When Does a Late Mortgage Payment Get Reported?

A late mortgage payment is typically reported to the credit bureaus only once it is 30 days past the due date, not just a few days late.​

When a payment is “late” vs. when it’s reported

• Your mortgage payment is technically late as soon as it’s not paid by the due date (usually the 1st of the month).​

• Most lenders give a grace period (often 15 days), so if you pay by the end of that grace period, you avoid a late fee, but the payment is still considered late by the servicer after the due date.​

• However, that late payment does not show up on your credit report unless it reaches 30 days past due.​

When credit bureaus see the late mark

• Creditors (mortgage servicers) generally cannot report a payment as “late” to the credit bureaus until it is at least 30 days past the due date.​

• For example, if your payment is due on the 1st, it usually won’t be reported as late until around the 31st (or 30th in a 30‑day month).​

• Once reported, a 30‑day late mortgage payment can stay on your credit report for up to 7 years and may significantly lower your credit score, especially if your score was high to begin with.​

What happens before 30 days

• A few days or even 1–2 weeks late usually only triggers a late fee (if outside the grace period), but not a credit report ding.​

• The servicer may send late notices and may start calling or emailing to collect the payment, but they won’t report it to the bureaus until the 30‑day mark.​

• If you bring the payment current before 30 days past due, you can often avoid any negative impact on your credit.​

After 30 days late

• At 30 days late, the servicer reports the delinquency to the credit bureaus, and a “30 days late” status appears on your credit report.​

• The damage to your credit score increases as the delinquency grows: 60 days late is worse than 30 days, and 90 days late is worse still.​

• Around 36 days late, federal rules require the servicer to try to contact you about the missed payment; if it continues, they may send a Notice of Default and eventually start foreclosure proceedings.​

Bottom line

• A mortgage payment is late as soon as it’s past the due date (and possibly after the grace period), but it only hurts your credit once it’s 30 days past due.​

• If you can get the payment to the servicer before the 30‑day mark, you can usually avoid a negative credit report entry, though late fees may still apply.​