What Is Mortgage Forbearance?

Forbearance is a pause on your mortgage payments, or smaller payments, for a set time. Your mortgage company arranges it. It doesn't erase what you owe. When it ends, you repay what you missed: over a few months, at the end of the loan, through a change to your loan, or all at once. How long it can last depends on who backs your loan.

If you need a break, you're not the only one. In Q2 2026, about one in eight FHA loans was behind on payments (11.79%), according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Delinquency Survey.

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By Ross Kilburn · Founder, American Default Research
Former COO of Ark Law Group, PLLC, a foreclosure defense firm serving five states · founder of Seattle Short Sales, Inc. · author of Short Sale Your Home
Last checked Oct 9, 2026 · See the 23 sources

How does forbearance work?

Your mortgage company, the company you send your payment to (your paperwork may call it your The company that collects your monthly mortgage payments. This may not be the same company that originally gave you the loan. Learn more → ), agrees to let you pause your payments or make smaller ones for a while. That's how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a federal agency, describes itSourceCFPB. It isn't forgiveness. Forbearance doesn't erase or lower what you owe, and every missed or reduced payment has to be repaid later.

Interest on the paused amount can keep adding up until you repay itSourceCFPB. That's one reason the way you repay matters. Some repayment options charge no interest on the amount set aside. More on that below.

Why it has to be in writing

If you set up a pause over the phone, ask for it in writing before you skip a payment. A request can get lost. Early in 2021, the CFPB reported that at some servicers, staff handling forbearance requests logged them as questions about forbearance, so no forbearance was set up. People in that spot risk missed payments and bad marks on their creditSourceCFPB.

Many servicers have to put it in writing. Fannie Mae requires the servicer to give you the plan's details in a notice it calls an Evaluation NoticeSourceFannie Mae D2-3.2-01. Freddie Mac describes every forbearance plan as a written agreementSourceFreddie Mac. FHA loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration. For those, the servicer must send the agreement within 15 days of approving your first period of forbearanceSourceHUD Handbook 4000.1. If you have one of these loans and no letter came, call and ask why.

If you stop paying without an agreement, your servicer reports it, and that can hurt your credit for a long timeSourceCFPB. Once you're more than 120 days behind, federal rules generally allow the servicer to start a foreclosureSourceRegulation X.

How long does forbearance last?

It depends on who owns or backs your loan, and that isn't always your mortgage company. Many loans are sold, and your mortgage company may not own yours. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac each have a lookup tool on their websitesSourceCFPB, or you can ask your servicer.

How long forbearance can last, by who backs your loan
Your loan How long Good to know
Fannie Mae Up to three months at a time. Generally no more than 12 months in all, and not past the point where you'd be 12 months behind. Longer only with Fannie Mae's written approval. It has to be the home you live in, unless the hardship comes from a disaster. Your servicer can consider you without a full application, and it can't charge late fees while you keep to the plan.SourceFannie Mae D2-3.2-01
Freddie Mac Up to 12 months, as long as you're no more than 12 months behind in all. A written agreement sets the period. This comes from Freddie Mac's public summary of its rules.SourceFreddie Mac
FHA One to three months to start. Up to 12 months for one stretch of falling behind, as long as what you're behind doesn't pass 12 months of full payments. A full payment here means principal, interest, taxes and insurance. The agreement says no late fees during the forbearance.SourceHUD Handbook 4000.1
VA VA's page for homeowners doesn't give a maximum. Ask your servicer. VA calls it special forbearance: extra time to repay missed payments, without adding them to the end of your loan.SourceVA
USDA guaranteed Payments can be lowered or stopped for a short time, as part of a longer plan to catch up. What you're behind can't pass 12 months of full payments. A guaranteed loan is made by a private lender and backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).Source7 C.F.R. § 3555.303
USDA direct Payments can be put off for up to two years, if you qualify. When it ends, the loan is recalculated to include what was put off, and you'll need an escrow account.Source7 C.F.R. § 3550.207
Other loans Set by the lender. Ask your servicer what it offers. That includes loans a bank keeps for itself.SourceCFPB

An escrow account is money your servicer collects with each payment to pay your property taxes and insurance.

How many mortgages are in forbearance?

At the end of June 2026, 37,283 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans were in forbearance, 2,570 more than a year earlier, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees the two companiesSourceFHFA.

