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Reverse mortgage question
A HECM counseling certificate expires 180 days after the date you completed counseling, unless an FHA case number has already been assigned to your loan. Once your lender has a case number, the certificate stays tied to that loan, so it's fine if the 180 days pass while your loan is still in process. If no case number was assigned in time, you'll need to complete counseling again. If your case number later expires and a new one is needed, the lender can generally link a still-valid certificate to the new case number.
Short answer: 180 days. Your HECM counseling certificate is good for 180 days from the day you completed counseling, unless your lender gets an FHA case number before then.
That second part is the one people miss, so let me explain it.
When your loan officer orders an FHA case number for your loan, the counseling certificate gets tied to that case number. From then on, the 180-day clock doesn't knock you out of the process.
So if your loan takes longer than expected, for example because of a slow appraisal, a title problem, or repairs, you don't have to go back to counseling just because 180 days passed. What matters is that the case number was assigned while the certificate was still valid.
If no case number was assigned within the 180 days, the certificate expires and you'll need to complete counseling again before the loan can move forward.
FHA case numbers don't last forever either. A case number can expire if there's no activity on it for six months. If that happens and the lender needs a new case number, your certificate can generally be linked to the new one, as long as the certificate is still valid. If it isn't, you'll be back in a counselor's chair.
In practice, this mostly comes up with loans that stall for a long time, like a purchase where the buyer's current home takes months to sell.
Every borrower, and any non-borrowing spouse, needs to attend counseling and sign the certificate. If your spouse wasn't there, the certificate isn't complete. See Who must attend counseling?
If you're refinancing one HECM into another, the counseling rules are a little different. See Is counseling required for HECM to HECM refinances?
It's not the end of the world. Call the counseling agency, or any HUD-approved agency, and schedule again. Most sessions are by phone and take about 60 to 90 minutes. Then let your loan officer know right away so they can get your file moving.
To learn what counseling covers, see Reverse Mortgage Counseling and the 10 questions to know for counseling.
ZYNG Mortgage, Inc., NMLS #76801. A reverse mortgage has no required monthly mortgage payments and uses your home's equity. Fees, mortgage insurance and other costs can be added to the loan balance, and the balance grows over time as interest is added, so your equity typically decreases. When the loan becomes due, the home may need to be sold, or the loan repaid from other funds. Interest is not tax-deductible until it is paid, in part or in full. You keep title to your home and must keep paying property taxes, homeowners insurance and upkeep, and meet the other loan terms; not doing so can make the loan due and could lead to foreclosure.
This material is not from HUD or FHA and was not approved by HUD or a government agency.
HECM count at the top of this page: HUD data through September 2026 (source, opens in a new tab).
