Defaulting or being behind on federal student loan repayments is not uncommon, as the Education Department noted Monday that only 38% of borrowers are in repaymen

After a 30-day notice, the department will begin garnishing wages for borrowers in default. Loan holders who don't make payments for nine months go into default, which is reported on credit scores, according to the Federal Student Aid office.

The Trump administration is ending the period of leniency that was granted for student loans during the pandemic, and loans will begin to be sent to debt collection.