How to Fill Out and Submit a Hardship Assistance Application Form

To fill out a hardship assistance application, you document the event that disrupted your finances, prove your current income and expenses, complete every field on your creditor’s form so the numbers match your documents, attach a short written hardship letter, and submit the package through a channel that gives you dated proof of receipt. For mortgage borrowers, the standard form is Fannie Mae’s Mortgage Assistance Application (Form 710), and submitting a complete package starts a federal clock your servicer has to follow.1Fannie Mae. Receiving a Borrower Response Package

Gather Your Documents Before You Open the Form

Incomplete packages are the single most common reason hardship applications stall. Under Fannie Mae’s servicing guide, a borrower response package is not treated as complete if the application is only partially filled out, if required income or hardship documents are missing, or if an executed IRS Form 4506-C is not included when the servicer needs it.1Fannie Mae. Receiving a Borrower Response Package Assemble everything first, then fill out the form once.

Pull together:

  • Proof of current income: recent pay stubs, a profit and loss statement if you are self-employed, Social Security or disability award letters, unemployment benefit statements, or any other documentation showing what actually comes in each month.
  • Federal tax returns for the two most recent years (Form 1040), plus a signed IRS Form 4506-C so the servicer can verify transcripts directly.
  • Two to three months of bank statements showing your liquid assets and regular spending, which helps the creditor gauge whether the hardship is temporary or long-term.
  • A monthly expense list covering housing, utilities, transportation, insurance, childcare, medical costs, and other recurring obligations.
  • Documentation of the hardship event itself: a layoff letter, medical bills, a death certificate, a divorce decree, or a FEMA disaster declaration notice.

Creditors are looking for events that were beyond your control and materially reduced your ability to pay: involuntary job loss, serious illness, divorce, the death of a household earner, or a disaster that damaged your property.

Write a One-Page Hardship Letter

Most applications require a written letter explaining what happened. Keep it to one page and cover three things: what the hardship is, when it began, and whether you expect it to be temporary or permanent.

State the date the hardship started, describe the event in plain terms, and explain the financial impact in specifics. If you lost your job in March and depleted savings covering expenses through June, say exactly that. If you have new employment lined up or expect income to return, give the timeline. The letter’s job is to connect the numbers in your documents to the real-world event. Leave out blame, threats to walk away from the property, and personal details that don’t touch the finances.

Fill Out the Form to Match Your Documents

The specific form depends on your creditor. For conventional mortgage loans backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, use the Mortgage Assistance Application (Form 710) available from Fannie Mae’s servicing guide or directly from your servicer. FHA, VA, and USDA loans each have their own forms, which your servicer will provide.2U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. FHA’s Loss Mitigation Program For credit cards, personal loans, or other non-mortgage debt, the creditor’s customer service department or website will have its hardship application.

A few rules apply regardless of the form in front of you:

  • Read each income field carefully. Some ask for gross income, some for net take-home pay, and some for both. Mixing them up creates a discrepancy with your pay stubs and tax returns that can trigger a denial or a request for resubmission.
  • Fill every field. Write “N/A” where a section does not apply rather than leaving it blank; empty fields get treated as oversights and can make the application incomplete.
  • Keep the numbers consistent with your supporting documents. Unexplained gaps between the form, your pay stubs, your bank statements, and your tax returns are what underwriters flag first.

Most applications end with an attestation you sign under penalty of perjury certifying the information is true and complete. Under federal law, this type of unsworn declaration carries the same legal weight as a sworn affidavit.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1746 – Unsworn Declarations Under Penalty of Perjury Sign it only after checking the numbers.

Submit It So You Can Prove the Date

How you submit matters almost as much as what you submit, because the date of receipt triggers deadlines, especially for mortgage applications. Pick a channel that gives you a timestamp:

  • The servicer’s online portal, if one is available, gives you the fastest confirmation and a digital timestamp.
  • Certified mail with return receipt creates a legally verifiable record of the date the servicer received your package.
  • Fax is still accepted by many servicers; keep the transmission confirmation page showing date, time, and page count.

Keep a full copy of everything you send. If the servicer misplaces paperwork or asks for a document you already provided, you can resend the same day instead of rebuilding the package.

What Happens After You Submit a Mortgage Application

Mortgage servicers work under federal timelines that other creditors do not. Within five business days of receiving your loss mitigation application, the servicer has to send you a written notice acknowledging receipt and telling you whether the application is complete or incomplete. If it is incomplete, the notice must identify exactly what is missing and give you a reasonable deadline to provide it.4eCFR. 12 CFR 1024.41 – Loss Mitigation Procedures

Once your application is complete and was submitted more than 37 days before any scheduled foreclosure sale, the servicer must evaluate you for every loss mitigation option available and send a written determination within 30 days. If the servicer offers you an option, you have at least 14 days to accept or reject it.4eCFR. 12 CFR 1024.41 – Loss Mitigation Procedures

Submitting a complete package also freezes foreclosure activity. A servicer cannot begin foreclosure until you are more than 120 days delinquent, and if you submit a complete application before the first foreclosure notice, the servicer cannot proceed until it has finished the evaluation, you have exhausted any appeal rights, you reject all offered options, or you fail to perform under an agreed plan. Even after foreclosure has started, a complete application filed more than 37 days before a scheduled sale halts the process under the same conditions.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1024.41 – Loss Mitigation Procedures

Credit card issuers, personal loan lenders, and other creditors run internal hardship programs without any equivalent federal clock. Timelines and terms vary by company.

If You Are Denied

If a mortgage servicer denies you for a loan modification, you can appeal, but only if you submitted the complete application at least 90 days before a foreclosure sale or during the pre-foreclosure review period. File the appeal within 14 days of receiving the offer or denial notice. A different team from the one that made the original decision reviews the appeal, and the servicer must respond in writing within 30 days.4eCFR. 12 CFR 1024.41 – Loss Mitigation Procedures

Any creditor that takes adverse action against you, including denying a hardship request that constitutes a credit decision, must provide specific reasons under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. If the denial notice is vague, request a detailed statement of reasons within 60 days of receiving it, and the creditor has 30 days to respond.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1691 – Scope of Prohibition

Common reasons applications fail: an incomplete package, income too high to qualify or too low to sustain a modified payment, property value issues that limit the investor’s options, or restrictions imposed by whoever owns the loan. If your circumstances change after a denial, such as new employment or reduced expenses, you can generally reapply with updated documentation.

Do Not Pay Anyone Upfront to File This for You

Under the federal Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule, it is illegal for any for-profit company to charge you money before it delivers a written offer of mortgage relief from your servicer and you accept it. The ban covers anyone claiming to help you get a loan modification, forbearance, short sale, or other foreclosure alternative, and it applies even when an attorney places the fee in a trust account.7Federal Trade Commission. Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule – A Compliance Guide for Business

Warning signs: any company that guarantees approval, tells you to stop communicating with your servicer, asks you to send payments to it instead of the servicer, or pressures you to sign documents you have not read. Your servicer’s loss mitigation department evaluates you at no cost once you submit a complete application.

Active-Duty Servicemembers Have a Separate Right

If you are on active duty, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act caps interest at 6 percent on debts you took on before entering service, including mortgages, car loans, credit cards, and personal loans. For mortgages, the cap continues for one year after active duty ends. Interest above 6 percent is forgiven rather than deferred, and each periodic payment is reduced by the forgiven interest so the monthly amount drops automatically. To activate the cap, send your creditor written notice and a copy of your military orders; the creditor cannot require anything more.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3937 – Maximum Rate of Interest on Debts Incurred Before Military Service This protection is separate from any hardship application and can be requested alongside one.