the fall.
Since then, millions of borrowers have seen their credit rating hits.
What should you know about this:
What you can do to prepare
“What borrowers can do before the managed wages restart is to log in to dusttainid.gov to see if federal student loans are the default and take steps to remove them from the default.”
Taylor said it’s not uncommon for borrowers to not know that the loan is the default. There may be multiple student loan servicers if borrowers attended university or graduate school during different periods, or if they have different federal loan types.
In that case, you will need to take action now to remove the loan from default and return it to good condition by entering into a rehabilitation agreement. There you will need to make nine consecutive payments based on your income or consolidate the loan into a new federal direct loan.
“This hasn’t happened for so long, so there are many who don’t think they’re at risk,” said Aissa Canchola Banes, policy director at the Student Boroa Protection Centre.
Student borrowers are trying to contact loan servicers due to layoffs in the education sector, which has led to many calls. Bañez recommends contacting lawmakers using casework tools that can guide you to submit configuration requests.
“These offices have an entire team dedicated to component casework for cases where there is a problem with federal agencies such as the Department of Education,” she said. “So we can request support from representatives or senators who are members of Congress.”
What happens if I leave the default
Until past payments are paid or the default status of the loan is resolved, borrowers risk that up to 15% of their wages will be deducted directly from their pay.
The Ministry of Education has warned borrowers that they are warning borrowers that tax refunds and wages can be withheld from this summer if borrowers do not take steps to resume payments. The department has not yet provided additional information regarding timing.
Richelle Brooks, 37-year-old Los Angeles-based education administrator, said she received warnings and notifications about resuming her loan collection. For a few degrees, she was still in $239,000 unpaid debt and was informed that her monthly payments on these loans would be around $3,000.
“I can’t afford it,” she said. “We came out of the moratorium – we didn’t pay for five years. People are getting these notifications – they’re scary. I’m worried too.”
Brooks said she is up to date with each development and is an informed borrower who knows her options. She plans to register for coding classes at least halftime and may postpone the loan, so she will not have to make monthly payments while she is planning on a financial plan.
If you’re afraid your wages will be decorated, then there are a few options
There’s still time to take action.
According to Taylor, the Department of Education must provide 30-day notice to employers before sending decoration orders. Meanwhile, you can request a opposing hearing by telling the department that the decorations will cause financial difficulties. You can also request that the department reduce the amounts on display and submit documents regarding your income and expenses.
To do this, you must request a written hearing request to write a postal rating within 30 days of the decoration order. The loan owner will then arrange a hearing. If you are unsure who the loan owner is, you can contact the Default Resolution Group in your education department.
If you are fired from your last job, you can also oppose the decoration if you have not been in your current job for 12 consecutive months. If you submit applications for statutory discharge of a particular type, you can request more hearings and objects if they have not yet been determined. Some common reasons for legal discharge from a student loan are as follows: If the schools attended close before they earn their degree, the school owes a refund but is unable to pay it, if a total failure occurs, or if bankruptcy occurs.
“If a borrower requests a hearing within 30 days of receiving the decoration notice, the department cannot begin decorations until it issues a decision regarding the borrower’s objection and a demand for financial difficulties,” Taylor said.
After 30 days have ended, you can request a hearing, but in such cases, the department does not stop adorning wages in general while the request for the hearing is pending.
The Associated Press is supported by the Charles Schwab Foundation for education and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.
Original issue: August 4, 2025, 12:14pm EDT
