What are the longest standard mortgage terms offered in the US?

1. Standards: 15- and 30-year mortgages are the baseline

Most official market surveys and consumer guides treat 30‑year and 15‑year fully amortizing loans as the standard options consumers encounter; Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey focuses on conventional, conforming fully amortizing purchase loans (the 30‑year and 15‑year buckets are the primary benchmarks) ^{[1] [2]}. Consumer reporting and rate roundups likewise show average quoted rates for 30‑ and 15‑year terms, underscoring their role as the default products ^{[6] [7]}.

2. Where 40‑year loans sit: available but atypical

Some lenders and consumer advisers describe 40‑year mortgages as an available choice, often as fixed, adjustable, or interest‑only variants, but they are uncommon and generally treated as non‑standard or non‑qualified products (non‑QM) because they exceed CFPB’s 30‑year QM safe harbor ^{[3] [8]}. Coverage from Bankrate, Rocket Mortgage and consumer sites notes that most lenders don’t offer 40‑year loans broadly and that 40‑year terms are more frequently seen in loan modifications or specialized underwriting rather than as routine retail offerings ^{[3] [8]}.

3. The 50‑year idea: discussion, proposals, and political attention

Media and personal‑finance sites have recently discussed 50‑year mortgages, including mention of political proposals promoting such long terms as a housing‑affordability tool; Ramsey and other outlets flagged a 50‑year concept being floated publicly in November 2025 ^{[5] [9]}. Those stories indicate 50‑year terms are not currently a standardized or widely adopted mortgage product but are the subject of policy discussion and commentary ^{[5] [9]}.

4. Tradeoffs and regulatory context for longer terms

Longer terms lower monthly payments but substantially increase lifetime interest and slow equity accumulation — a recurring theme in reporting on 40‑ and 50‑year loans ^{[3] [10]}. Crucially, CFPB guidance and market practice make 30 years the maximum for the “Qualified Mortgage” category that affords certain protections and investor confidence; loans longer than 30 years are frequently structured as non‑QM, with potentially different documentation, higher rates, and investor constraints ^{[3] [8]}.

5. Market uptake and skepticism: why lenders and buyers hesitate

Analysts and practitioners quoted in coverage express skepticism that extremely long terms will gain wide acceptance; past attempts to extend terms (for example, some 40‑year modifications) “have not taken off,” according to mortgage advocacy and nonprofit experts cited in reporting ^[11]. The combination of higher total interest costs, slower equity build, and regulatory/secondary‑market hurdles helps explain why 30‑year has remained the market’s “sweet spot” ^{[11] [2]}.

6. Practical guidance for borrowers and policymakers

If a borrower is offered a term longer than 30 years, consumer resources urge scrutiny — expect higher rates, fewer consumer protections (non‑QM features), and slower principal paydown ^{[3] [4]}. For policymakers, commentators note the political appeal of longer terms as affordability tools but caution that structural market constraints and past experience suggest longer terms alone may not solve affordability without addressing supply, lending standards, or investor demand ^{[11] [5]}.

Limitations and gaps in the reporting: provided sources document market norms (15/30 years), note the existence of 40‑year offerings, and discuss 50‑year proposals, but they do not provide a regulator‑level, nationwide list of every lender’s maximum allowable term or data on how many borrowers actually hold 40‑ or 50‑year loans; available sources do not mention comprehensive national prevalence statistics for 40‑ or 50‑year mortgages ^{[3] [9]}.