Income Based Repayment program will be better promoted by Obama administration A new plan to raise awareness about the Income Based Repayment Program is the latest step in the Obama administration's efforts to lessen the burden of student debt. Rich Sugg-Pool / Getty Images U.S. President Barack Obama greets Joplin High School graduates just before Monday night's commencement ceremony for the Class of 2012 at the Missouri Southern State University on May 21, 2012 in Joplin, Missouri. Last week, the Obama Administration outlined a plan to make more borrowers aware of the Income Based Repayment (IBR) program, and make it easier for those who qualify to apply. The plan is the latest step in the administration's efforts to lessen the burden of student debt, and is specifically designed to encourage more borrowers to sign on to a program that, despite being a great option for distressed borrowers, has been underutilized. Since 2007, federal student loan borrowers who are experiencing a "partial financial hardship" and are thus unable to make payments under their standard repayment plan have been able to enroll in IBR to cap their monthly student loan payments at 15% of their discretionary income. In 2010, President Obama signed legislation that lowered the cap to 10% for borrowers beginning 2014. (MORE: How to Get a Job? Beat the Machines) The way it's calculated is complicated, but basically, lenders will look at how much a borrower makes, note how far above the poverty line it is, and adjust the payments accordingly. If the calculation is below the standard repayment plan, then borrowers are given the option to pay less. If they stick with the plan for 25 years, any remaining debt (both principal and interest) is automatically forgiven. For those who work full-time at a non-profit or public service job, remaining debt is forgiven after only 10 years. In other words, IBR is a much more reasonable option for many borrowers who are struggling to make monthly loan payments. Yet even though the Federal Reserve Bank of New York estimates more than five million student loan borrowers currently have at least one loan that is past due, as of February 2012, only 630,000 people were enrolled in IBR. "Too few borrowers are aware of the options available to them to help manage their student loan debt, including reducing their monthly payments through IBR," President Obama wrote in a White House memo sent to the secretaries of the Departments of Education and the Treasury and released to reporters last week. Additionally, too many borrowers have had difficulties navigating and completing the IBR application process once they have started it. In an effort to correct these issues, the administration plans to streamline the application process to allow borrowers to automatically import their IRS tax return income data directly into the IBR application, so they can complete the application in one sitting without having to contact their lender. The plan also seeks to increase the online and mobile resources for borrowers to learn about their options. The administration will also attempt to increase awareness of IBR, which may prove the hardest goal to accomplish. That's because IBR suffers from an image problem. "Students already in repayment may not be as aware of it as an option or may believe themselves to be ineligible," said Mark Kantrowitz, of financial aid information sites, FinAid.org and Fastweb.com. The US Department of Education has not done much promotion of the option, nor have the colleges. But some of the lack of awareness may also be the fault of the lenders, who are sometimes reluctant to even mention the program as an option to distressed borrowers because if a borrower enrolls, the lender gets less money per month in payments. MORE: Theme Parks Aim to Raise Thrill-Per-Dollar Value "We've heard from borrowers who were told by lenders that IBR was not for them when it was, or who said IBR wasn't even mentioned as an option," said Lauren Asher, president of the non-profit organization the Institute for College Access and Success. Borrowers need to be able to make an informed decision, rather than having it made for them. Asher said while the Obama Administration's plan to raise awareness is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done. That's because their plan only mandates lenders inform borrowers of their options, including IBR, when the student graduates and again when they enter repayment. The plan makes no mention of having to inform borrowers of IBR when their payments are delinquent. A borrower can miss payments for nine months before a loan enters default, so reaching borrowers during this critical time of delinquency is key. "More needs to be done to reach out to borrowers - not just when they first start to repay their loans," Asher said. It's important people get notice when they need it most. Have questions about Income Based Repayment? IBRinfo.org is your best source of information. Kayla Webley is a Staff Writer at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @kaylawebley, on Facebook or on Google+.