BPO Collections: what a letter means and what to do

Check who the letter says you owe before you do anything else, because BPO Collections works for a mix of creditors, from HMRC to broadband providers, and the rules differ between them. A letter from BPO Collections is not a court document, and it gives the firm no special legal powers. You have time to check the details, ask questions and get free advice. BPO is based in Scotland but collects across the UK, so this guide covers England and Wales, with notes for Scotland.

Who are BPO Collections, and why are they contacting you?

BPO Collections Limited is registered in Scotland at Companies House under number SC295285. It was incorporated on 11 January 2006, is active, and has its registered office in Ardrossan, Ayrshire.

It has been authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority since 3 March 2016, firm reference number 712058, with permission for debt collecting. It cannot hold client money. Its trading names on the FCA register are BPO and BPO Respect. Its website gives a Credit Services Association membership number (the CSA is the trade body for debt collectors).

Who owns BPO Collections?

Companies House lists Everyday People Revenue Cycle Management, based in Edmonton, Canada, as holding 75% or more of the shares since 25 July 2023. Everyday People Financial Corp describes BPO Collections as its wholly owned subsidiary. In November 2024 BPO became the owner of the company behind CCS Collect, another collection agency that works for HMRC and the DWP.

Who BPO Collections collects for

BPO describes itself as a call centre based debt recovery agency. Its website names Sky, British Gas, British Telecom and Virgin among its clients. It also says it collects a range of tax debts for HMRC. GOV.UK confirms BPO Collections is one of the agencies HMRC may use for unpaid tax, and one of the agencies the DWP may pass benefit overpayment cases to.

The letter should say which organisation you owe. Whoever contacts you must explain who they work for, their role and why they are in touch.

Is the debt yours, and is the amount right?

Letters sometimes go to a former occupant or to someone with a similar name. Check before you pay or admit anything.

1. Look at the “on behalf of” details: which organisation you owe, the account or reference number and the balance.
2. If you do not recognise the debt, tell BPO in writing and ask for the name of the creditor, the account number, the date the debt arose and a breakdown of the balance. BPO’s website says to get in touch by phone, email or letter if you do not believe a debt is yours. See how to ask a creditor to prove a debt.
3. For a loan, credit card or other regulated credit agreement, you can ask the creditor that owns the debt for a copy of the agreement and a statement, with a £1 fee. It has 12 working days to reply and cannot enforce the agreement while it fails to do so.
4. For a tax debt or a benefit overpayment, you can also check the balance with HMRC or the DWP, using contact details from GOV.UK.
5. If the debt is old, check whether it could be statute-barred. In England and Wales, most debts cannot be recovered through the courts once 6 years have passed from when the creditor could first sue. In Scotland, most debts are extinguished after 5 years without a payment, a clear written acknowledgement or a court claim.

BPO says it does not charge fees or interest, but that its clients may adjust your balance, for example to reflect payments or charges under your contract with them. If the figure has changed, ask for a breakdown. If you dispute a credit debt, say so in writing: the firm must suspend collection while it investigates and tell you the outcome.

What can BPO Collections do, and what can it not do?

For HMRC debts, GOV.UK says its agencies only contact you by letter, text message or phone and will never visit your home or place of work. For credit debts, the FCA’s rules stop collectors pressuring you, contacting you at unreasonable times, or pretending to have powers they do not have.

Those FCA rules are written for credit debts. Tax, benefit overpayments and many household bills are not credit, so the rules may not strictly apply to them, although the general law does. Harassing someone with payment demands, or falsely claiming official authority, can be a criminal offence whatever the debt.

If you pay by continuous payment authority (regular payments from a debit card), BPO says you can cancel with it before close of business on the day before a payment, or with your card issuer up to one working day before.

What should you do at each stage?

When the letter arrives

Read it and check who it is for. If you owe the money but cannot pay yet, reply anyway. If you are getting debt advice, tell BPO: for credit debts, a firm told that you or an adviser are working out a repayment plan must pause active collection for a reasonable period. BPO says that if you have not been in touch, you can expect further calls and letters, or more collection activity from its clients.

