You can skip a mortgage payment, but only under specific circumstances and with your lender's permission beforehand
Skipping a mortgage payment without an agreement in place will damage your credit and trigger late fees within 15 to 30 days. Your lender will report the missed payment to credit bureaus, and your credit score will drop. But if you contact your lender before the payment is due and request a mortgage forbearance or payment deferral, you may be able to postpone that payment legally—meaning it does not count as a missed payment on your credit report.
The difference is timing and paperwork. A skip you arrange in advance is a deferral. A skip you do not tell anyone about is a default. Your lender has no obligation to offer either option, but most will discuss alternatives if you reach out early enough.
Key Takeaways
- Skipping a payment without lender permission triggers late fees and credit damage within 15 to 30 days, even if you pay later.
- A mortgage forbearance or deferral requires written agreement with your lender before the payment due date and does not appear as a missed payment on your credit report.
- Deferred payments are usually added to the end of your loan or rolled into a modified payment plan, not forgiven.
- Your lender will ask for proof of hardship—job loss, medical emergency, income reduction—and will review your current loan terms and account history.
- The process typically takes one to four weeks from request to written agreement, so contact your lender as soon as you know you cannot pay.
How a mortgage forbearance works in practice
A forbearance is a temporary pause on your mortgage payment. Your lender agrees not to require the payment for a set period—usually one to six months, though some programs allow longer. During that time, you do not pay, and the payment does not appear as late on your credit report. Interest continues to accrue on your loan balance.
After the forbearance ends, you have options for what happens to the skipped payments. Some lenders add them to the end of your loan, extending your payoff date by the number of months you skipped. Others roll the missed payments into a modified payment plan, so you pay a higher amount for a set period. A few allow a lump-sum repayment, though this is less common. Your lender will tell you which options explore to your loan type and situation before you sign the forbearance agreement.
Forbearance is not forgiveness. You will eventually pay the money you skipped, either as a lump sum or spread across future payments. But it keeps the missed payment from appearing on your credit report and stops late fees from accumulating.
What your lender will ask for before approving a deferral
Most lenders require documentation of hardship before they will agree to skip payments. Hardship means a significant change in your financial situation—a job loss, a medical emergency, a reduction in household income, or an unexpected major expense. You will need to explain what happened and when, and show that it is temporary or that you have a plan to recover.
Bring recent pay stubs, a termination letter if you lost your job, medical bills if that is your hardship, or bank statements showing the change in your income. Your lender will also review your loan documents, your payment history, and your current loan balance. If you have been consistently late or have missed payments before, they may deny the request or offer a shorter forbearance period.
Some lenders have specific programs for certain hardships—job loss, natural disaster, military deployment—with faster approval and longer forbearance periods. Ask your lender whether any of these programs explore to your situation.
The timeline from request to written agreement
Contact your lender as soon as you know you cannot make the payment. Call the number on your mortgage statement or visit your lender's website to find the loss mitigation or customer service department. Do not wait until the payment is due. Lenders are more likely to work with you if you reach out before you miss the payment.
The lender will ask you to submit a written request, usually called a hardship letter or loss mitigation process, along with supporting documents. This typically takes one to two weeks to process. Some lenders will give you a verbal approval or a temporary forbearance while they review your full process, which can take another two to four weeks. Only a written agreement—signed by both you and the lender—makes the forbearance official and protects your credit report.
Ask the lender for a timeline when you submit your process. If you do not hear back within two weeks, follow up by phone or email. Some lenders are slower than others, and a follow-up can speed things up.
What happens to your credit if you skip without permission
If you miss a payment without an agreement in place, your lender will report it to the three major credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—once it is 30 days late. A 30-day late payment will lower your credit score by 100 to 150 points, depending on your current score and credit history. A 60-day late payment causes further damage, and a 90-day late payment can drop your score by 200 points or more.
The late payment stays on your credit report for seven years, even after you pay it. This affects your ability to borrow money for a car, a credit card, or another home loan. It also affects the interest rate you will be offered on future loans.
Late fees also accumulate. Most mortgages charge a late fee of 3 to 5 percent of your monthly payment if you are more than 15 days late. If your payment is $1,500, that is $45 to $75 per month in fees. After 120 days of non-payment, your lender can begin foreclosure proceedings.
Forbearance versus loan modification: which one applies to you
A forbearance is temporary—it pauses payments for a few months. A loan modification is permanent—it changes the terms of your loan itself. If your hardship is temporary (you lost your job but have another one lined up, or you had a medical emergency that is now resolved), forbearance is the right tool. If your hardship is long-term or permanent (your income has dropped and will not recover, or you are underemployed), a loan modification may be better.
A loan modification can lower your monthly payment by extending the loan term, reducing the interest rate, or in rare cases, reducing the principal balance. It requires a separate process and takes longer to process—usually two to four months. But it changes your payment going forward, not just postpones it.
Ask your lender which option makes sense for your situation. Some lenders will offer forbearance first and then discuss modification if your hardship lasts longer than expected.
When your lender might deny a forbearance request
A lender can deny a forbearance request if you do not show genuine hardship, if your account is already in default, or if you have a history of missed payments. Some lenders will not offer forbearance to borrowers who are already more than 90 days late. Others will deny the request if you have already used forbearance twice in the past five years.
If your lender denies forbearance, ask whether a loan modification is an option, or whether they offer a payment plan that lets you catch up over time. Some lenders will agree to a temporary reduction in your payment amount instead of a full skip. If your lender will not work with you, you may want to speak with a HUD-approved housing counselor, who can sometimes negotiate on your behalf or point you toward other options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will skipping one payment ruin my credit?
A single missed payment reported to credit bureaus will lower your score by 100 to 150 points and stay on your report for seven years. But if you arrange the skip in advance through forbearance, it will not be reported as missed. The damage happens only if you skip without permission.
Can I skip a payment if I am already behind?
Most lenders will not offer forbearance if you are already 90 days or more behind. If you are 30 to 60 days late, some lenders will still work with you, but you will need to catch up the arrears as part of the agreement. Contact your lender when ready to discuss options.
What happens to the skipped payment—do I have to pay it back?
Yes. Forbearance postpones the payment, it does not erase it. After the forbearance ends, you will either pay a lump sum, extend your loan term to add the skipped months to the end, or pay a higher monthly amount for a set period. Your lender will explain which option applies before you sign the agreement.
How long can I skip payments?
Most forbearance agreements last one to six months. Some programs allow up to 12 months in cases of severe hardship. After that period ends, you must resume payments or work out a different arrangement like a loan modification. You cannot skip indefinitely.
Should I contact my lender or a third-party company to arrange this?
Contact your lender directly. Do not pay a third party to negotiate forbearance on your behalf—your lender will work with you for free. Scams that promise to lower your payment or stop foreclosure often charge upfront fees and deliver nothing.