Get help

Behind on your mortgage? Here's what to do first.

Call your mortgage company now, at the number on your monthly statement, and ask what help it offers. Get the answer in writing. You can also talk it over for free with a HUD-approved housing counselor, a nonprofit adviser approved by the federal housing department.

You're far from the only one. In the second quarter of 2026, 11.79% of FHA loans, the government-insured loans many first-time buyers use, were behind on payments. That's about one in eight, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
By Ross Kilburn · Founder, American Default Research
Last checked Oct 9, 2026 · See the 9 sources

Where are you right now?

Start with the one that fits.

I'm about to miss a payment, or just missed one

Ask your mortgage company about a pause on payments or a payment plan. This is when you have the most choices. Write down who you talked to and what they told you, and ask them to put it in writing. You have some time. Federal rules generally don't let your mortgage company start a foreclosure until you're more than 120 days behind.

I'm behind and talking to my mortgage company

Foreclosure can keep moving while your mortgage company reviews your request, so send everything it asks for and keep copies. Help is still getting approved. In May 2026, mortgage companies completed 15,855 payment plans, loan changes and other deals to avoid foreclosure, and that's only on loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-sponsored companies behind many U.S. home loans.

A foreclosure has started, or a sale date is set

Talk to a person today: a housing counselor or a legal aid office. Both are free, and they're listed below. Have any foreclosure notice or court papers in front of you when you call.

One warning: if someone asks you to pay before your mortgage company has agreed to anything, walk away. Federal rules say most companies that sell mortgage help can't charge you a cent until your mortgage company has made you a written offer and you've accepted it.SourceFTC

Other money trouble: debt collectors · bankruptcy. Or try our free tools.

How foreclosure works in your state

Each state guide tells you whether foreclosure goes through a court, about how long it takes, and where to get free help nearby. To read the actual law in your state, see our state foreclosure laws page.

Free help

A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.

  • HUD-approved housing counselors

    Nationwide1-800-569-4287hud.gov

    Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.

  • Legal aid

    Every statelsc.gov

    Nonprofit law offices give free civil legal help to people with low incomes. Our help directory lists the 119 offices the Legal Services Corporation funds.

Sources

  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · If I can’t pay my mortgage loan, what are my options? at consumerfinance.gov
  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · What a housing counselor can do, at consumerfinance.gov
  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · Find a housing counselor, at consumerfinance.gov
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development · Avoiding foreclosure, at hud.gov
  • Regulation X (12 C.F.R. § 1024.41) · help options and the 120-day rule, at consumerfinance.gov
  • FTC · Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule guide, at ftc.gov
  • Legal Services Corporation · Get legal help, at lsc.gov
  • Mortgage Bankers Association · National Delinquency Survey, at mba.org
  • FHFA · Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report, at fhfa.gov