On this page
- Is there a homeowner stimulus or relief program in 2026?
- What happened to the Homeowner Assistance Fund?
- Mortgage relief programs if you can’t pay your mortgage now
- Free help choosing among mortgage relief programs
- How to avoid mortgage relief scams
- Refinance relief, and what replaced HARP
- Is there new mortgage relief from Congress?
- Mortgage relief programs for specific groups
- Mortgage relief FAQ
- What to do next
There is no federal “homeowner stimulus” or “$185,000 home equity stimulus” payment. Ads using those names are not government offers. Any cash they mention would come from a loan against your home, such as a cash-out refinance or home equity loan. However, real mortgage relief programs do exist, including servicer options such as forbearance and loan modification, free HUD-approved housing counseling and streamline refinances for those who qualify.
This guide explains what each option does, who decides and how to check an offer. Because program terms change, confirm the details with your servicer, a HUD-approved counselor or your state housing agency.
Is there a homeowner stimulus or relief program in 2026?
No. A congress.gov search on November 4, 2026 turned up no federal law that sends homeowners a stimulus payment. USA.gov also says the government does not offer “free money” for individuals, and the FTC calls offers of free government grant money scams.
So a “homeowner cash back program” is not a benefit you claim. No government program pays $185,000 to homeowners, whatever the ad suggests.
What “cash back” offers usually mean
Cash from home equity is borrowed money, and your home secures it. A cash-out refinance replaces your mortgage with a larger loan. In contrast, a home equity loan or HELOC adds a second loan on top of your mortgage.
Say a homeowner borrowed $185,000 over 30 years at 7.24%, the Freddie Mac PMMS average on October 29, 2026. Principal and interest would come to about $1,261 a month. That figure excludes property taxes, homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance and closing costs. Also, an actual loan rate may differ from that average.
Equity limits apply as well. For example, Fannie Mae and FHA both cap a cash-out refinance at 80% loan-to-value in 2026.
How to tell whether an offer is real
A page that says “homeowner relief program” but names no agency, loan type or servicer is an ad until proven otherwise. These FTC warning signs help you sort it out:
- Contact out of the blue. The government won’t call, text, email or use social media to offer you a grant.
- A fee to get the money. No government agency will contact you and demand payment for a grant.
- Requests for account numbers. Agencies won’t contact you to ask for your Social Security or bank account number.
- A missing disclaimer. Private mortgage relief companies must say in their ads that they aren’t associated with the government.
What happened to the Homeowner Assistance Fund?
The Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) was the pandemic program behind many state mortgage assistance grants. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 gave it $9.961 billion, which Treasury distributed to states, territories and tribes. That money could cover mortgage payments, homeowners insurance, utilities and other listed costs.
Treasury says the HAF period ended on September 30, 2026, so recipients may no longer use HAF funds to help homeowners. As a result, a state-branded program paid with HAF money can’t take on new help. However, a state may still be finishing payments it committed by that date, so anyone with a pending case should ask that program directly.
Some states may run other mortgage relief programs with separate funding. Since those change often, this article does not name any as open. Instead, use the NCSHA list of state housing finance agencies and ask your agency what it offers now.
Mortgage relief programs if you can’t pay your mortgage now
Call your servicer, the company that collects your payment, as soon as you expect trouble. Your servicer decides which option you get, under the rules set by whoever backs or owns your loan. Federal rules also require most servicers to wait until a loan is more than 120 days delinquent before starting foreclosure, with limited exceptions. Still, those rules don’t entitle any borrower to a specific option.
Before you call, gather your income, your expenses and the reason for your hardship. Then ask which options your loan allows and get the terms in writing.
| Option | What it does | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Forbearance | Temporarily reduces or pauses payments, and you still owe the missed amount | Temporary hardship, such as a job loss |
| Repayment plan | Adds part of the overdue amount to your regular payment | Hardship is over and you can pay extra each month |
| Payment deferral or partial claim | Moves missed payments to a balance due later | Hardship is over and you can resume your regular payment |
| Loan modification | Permanently changes loan terms, such as the rate or term | Long-term drop in income or rise in expenses |
| Short sale or deed in lieu | Lets you leave the home and avoid foreclosure | Keeping the home isn’t affordable |
If keeping the home isn’t realistic, ask early about these exits. A short sale is also called a pre-foreclosure sale. Lender approval is required, so results vary.
FHA loans
FHA’s current options took effect on October 1, 2025, under Mortgagee Letter 2025-12, which replaced ML 2025-06. They include repayment plans, forbearance, an interest-free partial claim, a loan modification, a combination of the two, and a Payment Supplement. The supplement temporarily lowers your payment for three years.
FHA generally allows one permanent option in any 24-month period, unless a declared major disaster affects you. Under ML 2026-08, trial payment plans generally run three months, or four if you are in imminent default.
VA loans
VA stopped accepting submissions for its VASP purchase program on May 1, 2025. Congress then created the VA Partial Claim Program, which VA says is open. It pays your missed payments, and you repay VA when you pay off the loan or sell the home.
You must first complete a three-month trial plan, and servicers have until November 28, 2026 to add partial claims to their systems. VA also lists special forbearance, repayment plans and loan modifications, including 30-year and 40-year terms. However, VA warns that a traditional modification could raise your monthly payment.
USDA loans
USDA guaranteed-loan servicers must consider a repayment agreement, then special forbearance, then a loan modification of up to 40 years. If those aren’t enough, a mortgage recovery advance may cover the arrears with no monthly payment on the advance. You then repay the advance when you pay off the loan or transfer title.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans
Forbearance on these loans runs in steps of up to three months, generally for a total of 12. A payment deferral fits loans about two to six months behind. It moves missed payments into a balance with no interest, due at payoff, sale or refinance.
A Flex Modification requires a loan at least 12 months old that is 60 days late or in imminent default. You must first complete a trial period. The new payment can be equal to the old one in some cases, and Freddie Mac’s Guide bars writing off principal.
Free help choosing among mortgage relief programs
HUD-approved housing counselors can review your budget, explain your options and work with your servicer. HUD says foreclosure prevention counseling is always free. You can also call HUD’s line at (800) 569-4287 to find a counselor.
The CFPB’s help for homeowners page covers how to work with your servicer, leave forbearance and avoid foreclosure. If a servicer problem stalls, you can file a CFPB complaint. The agency says it forwards complaints and generally works to get a response within 15 days.
How to avoid mortgage relief scams
Under the FTC’s Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS) Rule, a company can’t charge you for loan modification help upfront. It must first give you a written offer from your lender or servicer, and you must accept it.
Attorneys have a narrow exception. A lawyer may take money upfront only when providing legal services, licensed in your state or the state where the home sits, and following state law. In addition, the lawyer must hold that money in a client trust account. Being connected to a law firm does not give a company this exception. You can also always contact your lender directly about mortgage relief programs, so no company can require you to go through it.
Watch for these red flags:
- A demand for payment before you receive any offer
- Payment only by cashier’s check, wire transfer or payment app
- A request to sign over your deed
- Advice to stop talking to your lender
- Instructions to send your mortgage payment to the company
Names such as “mortgage assistance center” or “home relief program” can sound official. Even so, these are private companies unless a government agency says otherwise. My Mortgage Insider is a private publisher too, with no government affiliation.
How to check a company before you sign
Searching for reviews alone won’t settle whether a company is legitimate. So take these steps first:
- Ask your state financial regulator or attorney general whether the company is licensed and has complaints.
- Search the CFPB Consumer Complaint Database by company name.
- Ask a HUD-approved counselor to review the offer for free.
- Never pay upfront, and report problems at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Refinance relief, and what replaced HARP
Nothing open today directly replaced HARP. HARP stopped at the end of 2018, and two later programs followed for homeowners with little or no equity. However, Fannie Mae’s High LTV Refinance Option is “temporarily paused,” and its application deadline passed on June 30, 2021. Freddie Mac’s Enhanced Relief Refinance is “not eligible for delivery until further notice” for applications from July 1, 2021.
Some refinance-based mortgage relief programs remain open, depending on your loan:
- FHA streamline refinance: A fixed-to-fixed refinance must cut the combined rate (interest plus mortgage insurance) by at least 0.5 percentage point. You need six payments, and 210 days must pass since closing.
- VA IRRRL: A fixed-to-fixed loan must drop the rate by at least 0.5 percentage point. Also, costs must be recouped within 36 months, and the 2026 funding fee is 0.5%.
- USDA streamlined-assist: Your monthly principal, interest and annual fee must fall by at least $50. The existing loan must have closed at least 180 days earlier.
- RefiNow and Refi Possible: These serve Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac borrowers with income at or below 100% of area median.
- High-LTV refinance options: This guide covers what remains if you owe close to your home’s value.
Refinancing helps only when the new rate or term lowers your costs after fees. Freddie Mac’s PMMS average for a 30-year fixed loan was 7.24% on October 29, 2026, compared with 6.17% a year earlier. So a homeowner with a rate well below that average may pay more after refinancing. Your own offer may also differ from the average.
If your rate is above that average, or you want to replace an adjustable rate, compare offers from several lenders.
Is there new mortgage relief from Congress?
Congress has not passed a homeowner stimulus. Two recent laws touch housing, but neither pays homeowners directly. The VA Home Loan Program Reform Act, Public Law 119-31, became law on July 30, 2025 and created the VA partial claim described above.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, Public Law 119-101, became law on July 11, 2026. Its congressional summary lists no stimulus or mortgage payment program for homeowners. Separately, H.R. 2928, the Mortgage Relief for Disaster Survivors Act, was only introduced and referred to committee, with no action since April 17, 2025.
Mortgage relief programs for specific groups
Seniors. The same servicer options apply to older homeowners with a standard mortgage. Our guide to mortgage assistance for seniors covers what else may help, including property tax relief and reverse mortgage questions.
Veterans. VA loan technicians can help at 877-827-3702, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. Veterans and surviving spouses can get this counseling even without a VA loan. In addition, VA automatically assigns a technician once a VA loan is 61 days past due.
Disaster victims. After a presidentially declared major disaster, FHA loans get a 90-day foreclosure moratorium from the declaration date. FHA servicers can also offer a disaster forbearance of up to 12 months and must waive late fees during it. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have disaster rules too, while USDA servicing actions can pause for up to 90 days from the declaration unless USDA extends that period. Meanwhile, FEMA aid is a separate application, so ask your servicer about your loan first.
Mortgage relief FAQ
Is the homeowner stimulus real?
No. Neither Congress nor a federal agency runs a stimulus that pays homeowners cash, whether the ad says $185,000 or another amount. If an offer involves your equity, expect a loan with interest and closing costs.
Who qualifies for mortgage relief programs?
That depends on who backs your loan, how far behind you are and whether your hardship is temporary. Your servicer applies those rules, so nobody can promise approval in advance. Start by asking which options your loan type allows.
Are there free grants to help pay my mortgage?
Federal grants generally go to states and organizations, which means individuals can’t apply for one to cover a mortgage. Some state or local programs may offer aid, although funding varies. Your state housing finance agency can tell you what is available.
Can HUD help with my mortgage payments?
HUD does not generally send payments for homeowners. Instead, it sets FHA loss mitigation rules and supports housing counseling. Call the FHA Resource Center at (800) 225-5342 if you have an FHA question.
Is the Homeowner Assistance Fund still available?
No. The HAF award period ended on September 30, 2026, and that covers every state, territory and tribal HAF program. If a site still takes HAF applications or asks for a fee, check with your state housing agency before you share anything.
What to do next
Most mortgage relief programs start with your servicer. So if you are behind or expect to be, call this week and ask for your loss mitigation options in writing. Then book a free HUD-approved counselor before you pay anyone for help.
If you are current and your rate sits above the PMMS average, a refinance comparison may be worth your time.
