Guides
Plain-English answers to the questions people ask about IVAs, debt solutions and dealing with the people you owe. Search, or browse by topic.
Checked
105 guides, plus 87 company pages.
Start here
- What is an IVA? The legal basics: what an IVA is, which debts it covers and what it means for you.
- Who qualifies for an IVA? Minimum debt, spare income, benefits, homeowners and the situations where an IVA rarely fits.
- How much does an IVA cost? The fees in an IVA, how they are taken from your payments, and how that compares with other options.
- Debt solutions compared IVAs, DMPs, DROs, bankruptcy and Breathing Space side by side.
- Priority and non-priority debts: what to pay first Which debts come first, what can happen if you miss them, and how debt solutions treat each type.
- Where to get free debt advice The free debt advice services in each part of the UK, what they can do, and how to check a firm.
IVAs explained
OverviewWhat an IVA is, who qualifies, what it costs and how it works.
The basics
- What is an IVA? The legal basics: what an IVA is, which debts it covers and what it means for you.
- How does an IVA work? Step by step: assessment, creditor vote, monthly payments, reviews and completion.
- Who qualifies for an IVA? Minimum debt, spare income, benefits, homeowners and the situations where an IVA rarely fits.
- What debts can and cannot go into an IVA? Which debts an IVA covers, which it cannot, and the grey areas such as rent arrears, HMRC and joint debts.
- Does an IVA stop debt collectors and bailiffs? What stops and when, for debt collectors and bailiffs, and the debts an IVA does not protect you from.
- Can you get an IVA on benefits or Universal Credit? How benefits are treated in an IVA, why benefits-only income rarely suits one, and what else to look at.
- Can you get an IVA if you live in Scotland? Why IVAs do not apply in Scotland, the Scottish alternatives, and what happens if you move.
- How long does an IVA last? 5 or 6 years for most IVAs, what can extend or shorten one, and how long the records last.
- How much does an IVA cost? The fees in an IVA, how they are taken from your payments, and how that compares with other options.
- Pros and cons of an IVA The real advantages and disadvantages of an IVA, side by side, with how it compares to other options.
- IVA myths and the facts Common claims about IVAs, from write-offs to homes to credit files, and what is actually true.
Setting one up
- How to apply for an IVA The application process from first advice to the creditor vote, and the questions to ask.
- What documents do you need for an IVA? A checklist of the paperwork for an IVA application, and what you will need each year after.
- What goes into an IVA proposal? What the law and the IVA Protocol require in a proposal, the key facts document, and what to check before signing.
- What is an insolvency practitioner? What an IP does in an IVA, who licenses them, how to check one, and how to complain.
- How creditors vote on an IVA, and the rules they follow How the creditor vote works, the 75% rule, and what creditors must and must not do afterwards.
- Can you get an IVA if you have a CCJ? How a county court judgment is treated in an IVA, what stops and when, and what stays on your record.
- Can you get a joint IVA? Why there is no joint IVA, how interlocking IVAs work for couples, and what happens to joint debts.
- How to choose an IVA provider How to check an insolvency practitioner and any referrer, the red flags to watch for, and what to ask.
- How to spot a debt company or advert to avoid Red flags in debt adverts and IVA firms, why they matter, and how to check a firm before sharing details.
During and after
- What happens at an IVA annual review? What the yearly review checks, the evidence you send, the 50% rule, and what happens if you do not reply.
- What if you cannot afford your IVA payments? Payment breaks, reductions, variations and settlements, what counts as a breach, and what else you can do.
- Can you pay off an IVA early? The ways to end an IVA early, how a full and final settlement works, and what paying early does not change.
- Can you cancel an IVA? Withdrawing before the vote, ending an IVA after approval, what it costs you, and the alternatives.
- Are there legitimate ways out of an IVA? The legitimate routes out of an IVA, what each one costs you, and the so-called loopholes to avoid.
- What happens if an IVA fails? How often IVAs fail, the breach process, what happens afterwards and the options that are left.
