As of January 30, 2023, there are essential changes to FHA's loss mitigation programs that impact this web page. Borrowers should contact their mortgage servicer to discuss available options.
Mortgage servicers should refer to Mortgagee Letter 2023-02, published on Monday, January 30, 2023, to learn about these changes.
This page will be updated following the must-be-implemented-by date of April 30, 2023.
Resources for homeowners
The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) provides resources from across the government to help you during the coronavirus pandemic. Visit the CFPB website to learn more.
Get free housing advice
HUD-certified housing counselors are available to help you with your housing situation, discuss your options, and direct you to other local resources.
Call 1-800-569-4287 or find a housing counselor.
If you can’t pay your mortgage because you’re struggling financially due to COVID-19, you can ask for mortgage payment relief (forbearance). Mortgage forbearance is when you have worked with your mortgage servicer to temporarily pause or reduce your monthly mortgage payments. It is not payment forgiveness. That means you must repay any reduced or paused payments in the future. In most cases, repayment can occur over time or when you refinance or sell your home.
Your mortgage servicer is the company that handles your loan and to which you send your monthly loan payments.
Locate their contact information on your mortgage statement or their website. You can also find your servicer’s information in MERS, a database that tracks mortgages. Keep in mind they may have high call volumes due to the pandemic.
Ask your mortgage servicer to temporarily pause or reduce your monthly mortgage payments (forbearance).
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all homeowners with FHA insured loans can ask for forbearance without any penalty. Find details on HUD’s FHA mortgage forbearance below.
Most homeowners with other types of loans can also request mortgage relief. For details on other mortgage options, visit CFPB's website.
When working with your servicer:
- State that you are having a hardship related to COVID-19. You are not required to provide documentation of this hardship.
- Request COVID-19 forbearance for your mortgage payments.
- Ask your servicer to confirm the details of your forbearance agreement in writing.
Before your forbearance period ends or when you’re able to resume payments, contact your mortgage servicer to make a repayment plan. You will have to repay reduced or paused payments but should not need to pay them all at once (as a lump sum). Instead, your servicer will work with you on options to repay your reduced or paused payments over time.
You are eligible for FHA’s COVID-19 forbearance (mortgage relief) if:
- Your mortgage is insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
- You can’t make your payments because you were affected by COVID-19.
If you have a reverse mortgage, also known as a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, you should contact your mortgage servicer for options available to you.
What are FHA Loans?
Some home loans are insured by HUD’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Your mortgage servicer must follow FHA guidelines when working with these loans.
Not sure if your loan is insured by FHA? You can find this information on your mortgage statement or you can call the FHA Resource Center at 1-800-CALL FHA (1-800-225-5342) or email answers@hud.gov.
| If you… | Then you… |
| Have not yet requested FHA COVID-19 forbearance | You must request this assistance from your mortgage servicer by the end of the COVID-19 National Emergency, May 11, 2023. The maximum amount of forbearance available to you is described in the chart below. |
| Initial Forbearance Date | Initial Forbearance Period | Additional Forbearance Period | Forbearance Extensions | Maximum Forbearance Period |
| March 1, 2020 - June 30, 2020 | Up to 6 months | Up to 6 months | Up to 6 months (in 3 month increments) | Up to 18 months |
| July 1, 2020 - Sept. 30, 2020 | Up to 6 months | Up to 6 months | Up to 3 months | Up to 15 months |
| Oct. 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021 | Up to 6 months | Up to 6 months | 0 | Up to 12 months |
| July 1, 2021 - Sept. 30, 2021 | Up to 6 months | Up to 6 months | 0 | Up to 12 months |
| October 1, 2021 - the end of the COVID-19 National Emergency | Up to 6 months | Up to 6 months (if the initial forbearance will be exhausted and expires during the COVID-19 National Emergency) | 0 | Up to 12 months (if the Borrower is eligible for the additional COVID-19 Forbearance Period) |
Important information about FHA’s COVID-19 forbearance:
- You can request FHA’s COVID-19 Forbearance for up to 6 months, followed by an additional 6 months, if you need it. Borrowers who began their initial forbearance on or after October 1, 2021, are only eligible for the additional 6 months if their initial 6 months Forbearance will be exhausted and expires during the COVID-19 National Emergency.
