 TITLE: Will Late Payments Affect My Credit During the COVID-19 Crisis? CONTENT: How Late Payments Impact Your Credit Score\n------------------------------------------\nIf you've entered into payment forbearance or deferment agreements with your lenders, payments that are reduced or suspended during forbearance will not be considered delinquent, and will not affect your account's standing on your credit reports.\nIf you make partial payments or miss them altogether without formalizing an arrangement with your lender—even if your missed payments are COVID-19-related— you can expect them to be reported to the credit bureaus and to appear on your credit reports as delinquent. (Late payments made without your lender's consent can hurt your credit score significantly.)\nIt's always best to keep up with your debt payments if you can, making timely payments on mortgages and auto loans, and covering at least the minimum payment due on credit card bills as you are working through a financial hardship. However, as noted above, if you qualify for COVID-19-related relief measures, you can lower your payments without incurring delinquencies. END