Your 2018 NHT Contributions Are Now Worth 14% More. Here’s How to Claim Them

• 2018 contributions became refundable in 2026
• Seven years of holding earns roughly 14% interest
• All mortgage holders in good standing can now apply
• 131,000 refunds worth $5.9 billion already paid this cycle

National Housing Trust contributions made in 2018 became eligible for refund starting January 1, 2026, and the Trust processed 131,000 refund applications worth roughly $5.9 billion in the first five weeks of this year’s cycle alone, according to Cameo Simmons Thomas, supervisor of the NHT’s Contributions, Refunds, Payments and Monitoring Unit. A further 10,000 contributors were due to receive an additional $39 million by February 9.

The underlying mechanics are worth understanding for any contributor who has never claimed a refund before. Contributors pay 2 percent of their salary monthly, remitted annually by employers to the NHT. The Trust then holds those funds for seven years before they become refundable in the eighth year, with 2 percent interest credited each year on top. The NHT not only holds the funds for seven years but contributors earn two percent interest on the amount each year, Simmons Thomas explained. At the end of the period, that totals approximately 14 percent, a real, if modest, return on money that was compulsorily deducted rather than voluntarily invested.

Eligibility for cash refunds has also genuinely widened. Prior to 2025, only public-sector mortgage holders could apply for a cash refund; since July 2025, any mortgage holder in good standing qualifies, a meaningful expansion for private-sector contributors with an NHT mortgage who previously had no direct access to their own refundable contributions in cash form.

The process itself runs entirely online through NHT Online at nht.gov.jm, correctly submitted applications process within 15 working days, and the Trust has repeatedly warned contributors to be wary of fraudulent communications during refund season, when fake messages impersonating the NHT tend to spike. Genuine NHT correspondence only comes from verified official channels and never requests personal information through unsolicited links, a distinction worth checking before responding to anything claiming to be about a refund that, for many contributors, now runs well into six figures.

Follow Jamaica Homes on Youtube @jamaicahomes and Instagram @jamaica_homes and on Facebook @jamaicahomesnews Send us a message or email us at onlinefeedback@jamaica-homes.com or editor@jamaica-homes.com