EMI Pause – Hardship Request
If you are experiencing financial difficulty, ICICI Bank offers an EMI Pause option that allows you to temporarily suspend your monthly loan repayments while protecting your account standing.
What is an EMI Pause?
An EMI Pause is a temporary suspension of your scheduled loan repayments. It is available to eligible customers facing genuine financial hardship such as job loss, medical emergency, or unexpected income disruption.
During the pause period, your loan remains active and interest continues to accrue. Paused EMIs are added to the end of your loan tenure.
Available Pause Durations
| Pause Duration | Eligible Loan Types | Max Approvals (Lifetime) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Month | Personal, Home, Auto, Business | 3 |
| 3 Months | Personal, Home, Auto | 2 |
| 6 Months | Home, Business | 1 |
Eligibility
- Active ICICI Bank loan in good standing (no existing default)
- Minimum 6 EMIs paid since loan disbursement or last pause
- Financial hardship must be substantiated (job loss, medical emergency, natural disaster)
- No more than one active pause at a time
How to Submit a Hardship Request
Hardship requests are handled through the Task Assist feature in the ICICI Bank virtual assistant.
- Open the ICICI Bank chat or contact centre assistant
- Say or type "I need to pause my EMI" or select Hardship Request from the menu
- The assistant will launch the Hardship Task Assist workflow
- Follow the on-screen prompts to select your loan, choose a pause duration, and confirm your hardship reason
- You will receive a reference number and decision notification via SMS and email
Frequently Asked Questions
Will an EMI Pause affect my credit score?
An approved EMI Pause will not be reported as a missed payment or default to credit bureaus (CIBIL, Experian, CRIF). Your credit score is protected for the duration of an approved pause. However, if a pause is requested but not approved and EMIs are missed, this will be reported as standard late payments.
Does interest still accrue during the pause?
Yes. Interest continues to accrue on the outstanding principal during the pause period. The accrued interest and deferred EMIs are added to the remaining loan schedule, which will extend your loan tenure accordingly.
Can I cancel a pause once approved?
Yes. You can cancel an active pause at any time via Task Assist or by contacting ICICI Bank customer support. Resuming early will not affect your eligibility for future pause requests.
What happens at the end of the pause period?
Your regular EMI schedule resumes automatically on the next due date after the pause ends. You will receive a reminder notification 7 days before repayments restart.