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How to ask your car lender for more time
Call before the payment is late and ask about a deferral or extension. Ask what it costs before you agree.
Tips before you ask
- Call before the payment is late. Lenders usually offer deferrals only to accounts in good standing.
- With a deferral, interest usually keeps adding up. Ask how much the deferral will cost in total.
- Get the new terms in writing before your next payment date.
Example: ask for a hardship plan
A worked example in the warm tone. Fill in the form above to get your own, in the tone you choose.
Call script
Have ready: your loan number, your usual payment and what you can really pay each month for now.
Hi, my name is Maria.
My loan number is AL-2210934.
I had to pay for an urgent car repair.
My payment is $412 a month. For the next few months I can pay $200.
Do you have a hardship program? I'm looking for a payment deferral or extension, where a payment is moved to the end of the loan.
Before you agree, ask: Does interest keep adding up during the deferral? Is there a fee? Is it reported to the credit bureaus?
Thank you for helping me with this.
Ask for the terms in writing before your next payment is due.
If they say no
Ask for a hardship plan
- Ask whether they can lower the payment for even one or two months.
- Ask whether there's a different department that handles hardship.
- A nonprofit credit counselor (look for NFCC members) can talk to lenders about a plan. The first session is often free.
More time to pay
- Ask what they can offer instead: a shorter delay, part now and the rest later, or a payment plan.
- Ask whether there's a hardship or assistance program, and how to apply.
- Ask, politely, to speak to a supervisor.
- Call 211 or visit 211.org to find local help with this bill.
- Whatever you agree, ask for it in writing.
Waive a late fee
- Ask whether they can waive half of it instead.
- Ask whether it can be waived if you set up automatic payments.
- Ask, politely, to speak to a supervisor. Waivers are often at the supervisor's discretion.
- Try again in writing: a short, polite email sometimes gets a different answer.
Write a hardship letter
- Ask what documents they'd need to reconsider, and send them.
- Ask for the hardship department or a supervisor, in writing.
- Ask for a smaller change: one skipped payment, a lower payment for two months, or a waived late fee.
- A nonprofit credit counselor (look for NFCC members) can contact lenders about a plan for you.
These are templates for general information, not legal or tax advice, and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. You send every message yourself; we never contact anyone on your behalf.