It depends on the mortgage agreement. Most lenders require you to maintain an escrow account until you’ve paid off a minimum amount of the mortgage balance. Normally, this is 20% of the home’s value, but different mortgages will have different requirements. In most cases, you’ll also need to have made at least 12 on-time payments. On the other hand, you may choose to keep paying escrow for the life of the loan, as a simple way to handle tax and insurance.