Collections for school

[zddoodah]

Can we get out of this?

Are you asking if there's a way for your husband/you to avoid paying for what he bought? If so, the answer is no. Of course, the wage/tax refund garnishments can stop by him paying what he owes (and the tax refund garnishment can be stopped by not having too much money withheld from your paychecks so that you don't have refunds to garnish). How much in total does he owe?

 

[quincy]

Possibly this is an old collection action and the couple wasn't due for a refund until now. I suspect this is for unpaid tuition or the like NOT covered by a student loan, since the school is supposed to verify the borrower student is actually attending classes prior to disbursing funds.

And I am surprised the school officials would speak with the spouse without the student's written permission - FERPA issue.

The debt is from 5 years ago and the collection action was started 4 years ago. The debt arose when the husband failed to withdraw properly from the college classes he enrolled in. He owes for the classes he did not attend. The remaining balance owing on the debt is $3000.

Some student debts can be forgiven under some circumstances and, because of Covid-19 relief programs, some debt payments can be delayed.

Because the collection agency or judgment-creditor has garnished tax refunds, the debt is not from a private source.