Can I Push My Car Payment Back a Month? Cost and Credit Impact

Yes, you can usually push a car payment back by a month. Most auto lenders offer a process called deferment that moves one scheduled payment to the end of your loan, extending the payoff date by that same month. The payment isn’t forgiven, interest keeps accruing while you skip, and you generally have to ask for it before your due date rather than after. Handled correctly, pushing a car payment back a month keeps your account in good standing and your car in your driveway; handled by simply not paying, it can trigger a late fee, a credit hit, and in some states repossession.

Who Can Get a Deferment

Lenders set their own rules, but the common thread is that your account has to be current when you ask. If you’re already 30 or 60 days behind, many lenders will decline the deferment and offer a repayment plan instead.1Experian. How to Defer a Car Payment Deferment is for someone about to fall behind, not someone who already has.

There’s also a cap on how often you can use it. Some lenders allow a single deferment across the life of the loan; others allow up to two per calendar year.1Experian. How to Defer a Car Payment Your loan contract has the exact limit, so pull it out before you call.

How to Request It

Call your lender as soon as you know the next payment is going to be a problem. Waiting until after the due date weakens your position because the account may no longer qualify. Most lenders take the request by phone first and then send you paperwork to complete.

Have your loan account number ready, along with documentation of why you need the break. What lenders want to see depends on the situation:

  • Income disruption: an employment termination letter, unemployment notice, or military deployment orders.
  • Medical crisis: hospital bills, a disability award letter, or accident reports.
  • Other life events: a divorce decree, death certificate of a household earner, or documentation of a natural disaster loss not covered by insurance.
  • Current finances: recent pay stubs, bank statements, or a profit-and-loss statement if you’re self-employed.

After the call, you’ll usually complete a hardship application or extension request form, often through a secure upload in your online account. Keep copies of everything you send and notes from every phone call, including the representative’s name and the date.

If the lender approves, you’ll get written confirmation with the new terms: how many payments are deferred, when your next payment is due, and any fees. That confirmation amends your original loan contract. Save it.

What It Costs You

Deferment isn’t free. Most auto loans use simple interest, which means the lender calculates a daily interest charge on your remaining principal. Skip a month and roughly 30 extra days of interest pile onto the balance that wouldn’t have existed if you’d paid on time.2Citizens Bank. Personal and Auto Loan Deferments Some lenders also charge a flat processing fee for each deferred payment; the amount varies.

When you resume paying, your money first covers the accumulated interest before any of it goes to principal.2Citizens Bank. Personal and Auto Loan Deferments The bigger downstream cost is your final payment, which ends up larger than a normal installment because the deferred month’s interest is baked into your balance.

On a $20,000 balance at 7% interest, one month of deferment adds roughly $115 in interest charges. Manageable once. Borrowers who defer repeatedly can end up owing a balloon-sized final payment several thousand dollars above a normal month.

What Happens to Your Loan Term

The skipped payment shifts to the end of your loan, pushing back your payoff date by one month for each payment you defer.1Experian. How to Defer a Car Payment A loan originally scheduled to end in June now ends in July. You still owe every payment; the calendar just stretches.

That extension matters beyond the interest math. Guaranteed asset protection (GAP) insurance is usually tied to the original loan maturity date, and extending the loan doesn’t automatically extend the GAP policy. The same goes for extended warranties or vehicle service contracts that expire based on time rather than mileage. Call your GAP provider and warranty company to see whether the extra month leaves you exposed.

Does Deferment Hurt Your Credit

An approved deferment should not hurt your credit score. Your account stays listed in good standing, and any notation that a payment was deferred is treated as an informational note rather than a negative mark.3Experian. How Does Car Loan Forbearance Affect Credit

The damage comes from skipping a payment without approval. Going 30 days past due flags your account as delinquent, and nothing on your report will show that you tried to get help.3Experian. How Does Car Loan Forbearance Affect Credit The gap between “deferred with permission” and “missed without permission” is enormous on a credit report, and it’s the single best reason to call before the due date rather than after.

During the deferment call, ask the representative exactly how the deferment will be reported to the credit bureaus. Most lenders report it correctly, but catching a misreported delinquency months later is much harder than preventing one upfront.

When a Due Date Change Fits Better

If the problem isn’t a one-time crisis but a mismatch between your paycheck and your due date, a permanent due date change may solve it better than deferment. Lenders can shift your monthly due date, moving it from the 5th to the 20th, for example.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. When Are Late Fees Charged on a Car Loan

A due date change doesn’t extend your loan or defer anything. It reshuffles when future payments fall. This option is generally available only for accounts already in good standing. Because interest accrues daily, the gap between the old and new due date can slightly affect how much of your next payment goes to interest versus principal, but the impact is minor compared to skipping a full month.

If Deferment Isn’t Available

If you don’t qualify or have already used your allotment, you still have options worth working through before a missed payment escalates.

What Skipping Without Permission Triggers

If you skip a payment without arranging anything, the consequences move fast. Most loan contracts include a grace period of a few days before a late fee kicks in, and your state may limit how much the lender can charge.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. When Are Late Fees Charged on a Car Loan

Then comes the bigger risk. In many states, your lender can begin repossession as soon as you default, sometimes without advance notice.6Federal Trade Commission. Vehicle Repossession A handful of states require a formal right-to-cure notice giving you a window to catch up, but most don’t. If the lender repossesses and sells the car, you may still owe the difference between the sale price and your remaining loan balance, called a deficiency balance. That amount can go to collections and further damage your credit.

The whole chain of events is what deferment is designed to prevent. Whichever route fits your situation, call your lender before you miss a payment. Lenders have far more flexibility with a borrower who calls ahead than one who goes silent.