What is Support for Mortgage Interest Loan?
Support for Mortgage Interest Loan is help towards paying the interest payments on your mortgage or other loans for home purchase, repairs and home improvements. This help is in the form of a loan.
If you are on Universal Credit you can also get a Support for Mortgage Interest Loan for help with interest payments on other loans that are secured on the home you occupy or treated as occupying (whatever the purpose of the loan).
If you are on Universal Credit or Guarantee Pension Credit, you can also get a Support for Mortgage Interest Loan to help with payments made under alternative finance arrangements (for example an Islamic mortgage) to help you acquire an interest in your home.
Before 6 April 2018, support for mortgage interest was paid in the form of a benefit. However, now it is paid as a loan. You have to pay interest on the amount of loan help provided.
You have to repay the loan when you sell or transfer ownership of the property, if there is enough equity in the property.
If you were receiving help in the form of benefit, that help will stop on 6 April 2018 and you will be offered a loan instead. Accepting the loan is voluntary; so it is up to you whether you accept it or not.
Applies to: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
Administered by: Department for Work and Pensions
Some of the rules and calculations described in this information sheet are very complicated so we recommend that you seek further advice on your particular situation. You can use the Find an Adviser tool on our website to find a local benefits adviser.
Updated: April 2018