About IVA Helpline
We explain individual voluntary arrangements and the alternatives in plain English, and help people work out whether an IVA is worth looking at.
What we do
IVA Helpline publishes clear, honest guides to individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) and the other ways of dealing with problem debt in the UK. We try to answer the questions people actually ask, including the awkward ones about homes, cars, jobs, partners and credit files, and we say plainly when an IVA is not the right answer.
If you use our online check or call us, an adviser calls you back to talk through your situation. If an IVA looks worth exploring, and only if you want to, they can introduce you to a licensed insolvency practitioner, who will assess it properly. Only an insolvency practitioner can set up and run an IVA.
Who we are
IVA Helpline is a trading style of Simply Quote Comparison Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 15008284), which also runs Council Tax Helpline and Wage Arrestment Expert.
The service is provided on our behalf by Complete 2 Financial Solutions Ltd (company number 15167030). Their advisers answer our phone line and call people back.
How the service works
- You tell us about your debts, using the online check or by calling us free on 0800 494 7285, Monday to Thursday, 10am to 5pm.
- An adviser calls you back at the time you choose, goes through your answers and explains, in general terms, how the options work.
- If you want to explore an IVA, and with your agreement, they introduce you to a licensed insolvency practitioner. The practitioner assesses whether an IVA suits you and must give you the key facts in writing before you sign anything.
- You decide. You are free to say no, or to go elsewhere, at any point.
IVAs are not available in Scotland. If you live there, we can explain the Scottish alternatives, such as a protected trust deed, and where to get free advice.
What it costs
It costs nothing to use this website, the online check or our service, and there is no obligation. We do not receive a fee for introducing you to anyone.
An IVA itself has costs: the insolvency practitioner’s fees are taken from the payments you make into it. See IVA fees.
What we do not do
- We do not set up or run IVAs ourselves.
- We do not give regulated debt advice. IVAs are regulated through the insolvency practitioner’s professional body, under the oversight of the Insolvency Service, not by the Financial Conduct Authority.
- We do not promise how much of your debt will be written off. That depends on your circumstances and on your creditors.
Free debt advice
You do not have to use our service. MoneyHelper, StepChange, Citizens Advice and National Debtline all give free, impartial debt advice and can set up most debt solutions for you. See where to get free debt advice.
How we check our guides
Every guide shows the date it was last checked. Figures such as fees, limits and time periods are checked against GOV.UK, the Insolvency Service and the relevant legislation. If you spot something out of date, please tell us.