The Department of Education announced on Monday that it will restart collecting federal student loans in default on May 5, ending a pandemic-era pause that began roughly five years ago.

In an announcement this week, the department warned that millions of borrowers could be referred to debt collectors and see deductions from their paychecks.

The US Education Department will restart student loan collections from 5 May, targeting over 5 million borrowers in default. Wage garnishment and benefit offsets will resume after a pause that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.