The U.S. Department of Education will begin sending notices the week of Jan. 7 to roughly 1,000 borrowers in default, signaling the restart of wage‑garnishment collections for borrowers who are 270 days past due. The department must provide a 30‑day notice before garnishing wages, officials said. The initial round is a scaled start to a broader collections effort following the end of pandemic‑era payment pauses and prior administrative grace periods. The move follows prior steps that resumed collections via tax refund offsets and other federal payment withholdings. Borrower advocates warned the action risks harming families amid stagnant wages and urged stronger outreach to affordable repayment options. Default status and garnishment have been central political flashpoints in federal higher education policy; administrative decisions to resume aggressive collection methods will affect institutional financial‑aid counseling, borrower outreach and student‑loan servicing operations on campuses and state offices.