- What happens at the end of an IVA? Completion certificates, which debts are written off, the register, your credit file and what to check.
- How to search the insolvency register How to search the insolvency register step by step, what an entry shows and when it is removed.
- How to complain about your IVA or change provider Who to complain to about an IVA, the time limits, what each route can do, and how a supervisor can be changed.
Life in an IVA
OverviewYour home, car, job, credit file and family during an IVA.
Home and money
- How much does an IVA leave you to live on? How your IVA budget is worked out, what counts as essential, and how yearly reviews change it.
- Bank accounts, phone contracts and insurance in an IVA Bank accounts and set-off, basic bank accounts, phone and energy contracts, insurance and the £500 rule.
- What happens to your home and belongings in an IVA? The 2025 homeowner rules, the equity calculation, and your car, pension, savings and bank account.
- Can you get a mortgage with an IVA? Your current mortgage, remortgaging, moving home, and applying for a mortgage after an IVA.
- Can you rent a home with an IVA? Staying in your current tenancy, rent arrears, passing referencing for a new home, and moving.
- What happens if you inherit money during an IVA? How inheritances are treated in an IVA, how much you keep, and what to do if you inherit.
- Pay rises, bonuses and windfalls in an IVA Overtime, bonuses, pay rises, redundancy and windfalls: what to declare and how much you keep.
Your credit
- How does an IVA affect your credit rating? Why an IVA lowers your rating, how it compares with other options, and how to rebuild afterwards.
- How long does an IVA stay on your credit file? The 6-year rule, IVAs that last longer, the insolvency register, and checking all three agencies.
- Can you pass a credit check with an IVA? The £500 credit rule, which checks are about borrowing, soft and hard searches, and getting approval.
- Can you borrow money or get a credit card in an IVA? The £500 rule, supervisor consent, credit cards, loans, car finance, family loans and buy now pay later.
- Do you have to declare an IVA after 6 years? When an old IVA still has to be disclosed, and when it does not.
- How to rebuild your credit after an IVA After completion: checking all three credit files, the electoral register, credit builders and timing.
- Can you keep your car on finance in an IVA? Keeping a car on hire purchase or PCP, handing one back, new finance and compensation payouts.
Work, family and travel
- Will your employer find out about your IVA? Who is told about your IVA at work, which jobs have rules, and what to report to your supervisor.
- Will an IVA affect your partner? Joint debts, joint accounts, the household budget, a shared home and your partner's credit file.
- Can you travel abroad with an IVA? Holidays, work trips and moving abroad during an IVA, and how to pay for them.
- Can you get an IVA if you are self-employed? Sole traders, partners and directors, keeping tools and trading, uneven income and HMRC in an IVA.
- Can you start a business during an IVA? Self-employment, limited companies, business credit and tax while you are in an IVA.
Debt solutions
OverviewIVAs compared with DMPs, DROs, bankruptcy and Breathing Space.
Your options
- What is a debt management plan? An informal plan to repay unsecured debts in full at an affordable rate.
- How does a full and final settlement work? Settling a debt with a lump sum: when creditors accept, how to do it safely, and what it does to your file.
- Debt relief orders: who qualifies and how they work A free 12-month order that writes off debts for people with low income and few assets.
- Bankruptcy: how it works and what it means for you How bankruptcy works, the £680 cost, and what happens to your home, car, income and job.
- Breathing Space: pausing creditors while you get advice Up to 60 days of protection from creditors while you get advice, or longer in a mental health crisis.
- Mental health crisis Breathing Space Protection from creditors during mental health crisis treatment plus 30 days, via a debt adviser.
- Where to get free debt advice The free debt advice services in each part of the UK, what they can do, and how to check a firm.
Side by side
- IVA or bankruptcy? The differences explained How an IVA and bankruptcy compare on cost, length, your home, your job and your credit file.
- IVA or debt relief order? How a DRO and an IVA compare, and why DRO-eligible people are rarely suited to an IVA.
