Is there any way to stop a garnishment on a federal student loan if my debt and monthly expenses drastically exceed my income?

Yes, filing bankruptcy will stop the garnishment.  But unless you file and prevail at trial in showing that the repayment of the loan will constitute an "undue hardship" on you (as that term is defined by courts in your district), then it will not be discharged. Chapter 13 is a common vehicle to deal with these types of student loan debts.  You file the case to enable you to make an affordable monthly payment on the loans (whatever your budget shows you can afford).  Of course, it may never be paid off this way, but it will prevent them from garnishing wages or taking other collections actions against you. There are non-bankruptcy repayment alternatives, such as Income based repayment, but you have to rehabilitate your loan first to take it out of default before you can take advantage of those programs, such as throught the Direct Loan Servicing Center. Mark Markus has been practicing exclusively bankruptcy law in California since 1991.  He is a Certified Specialist in Bankruptcy Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization,  AV-Rated by martindale.com, and A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau.