Goodwill Letter for a Mortgage Late Payment — Free Template
A late mortgage payment can weigh heavily on your credit and make refinancing or buying another home harder. A goodwill letter for a mortgage late payment asks your mortgage servicer to remove a single late payment as a courtesy, explaining the cause and your solid record of payments since.
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Free to preview[Your full name (as on the account)]
[Your mailing address]
October 15, 2026
[Lender or creditor name]
Re: Goodwill adjustment request — account [Account (last 4 digits only)]
Dear [Lender or creditor name],
I am writing about my account [Account (last 4 digits only)]. I would like to ask, as a gesture of goodwill, that you consider removing the late payment reported for [Which payment(s) were reported late] from the information you send to the credit bureaus.
I take full responsibility for the late payment, and I want to briefly explain what happened:
[Why the payment was late]
This was not typical of how I manage my obligations. [Your payment record since then]
I value my relationship with [Lender or creditor name] and appreciate the service I have received. I understand you are not required to make this change, and I would be very grateful if you would consider it as a courtesy in light of my overall record.
Thank you for your time and consideration. If you need any further information, please contact me at the address above.
Sincerely,
[Your full name (as on the account)]
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Write to the servicer
Your mortgage servicer is the company that collects your payments and reports to the credit bureaus, which may be different from the lender that made the loan. Send your letter to the servicer, ideally to a customer advocacy or executive office address.
If your loan was transferred, check whether there was a grace period for payments sent to the old servicer. Federal rules generally protect borrowers for a period after a transfer when a payment is sent to the old servicer on time, so a late payment during a transfer may be an error you can dispute.
Be clear and brief
Mortgage servicers handle large volumes of mail. A one-page letter with your account number, the month, a short explanation and your payment record is easier to act on than a long story.
Include how long you have had the loan and that you have otherwise paid on time. Mention a refinance or purchase if that is why the late payment matters now.
If you are behind now
If you are currently behind on your mortgage, a goodwill letter is not the right first step. Contact your servicer about repayment plans, forbearance or loan modification, and consider a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, which offers free or low-cost help.
Once the loan is current and you have a record of on-time payments again, a goodwill request has a better chance.
What to do, step by step
Check your credit reports
Get your free reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion through AnnualCreditReport.com and confirm exactly which months the lender reported late.
Make sure the account is current
Goodwill requests work best when the account is in good standing. Pay any past-due balance first, and consider setting up autopay so you can mention it.
Fill in your letter
Answer the questions above. Keep it short, honest and polite — take responsibility, explain briefly what happened and show the lapse was a one-off.
Send it to the right place
Mail it to the lender's customer relations or executive office, or use a secure message in your online account. Keep a copy and note the date you sent it.
Follow up and try again
Allow about 30 days for a reply. If the answer is no, a polite follow-up to a different department, or a request a few months later after more on-time payments, sometimes succeeds.
What if the lender says no or doesn't reply?
A goodwill adjustment is a favor, not a right. If the late payment was reported accurately, the lender isn't required to remove it, and some lenders have a policy of never doing so. A refusal doesn't hurt you, and you can ask again later.
Many people succeed on a second or third try, especially when they write to a different contact — such as the executive office instead of general customer service — or wait until they have several more months of on-time payments to point to. Asking for automatic payments in exchange, if you're not already enrolled, can also help.
If the lender won't budge, time is on your side: the impact of a single late payment fades steadily, and late payments drop off credit reports after seven years. If the late payment was actually reported in error, that's different — you can dispute it directly with the credit bureaus.
Example goodwill letter for mortgage late payment
A filled-in sample with made-up details, so you can see the finished result.
Chris Delgado
318 Maple Ridge Rd, Brookfield, WI 53005
October 5, 2026
Heartland Mortgage Servicing
Attn: Customer Advocacy, 2500 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312
Re: Goodwill adjustment request — account ending in 9183
Dear Heartland Mortgage Servicing,
I am writing about my account ending in 9183. I would like to ask, as a gesture of goodwill, that you consider removing the late payment reported for April 2025 (reported 30 days late) from the information you send to the credit bureaus.
I take full responsibility for the late payment, and I want to briefly explain what happened:
My loan was transferred to Heartland in March 2025. I mailed my April payment to the previous servicer using their payment coupon, and by the time it was forwarded and applied, the payment was reported 30 days late.
This was not typical of how I manage my obligations. I have made every payment on this mortgage on time for seven years, apart from this one. I set up automatic payments with Heartland in May 2025 and have paid on time every month since.
This request matters to me because I am applying to refinance my mortgage this winter, and this one late payment is having an outsized effect on my credit history.
I value my relationship with Heartland Mortgage Servicing and appreciate the service I have received. I understand you are not required to make this change, and I would be very grateful if you would consider it as a courtesy in light of my overall record.
Thank you for your time and consideration. If you need any further information, please contact me at the address above.
Sincerely,
Chris Delgado
Frequently asked questions
Will a mortgage servicer remove a late payment?
Some servicers will make a goodwill adjustment for one isolated late payment, but many are cautious because mortgage reporting rules are strict. A request is more likely to succeed if the late payment was linked to a servicer transfer or a clear one-time event.
Can a 30-day late mortgage payment stop me from refinancing?
A recent late mortgage payment can make refinancing harder or more expensive, since lenders look closely at recent housing payment history. Rules vary by lender and loan program. Ask your loan officer how it affects your application.
How long should I wait for a reply?
Allow several weeks. If you do not hear back in about a month, call the servicer to confirm it received your letter, or send it again to a different department, such as customer advocacy.
Do goodwill letters actually work?
Sometimes. Results vary by lender, and there's no way to know in advance. Your odds are best when the late payment was a one-time lapse with a genuine reason, the account is now current, and you've had a long record of on-time payments. Credit unions and smaller lenders are often more flexible than large banks.
What's the difference between a goodwill letter and a credit dispute?
A dispute says the information is wrong and asks the credit bureau to investigate and correct it. A goodwill letter admits the late payment was real and asks the lender to remove it as a courtesy. If the late payment was reported in error, a dispute is the right tool, not a goodwill letter.
FairLetter is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Letters are templates you customize and send yourself.