Student-loan payments resume in 90 days. Here's how the Education Department plans to make the transition easier for borrowers.

• The Education Dept. plans to implement flexibilities for student-loan borrowers when payments resume in May.
• They include a grace period for those who fall behind on payments, along with expanding customer service for borrowers.

The Education Department has acknowledged the challenges associated with resuming student-loan payments after a two-year pause, and has a plan to ease 43 million federal borrowers back into repayment.

This came after President Joe Biden extended the pause on student-loan payments right before Christmas. It included waived interest, and marked the third such postponement, through May 1. That gave borrowers an additional 90 days of relief, which is already set to expire in a few months.

As that deadline approaches, Biden is on record as saying borrowers should "do their part" in preparing for a payment resumption. But in a new report released Jan. 27, the Education Department told the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that it will be "a challenge to motivate" borrowers to resume payments after two years.

That's why the department is implementing flexibilities for borrowers, as outlined in the GAO report.

"As borrowers face student loan bills for the first time in over two years, getting borrowers to resume payments and avoid delinquency or default will be a significant challenge, according to Education officials," the report said. "Education has planned to ease this transition by temporarily not reporting missed payments to credit rating agencies. In addition, Education is providing borrowers with additional flexibilities during the early stages of resuming repayment."

Temporarily not reporting missed payments was part of the "safety net" the department was reportedly preparing for borrowers when payments were set to resume in February. When borrowers fall behind on payments, it can negatively impact their credit scores and lead to wage garnishment and withholding federal benefits, among other things, so allowing a grace period will give borrowers some leeway to get back on track.

Other flexibilities the GAO reported the department will implement for borrowers include:

• Simplifying income-driven repayment plans by removing the requirement for borrowers to recertify their current income and family size for six months after payments resume
• Expanding customer service by requiring student-loan companies to add evening and weekend call center hours
• And requiring that new hires to student-loan companies get federal clearance and complete substantial training to ensure they are well-equipped to assist borrowers.

These flexibilities come alongside Education Department outreach campaigns to student-loan borrowers, including targeted outreach to those at-risk of falling behind on payments once payments resume.

As Insider reported, the Education Department acknowledged to GAO that it will be tough to compel borrowers to pay off their debt after a two year pause. Even before the most recent extension, the department announced it would be easing the paperwork process for income-driven repayment plans as part of its temporary changes.

And it's ultimately unclear how effective these relief measures will be when it comes time for borrowers to pay off their debt on May 1. Some borrowers have told Insider they do not believe they can afford another monthly bill in just a few months, and lawmakers argue that Biden should use the extra time from the extension to cancel student debt and give borrowers permanent relief.

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers wrote to Biden last month that "eliminating debt before the pause ends is a commonsense step so that millions of borrowers have more breathing room in their family budgets and our national economy is not further held back."