Quick answer
Forbearance is an arrangement in which your mortgage servicer lets you temporarily pause your payments or make smaller ones, usually during a short-term hardship. It doesn’t erase or reduce what you owe: you still owe the full amount and pay back the difference later.
Key facts
How the skipped payments are repaid
Say your payment is $2,000 and you pause it for 6 months. You now owe $12,000 that you didn’t pay, and interest on the paused amounts may keep adding up. When forbearance ends, servicers usually offer one of these:
- Lump sum. Pay all $12,000 at once to catch up.
- Repayment plan. Spread it over, say, 12 months, adding $1,000 to each regular payment.
- Deferral. Move the missed amount to the end of the loan, due when you sell, refinance or pay off.
- Loan modification. Change the loan’s terms if the old payment is no longer affordable.
Don’t assume a lump sum is required — ask what your loan type allows before you agree.
Before you ask for it
Call your servicer as soon as you know you’ll miss a payment. Ask how long the forbearance lasts, how the paused amount will be repaid, whether interest or fees accrue and how it will be reported to the credit bureaus. Get the terms in writing. For free, independent advice, call HUD’s housing counseling line at 800-569-4287. Missed payments without an agreement can lead toward foreclosure. See home equity risks for what’s at stake when a home secures a loan.
Sources
- HUD — HUD housing counseling referral line (Oct 28, 2026)
- CFPB: What is mortgage forbearance?
Last reviewed Figures are checked against the sources above. Read our editorial policy. This page is general information, not financial advice — see the disclaimer.