FHFA prints that count one month at a time, in its Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report. We keep every month in one record, so you can see what a single report can't: how it changes from month to month. Starting from 31,827 in June 2024, it peaked at 57,627 in November 2024. It covers only loans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac back, not FHA, VA, USDA or bank-held loans.

More Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans in forbearance than a year earlier

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac single-family loans on a forbearance plan at month end, United States: 37,283 in June 2026. Monthly, June 2024 to June 2026.

30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 A year earlier: 34,713 Jun 2024Sep 2024Dec 2024Mar 2025Jun 2025Sep 2025Dec 2025Mar 2026Jun 2026 Jun 2026 37,283 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 A year earlier: 34,713 Jun 2024Dec 2024Jun 2025Dec 2025Jun 2026 Jun 2026 37,283
Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report, through June 2026 American Default Research · americandefault.org/help/behind-on-mortgage/forbearance/
Use this chart

The full monthly record, with a download, is on our Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans in forbearance page.

What does forbearance cost you?

  • Interest. The paused amount can keep adding interest until you repay itSourceCFPB.
  • Late fees. Fannie Mae bars late charges while you keep to a forbearance planSourceFannie Mae D2-3.2-01. FHA's agreement says late fees won't be charged during the forbearanceSourceHUD Handbook 4000.1. For other loans, ask.
  • Taxes, insurance and HOA dues. These don't pause. If your loan has no escrow account, you still pay property taxes and insurance yourself, and homeowners association or condo fees are still yours to paySourceCFPB.
  • Your credit. Forbearance shows up on your credit report. More below.

What happens when forbearance ends?

You repay what you missed. The CFPB suggests you call your servicer before the forbearance ends to plan what comes nextSourceCFPB. With a Fannie Mae loan, the servicer has to start trying to reach you at least 30 days before a forbearance period endsSourceFannie Mae D2-3.2-01.

These are the usual ways to repay. Which ones you can get depends on your loan.

  1. A repayment plan

    What you missed is spread over a set number of months and added to your regular payment, so your payment goes up for that stretchSourceCFPB. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers the same kind of planSourceVA. It fits if you can pay more than your old payment for a while.

  2. A payment deferral

    The missed amount moves into a separate balance you pay later. Fannie Mae's version charges no interest on it, leaves your other loan terms alone, and comes due when the loan ends, or sooner if you sell or transfer the home, refinance, or pay off the rest of the loanSourceFannie Mae D2-3.2-04. Fannie Mae generally offers it when you're two to six months behind at the time you're reviewed. Freddie Mac's is for people whose short-term hardship is over, who can make their old payment again but can't catch up or afford a repayment planSourceFreddie Mac.

  3. A partial claim (FHA and VA loans)

    The government pays what you're behind, and you owe that amount back later as a separate loan. For an FHA loan, money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) brings the mortgage current and can also set part of the balance aside. No interest builds on it, and HUD doesn't require payment until the mortgage ends, or until an earlier event in its rules, such as a sale of the homeSourceHUD Handbook 4000.1.

    VA's partial claim pays your missed payments to bring the loan current, and you pay it back when you pay off the loan or sell the home. You have to finish a three-month trial payment plan first. Servicers have until November 28, 2026, to add partial claims to their systems, so ask whether yours offers it yetSourceVA.

    The CFPB's caution for this kind of second loan: it comes due all at once at the end of your mortgageSourceCFPB.

  4. A loan modification

    If you can't go back to your old payment, a A permanent change to your mortgage terms — like a lower interest rate or longer repayment period — to make your monthly payment more affordable. Learn more → , a lasting change to your loan terms, may help. It can mean more years to pay, a lower interest rate, or part of the balance set aside or reducedSourceCFPB. See how a loan modification works.

  5. Paying it all at once

    You can repay everything you missed in one payment if you're able toSourceCFPB. You don't have to. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac don't require a lump sum at the end of forbearance, and for most government-backed loans the servicer can't require one. If a lump sum is the only option you hear about, ask about the others. For a loan without government backing, ask your servicer which repayment options it offersSourceCFPB.

Does forbearance hurt your credit?

Forbearance shows up on your credit report. Fannie Mae requires servicers to report each loan's status to the credit bureaus every month, and forbearance is on its list of statuses to reportSourceFannie Mae C-4.1-01. What that does to your score depends on the rest of your report. None of the official sources on this page puts a number of points on it.