- IVA or debt management plan? How a DMP and an IVA compare on cost, protection, length and credit file, with examples.
- Debt consolidation loan or IVA? How a consolidation loan and an IVA compare on cost, risk, your home and credit file, with examples.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
- Debt solutions in Scotland Trust deeds, DAS, sequestration, the Minimal Asset Process and the 6-month moratorium explained.
- What is a Protected Trust Deed in Scotland? How a trust deed works in Scotland: who can get one, protected status, fees, your home and discharge.
- The Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS) in Scotland How a Debt Payment Programme works, who can apply, the debts it covers, payment breaks and credit.
- What is sequestration? Bankruptcy in Scotland Scottish bankruptcy: the fee, the routes in, your home and income, the restrictions and discharge.
- The Minimal Asset Process (MAP) in Scotland Scotland's low-cost bankruptcy route: who qualifies, how it compares with a DRO, and what happens.
- IVAs, bankruptcy and DROs in Northern Ireland How IVAs, bankruptcy and DROs work in Northern Ireland, what they cost, and what is different.
Types of debt
OverviewCouncil tax, HMRC, credit cards, energy, gambling and more: your options for each.
Household bills
- Council tax arrears: what happens and what to do How councils recover arrears in each part of the UK, and how council tax fits with your other debts.
- What is a council tax liability order? What the summons and hearing mean, what the council can do next, and how the order fits with debt solutions.
- What to do about rent arrears Eviction rules for arrears, help with rent, and why arrears need special care in an IVA, DRO or bankruptcy.
- Gas, electricity and water debt Payment plans, prepayment meter rules, help schemes, water debt, and energy debt in an IVA or DRO.
Borrowing
- Credit card debt: your options Persistent debt letters, minimum payments, balance transfers and formal solutions for card debt.
- Payday loan debt: what to do if you cannot repay The price cap, stopping payments from your account, complaints and payday loans in a debt solution.
- Klarna and buy now pay later debt: what to do The 2026 BNPL rules, missed payments, debt collection and buy now pay later in an IVA, DRO or bankruptcy.
- Catalogue and store card debt Missed payments, persistent debt rules, arrangements and catalogue debt in an IVA, DRO or bankruptcy.
- Borrowed from a loan shark? What to do Staying safe, reporting an illegal lender in confidence, and getting support in every UK nation.
Tax, benefits and fines
- Owe HMRC money? Time to Pay and your options Time to Pay, online payment plans, HMRC collection powers and tax debt in an IVA, DRO or bankruptcy.
- DWP Debt Management: what it is and what to do Why DWP Debt Management writes to you, how it collects, how to pay less, and DWP debt in an IVA or DRO.
- Universal Credit and benefit overpayments: what to do When overpayments must be repaid, how to challenge them, deduction limits, and overpayments in an IVA or DRO.
- Unpaid magistrates' court fines: what to do Paying a fine, wage and benefit deductions, enforcement, and why fines stay outside debt solutions.
- Student loan debt: repayments and debt solutions Repayment thresholds for 2026/27, mortgage-style loans, and how student loans sit alongside debt solutions.
Other situations
- Gambling debt: where to get help and your options Support for gambling harm, blocking tools, dealing with the debts, and how gambling affects debt solutions.
- Business and self-employed debt: your options Who is liable for business debts, which to deal with first, free help, and business debt in debt solutions.
- What happens to debt when someone dies? Who pays debts after a death, what executors must do, insolvent estates, and how to tell creditors.
Debt problems
OverviewCCJs, default notices, statute-barred debt, budgeting and emergency money.
County court judgments
- What is a CCJ and what happens if you get one? How a CCJ is made, what it orders, how creditors enforce it and what it means for your credit.
- Received a Money Claim Online claim form? Deadlines, how to respond online or on paper, admitting, offering instalments and defending a claim.
- How to check if you have a CCJ Searching the Register of Judgments on TrustOnline, free credit reports, and what to do if you find a CCJ.