- No extra fees, penalties, or interest will be added to your account during the forbearance period.
- You must repay any reduced or paused payments. However, you won’t have to pay them back all at once (as a lump sum) at the end of forbearance.
- Before your forbearance period ends, or as soon as you can resume making payments, contact your mortgage servicer about the repayment options available to you.
- Your servicer will work with you to determine if you are eligible for one of FHA’s COVID-19 loss mitigation tools that will enable you to bring your mortgage current. One of the tools available for borrowers who can resume making their current monthly mortgage payment is a partial claim. The partial claim takes your reduced or paused payments and secures them in a subordinate lien on your property. You must repay this subordinate lien when you sell your home, refinance your mortgage, or your mortgage otherwise ends.
- If you’re not able to resume making your current monthly mortgage payment, your servicer will work with you on other available options.
Foreclosure is when your lender takes ownership of your property if you fail to make payments on your mortgage.
If you have an FHA-insured mortgage that has been foreclosed upon, your mortgage servicer cannot evict you or an occupant of your property through September 30, 2021.
If your mortgage is insured by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or a federal agency like VA or USDA, you may be entitled to protection from eviction. Please visit CFPB's mortgage and housing assistance webpage for more details.
Some states and local governments may have also temporarily halted foreclosures. This means that if your loan is not federally insured or backed, you could still be protected from foreclosure. Check your state’s website for details.
Scam artists often offer fake help to people in crises. They do this to steal your money or personal information. Always check the legitimacy of offers and don’t feel pressured to “take immediate action.” The best way to protect yourself is to say “no” if anyone contacts you and asks for your personal information like your Social Security, bank account, Medicare ID, or driver’s license numbers.
Learn about COVID-19 scams on CFPB's website. This includes scams on the COVID-19 vaccine, fake charities, false unemployment claims, and people posing as someone in need, among other types of fraud.
- Find a COVID-19 vaccine near you
- Read about up-to-date health information on COVID-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including what to do if you feel sick.
- Visit Coronavirus.gov for COVID-19 information and resources from multiple federal agencies.
- Read through HUD’s COVID-19 Vaccinations and Testing Toolkit (PDF).
- Find a HUD-approved housing counseling agency in your area or call 1-800-569-4287.
- Look up HUD-funded resources in your state.
- Find your state government’s website for additional local resources.
- HUD-certified housing counselors are available to help you with your housing situation, discuss your options, and send you to other local resources. Call 1-800-569-4287 or find a housing counselor.
- Find assistance to avoid foreclosure near you.
- Housing discrimination: Federal law prohibits housing discrimination based on your race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, or disability. If you have been trying to buy or rent a home or apartment and you believe your rights have been violated, you can file a fair housing complaint.
- Housing Choice Vouchers: File a Housing Choice Voucher complaint by calling 1-800-955-2232 or sending an email to Public Housing’s Customer Service at HUD-PIHRC@tngusa.net.
- Bad landlords in federal housing: Many landlords have been fined or prevented from doing business with the federal government because they failed to provide safe and decent housing for the poor, while benefiting from taxpayer funds. Find out how to report a bad landlord.
- Fraud, waste, and abuse: If you are aware of fraud, waste, and abuse in HUD programs and operations, report it to HUD’s Inspector General Hotline.
- Visit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) website for information on protecting your finances during COVID-19, including resources for homeowners and renters.
- Learn about help the federal government offers to people and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic on USA.gov.
- Find information on COVID-19-related tax relief, rebate credits, and economic impact payments from the IRS.
- Find COVID-19 relief options for small businesses from the Small Business Administration (SBA).
- Explore FEMA's COVID-19 response information and resources information and resources.
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Page last updated: February 16, 2022