Mortgage Forbearance: What Happens When It Ends?

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

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How does forbearance work?

Your , the company you send your payment to, 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 it. 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 it (CFPB). That's one reason the way you repay matters. Some repayment options charge no interest on the amount set aside. More on that below.

Get it in writing. Freddie Mac describes every forbearance plan as a written agreement (Freddie Mac). For a loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the servicer must send you the agreement within 15 days of approving your first period of forbearance (HUD Handbook 4000.1).

How long does forbearance last?

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

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. Fannie Mae guide
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. Freddie 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. HUD 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. VA
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). 7 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. 7 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. CFPB

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

What does forbearance cost you?

Interest. The paused amount can keep adding interest until you repay it (CFPB).
Late fees. Fannie Mae bars late charges while you keep to a forbearance plan (D2-3.2-01). FHA's agreement says late fees won't be charged during the forbearance (HUD 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 pay (CFPB).
Your credit. It shows up on your 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 next (CFPB). With a Fannie Mae loan, the servicer has to start trying to reach you at least 30 days before a forbearance period ends (D2-3.2-01).

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

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 stretch (CFPB). The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers the same kind of plan (VA). It fits if you can pay more than your old payment for a while.

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 loan (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 plan (Freddie Mac).

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 home (HUD 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. VA set November 28, 2026, as the deadline for servicers to add partial claims to their systems (VA).

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

A loan modification

If you can't go back to your old payment, a , 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 reduced (CFPB). See how a loan modification works.

Paying it all at once

You can repay everything you missed in one payment if you're able to (CFPB). 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 offers (CFPB).

Does forbearance hurt your credit?

It shows up. Fannie Mae requires servicers to report loan status to the credit bureaus every month, and forbearance is on its list of statuses to report (Fannie Mae Servicing Guide 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 time (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau).

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 agreement (15 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 emergency (Public Law 118-3). It doesn't cover a forbearance you get now.

How do I ask for forbearance?

Call your servicer now. Tell them what happened and ask what forbearance or hardship options you have (CFPB). The number is on your monthly statement.
Ask soon after a disaster. Some servicers require you to ask within a set time after a disaster or other qualifying event (CFPB).
Find out who backs your loan. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, USDA or a private owner. The rules above depend on it.
Get the terms in writing 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?

HUD-approved housing counseling agencies give foreclosure-prevention counseling for free, and a counselor can help you talk to your servicer and understand what it offers (CFPB). You can find one near you.

Your state's rules

Forbearance rules come from your loan, not your state. If payments stop for good and the loan heads toward foreclosure, the process depends on where you live. Your state guide covers it, with the law behind it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have to pay back forbearance?

Yes. Forbearance doesn't erase or lower what you owe, and you have to repay every missed or reduced payment (CFPB). 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 one (CFPB). For other loans, ask before you agree.

Does interest keep building during forbearance?

It can. Interest on the paused amount can keep adding up until you repay it (CFPB). 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 in (Fannie Mae Servicing Guide 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.

What this page relies on

CFPB: What is mortgage forbearance?, Exit your forbearance carefully, Manage your money during forbearance and How can I tell who owns my mortgage?
Fannie Mae Servicing Guide D2-3.2-01, forbearance plans; D2-3.2-04, payment deferral; and C-4.1-01, credit reporting
Freddie Mac: Forbearance and Payment Deferral, Freddie Mac's public summaries of its servicing rules
HUD Handbook 4000.1, FHA forbearance and partial claims
VA: Help to avoid foreclosure
7 C.F.R. § 3555.303, U.S. Department of Agriculture guaranteed loans, and 7 C.F.R. § 3550.207, USDA direct loans
15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(a)(1)(F), the COVID-era credit-reporting rule, and Public Law 118-3, which ended the national emergency
CFPB: What is a mortgage loan modification? and what a housing counselor can do for you

This is general information, not legal or financial advice for your situation.

Protect yourself from scams

People in financial distress are prime targets for fraud. Know these rules:

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Check before paying upfront for mortgage or debt relief. FTC rules generally bar covered mortgage-relief providers from collecting a fee before you accept a written offer from your lender or servicer, and bar covered telemarketed debt-relief services from collecting before they resolve at least one debt and you make a payment under the agreement. A lawyer may collect an advance fee for mortgage-relief services only under a narrow exception: the work must be part of the practice of law, the lawyer must be licensed to practice law in the state where the client or dwelling is located and follow that state's rules, and the money must stay in a compliant client trust account until earned or expenses are incurred.

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HUD-approved foreclosure-prevention counseling is free. Call 1-800-569-4287 or visit the CFPB counselor finder. Be cautious if someone charges for services that a HUD-approved counselor provides for free; verify the provider and written terms.

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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.

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Ask your servicer what protections apply to your application and sale date. Regulation X generally bars the first foreclosure notice or filing on a covered principal-residence mortgage until the loan is more than 120 days delinquent, subject to exceptions. A complete loss-mitigation application can restrict specified foreclosure actions, but the protection depends on when it was received and does not necessarily stop every step. If a company claims only it can "save" your home, verify through your actual servicer.

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

Who made this

Ross Kilburn

Last checked Sep 30, 2026

Former COO of Ark Law Group, a foreclosure defense firm serving five states · founder of Seattle Short Sales · author of Short Sale Your Home

I built American Default Research to track household financial distress with public data — and to make sure the people behind the numbers can find real help. Every guide on this site is written to be clear and useful, sourced from federal agencies, and free to use. No ads, no paywalls, no data sold.

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