Forbearance Request Letter

A forbearance request asks a lender to temporarily pause or reduce your payments for a defined period while you get through a hardship — not to change the loan permanently, just to buy breathing room. It's meant as a short-term bridge, with the expectation that payments resume (and any paused amount is addressed) once the period ends.

This is distinct from a loan modification, which changes the loan's terms permanently, and from a payment plan, which restructures repayment of an existing balance rather than pausing new payments.

Forbearance fits situations where the hardship is temporary and you expect your ability to pay to recover.

• A short-term income disruption — reduced hours, temporary job loss, a medical leave
• You expect to be able to resume normal payments once the situation resolves
• You need immediate relief now rather than a renegotiation of the loan's long-term terms
• You want a defined, time-limited pause rather than an open-ended arrangement

State how long you're requesting forbearance for, and explain the reason clearly enough for the lender to evaluate it — the specificity of the duration matters, since forbearance is meant to be time-bound rather than indefinite.

• Propose a specific duration rather than an open-ended pause — lenders respond better to a defined ask
• Be upfront that this is meant to be temporary, and that you expect to resume payments afterward
• Ask directly how paused payments will be handled once forbearance ends — added to the end of the loan, due in a lump sum, or otherwise
• Clarify whether interest continues to accrue during the forbearance period
• If your hardship might outlast the forbearance period, say so — the lender may have options for extending it

Lenders typically respond with approval, a modified duration, or a request for more detail about your situation. Before the forbearance period ends, it's worth confirming in writing exactly how the paused amount will be repaid, since this varies by lender and loan type.