Stopping payments without an agreement is worse. If you stop paying without a forbearance agreement, your servicer reports it, and it can hurt your credit history for a long timeSourceCFPB.

You may have heard that forbearance can't hurt your credit. That came from a COVID-era law. During a set period, a lender that agreed to pause your payments had to report your loan as current if you were current going in and kept to the agreementSource15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2. That period ended 120 days after the national COVID emergency ended, and a law approved April 10, 2023, ended that emergencySourcePublic Law 118-3. It doesn't cover a forbearance you get now.

How do I ask for forbearance?

  1. 1

    Call your servicer

    Tell them what happened and ask what forbearance or hardship options you have. The number is on your monthly statement. CFPB

  2. 2

    Ask soon after a disaster

    Some servicers require you to ask within a set time after a disaster or other qualifying event. CFPB

  3. 3

    Find out who backs your loan

    It could be Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, USDA or a private owner. The rules above depend on it.

  4. 4

    Get the terms in writing

    Have them before your first skipped payment, including how you'll repay.

Before you agree, ask:

  • How long does it last, and can it be extended?
  • Will interest keep building on the paused amount?
  • Will I be charged late fees?
  • How will you report it to the credit bureaus?
  • What are my repayment options when it ends? Is a lump sum the only one?

People also ask

Do you have to pay back forbearance?

Yes. Every missed or reduced payment has to be repaid. Forbearance doesn't erase or lower what you oweSourceCFPB. How you repay depends on your loan: a few months of higher payments, a balance due at the end of the loan, a change to your loan, or one payment. See the options.

Will I have to pay it all back at once?

Not with a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan. Neither requires a lump sum at the end of forbearance, and for most government-backed loans the servicer can't require oneSourceCFPB. For other loans, ask before you agree.

What's the difference between forbearance and deferment?

On a mortgage, forbearance is the pause itself: smaller payments, or none, for a set timeSourceCFPB. A payment deferral can come after it. It moves what you missed into a separate balance you pay when the loan ends, or sooner if you sell or refinance, with no interest on it at Fannie MaeSourceFannie Mae D2-3.2-04. Student loans use the same words for different things; here's how they work there.

Does interest keep building during forbearance?

It can. Interest on the paused amount can keep adding up until you repay itSourceCFPB. Fannie Mae's payment deferral and FHA's partial claim charge no interest on the amount set aside.

Can I get forbearance on a rental or second home?

For a Fannie Mae loan, only when the hardship comes from a disaster. Otherwise it has to be the home you live inSourceFannie Mae D2-3.2-01. Other loans follow their own rules, so ask your servicer.

How long can forbearance last?

For Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA loans, generally up to 12 months, with a limit on how far behind you can get. A USDA direct loan can put payments off for up to two years. See the rules by loan type.

Protect yourself from scams

People who are behind on bills get targeted by scams. These rules help you spot one:

  1. Don't pay up front for mortgage or debt help. Under FTC rules, most companies that sell mortgage help can't charge you until you've accepted a written offer from your mortgage company or lender. Debt-relief companies that sell by phone can't charge until they've settled at least one of your debts and you've made a payment under that deal. A lawyer can take a fee up front for mortgage help only in narrow cases: the work has to be legal work, the lawyer has to be licensed in the state where you or the home are and follow its rules, and the money has to stay in a client trust account until it's earned or spent on costs.
  2. HUD-approved foreclosure-prevention counseling is free. Call 1-800-569-4287 or visit the CFPB counselor finder. If someone wants to charge you for what a HUD-approved counselor does for free, check who they are and get the terms in writing.
  3. Signing over your deed can cost you the house. "Equity stripping" and "sale-leaseback" scams trick homeowners into transferring their title, and you could lose your home permanently. A lawyer can review the papers before you sign.
  4. Ask your mortgage company what protections apply to your application and sale date. Federal rules generally bar the first foreclosure notice or filing on a mortgage for the home you live in until you're more than 120 days behind, with a few exceptions. A complete application for help can hold off some foreclosure steps, but that depends on when it arrives, and it doesn't stop every step. If a company claims only it can "save" your home, check with your mortgage company yourself.

Report fraud: CFPB · FTC · your state attorney general's office.

Free help

A HUD-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

What this page relies on (23 official sources)