State Penalties for Defaulting On Your Student Loans

The consequences of defaulting on a student loan are serious and long-lasting -- and may depend on where you live. Here is information for your state.

Anyone who defaults on a student loan faces serious consequences, such as:

• wage garnishment
• loss of federal and state income tax returns
• a ruined credit report, and
• in extreme cases, a lawsuit. 

In addition, some states their own penalties on residents who default, such as suspension or loss of state professional licenses and seizure of lottery winnings.

For more information, select your state below.

About Shae Irving

Shae Irving has been writing for Legal Consumer since 2013, focusing on health care and family law. She was a senior legal editor and editorial project manager at Nolo, where she worked for twenty-two years. Shae has degrees in rhetoric and law from U.C. Berkeley. She lives in Northern California.