If you want to offer a payment

Work out a budget first, so you know what you can afford after rent or mortgage, council tax, energy and food. Some debts BPO handles, such as tax, can be priority debts. For HMRC debts, you can pay the agency or discuss a Time to Pay arrangement; if you cannot do either, the agency passes the case back to HMRC. For credit debts, the firm must consider a reasonable offer and explain clearly if it refuses.

If you get a settlement offer

BPO’s website has a section for people who have received a settlement offer. A settlement means paying less than the full balance to close the account. Before you pay, get written confirmation that the payment will settle the whole debt. For credit debts, a firm that accepts a settlement must say formally and unequivocally that the payment has been accepted in settlement of what you owe. Our guide to full and final settlements explains the risks, including not using money you need for priority bills.

If court action follows

BPO collects for other organisations, so any court action would be taken by the creditor. In England and Wales, a business should normally send a Letter of Claim before suing and give you 30 days to reply. If a claim form arrives, respond by the date on it; if you are not paying in full, you can ask for another 14 days. A county court judgment stays on the public register for 6 years unless you pay in full within one calendar month.

For benefit overpayments, GOV.UK says the DWP can ask your employer to take deductions from your pay, and its Debt Enforcement Team can make a court claim if you do not respond. In Scotland, debt claims go to the sheriff court, and enforcement is carried out by sheriff officers, not collection agencies.

How do debt solutions affect BPO Collections?

The effect depends on which debt it is:

• Breathing Space pauses contact, interest, charges and enforcement on included debts for up to 60 days (England and Wales only).
• A debt management plan is informal: creditors do not have to agree to it, freeze interest or stop action. BPO says that if a debt management company is handling your debts, it will need to speak to that company.
• An IVA is a legally binding agreement under the Insolvency Act 1986. Creditors bound by it cannot take further action to recover the debts included in it, but not every debt can be included. Protocol IVAs usually last 5 or 6 years, fees come out of your payments, and it usually stays on your credit file for 6 years from the start. See does an IVA stop debt collectors?
• A debt relief order is for debts under £50,000, less than £75 a month spare, assets under £2,000 and a vehicle worth less than £4,000. Creditors cannot ask for payment of listed debts during the order.
• After a bankruptcy order, creditors owed debts in the bankruptcy have no remedy against your property or you personally for those debts.

Each has costs, conditions and long-term effects, and none suits everyone. The debt solutions comparison sets them side by side. IVAs, debt relief orders and Breathing Space are not available in Scotland: see debt solutions in Scotland.

How do you complain about BPO Collections?

1. Complain to BPO’s Complaints Resolution Team, using the contact details on your letter or its website, with your reference and what went wrong. Its website has a complaint handling leaflet explaining the process.
2. For a credit debt, if you are unhappy with the final response, or 8 weeks have passed, you can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service, normally within 6 months of the final response.
3. For other debts, such as tax, benefit overpayments or household bills, the Financial Ombudsman may not be able to help with how the debt is collected. Complain to the organisation that passed the debt on, using its own complaints process. If it is an energy supplier and the complaint is not sorted within 8 weeks, you can go to the Energy Ombudsman.
4. Because BPO says it is a Credit Services Association member, you can also use the CSA’s complaints procedure if you feel a member has treated you unfairly.

Our guide to dealing with debt collectors sets out your rights in more detail.

Is this letter really from BPO Collections?

• Check BPO Collections Limited on the FCA register (firm reference number 712058).
• For tax debts, GOV.UK lists the agencies HMRC uses. They ask security questions, and they will never visit you.
• Use contact details from your own paperwork, the creditor’s official website or the FCA register. Do not rely on a number or link in an unexpected text or email.
• Be wary of anyone pushing you to pay at once into an account you do not recognise. If in doubt, contact the creditor directly to confirm it has passed your account to BPO.

What to do next

1. Check which organisation the debt is for, and whether the details are right.
2. If you owe it, offer an amount you can keep up. If you do not, say so in writing.
3. Get free, impartial debt advice from MoneyHelper, StepChange, Citizens Advice or National Debtline. See where to get free debt advice.
4. Keep copies of letters, and notes of calls with dates and names.