- How long does a CCJ last? Six years on the register and credit file, what paying changes, and why the debt can outlast the record.
- How to remove or set aside a CCJ The one-month rule, setting aside with form N244, judgments made without your knowledge, and removal firms.
- What is a discharged (satisfied) CCJ? Satisfied and cancelled CCJs, the one-month rule, the £19 certificate and what your credit file shows.
- What is an attachment of earnings order? County court, council tax and DWP deductions from wages, how much can be taken and how to change them.
Letters and credit files
- How to deal with a default notice What a default notice means, how long you have, and what to do if you cannot pay the arrears.
- How long does a default stay on your credit file? The 6-year rule for defaults, what paying or settling changes, sold debts and fixing mistakes.
- How to ask a creditor to prove a debt Consumer Credit Act requests, the £1 fee, 12 working days, and what unenforceable really means.
- What is statute-barred debt? When old debts can no longer be taken to court, what restarts the clock, and what to do if chased.
Getting on top of it
- Priority and non-priority debts: what to pay first Which debts come first, what can happen if you miss them, and how debt solutions treat each type.
- How to make a budget when you are struggling with debt A practical budget method for people in arrears, with a worked example and free tools.
- How to fill in an income and expenditure form Who uses an I&E form, the Standard Financial Statement, evidence and the mistakes that get offers refused.
- How to write off debt in the UK The real routes to having debt written off, what each costs, and how to spot misleading adverts.
- Emergency money: crisis loans and budgeting advances Where to get emergency money now crisis loans have gone, across all four UK nations.
- Discretionary Assistance Fund Wales: how to apply Who can get a DAF grant, how to apply, what to have ready, how you are paid and how to challenge a refusal.
- Debt and your mental health How debt and mental health are linked, and the protections and support available if you are struggling.
Collectors and bailiffs
OverviewYour rights when a debt collector or bailiff gets in touch.
Your rights
- Bailiffs: what they can and cannot do Notice periods, fees from 1 May 2026, entry rules, what bailiffs can take and what can stop them.
- What is a warrant of control? How warrants of control work, how they differ from writs, and how to ask the court to suspend one.
- What can High Court enforcement officers do? Why a CCJ ends up with a High Court enforcement officer, what they can charge and how to stop them.
- What can council tax bailiffs do? Liability orders, notice, fees, entry rules, vulnerability and asking the council to take the debt back.
- What can sheriff officers do in Scotland? Charges for payment, arrestments, attachment, entry rules and how to stop enforcement in Scotland.
Debt collection companies
Bailiff companies
- Marston
- DCBL
- Jacobs
- CDER Group
- Equita
- Newlyn
- Dukes Bailiffs
- Bristow & Sutor
- Rundle & Co
- Empira
- HCE Group
- Excel Civil Enforcement
- CES
- Andrew James
- High Court Writ Recovery
- Wilson & Roe
- Ross & Roberts
- Stanford & Green
- Reventus
- JTR Collections
- Penham Excel
- Hambury Tilmond
- Rossendales
- Whyte & Co
- UK Bailiffs
- The Sheriffs Office
- Equivo
- Bryan Lecoche
- Just (Just Collect)
- Whipps Enforcement
- Grencar
- BOT Services
- County Enforcement
- Thoburns
- South East Enforcement
- Constant & Co
- APD Services
- Iridium Enforcement
- West Country Bailiffs
- Trace Enforcement Group
- Howes Bailiffs
- CEA Limited (Leeds)
- B&S Bailiff Services
- London Warrant (LWE)
- Proserve
- Dragon Enforcement
Sheriff officer firms (Scotland)
- Stirling Park
- Walker Love
- Alex M Adamson
- Scott & Co
- Clarks sheriff officers
- Colin Ross Wilks
- Davidson Dempster
- Fraser Irvine
- Gordon & Noble
- Graham Lowrie
- Graham Stewart & Co
- Hannahs
- James S Orr
- John Campbell
- Kiernan Oliver
- Killean & Co
- Kirk & Co
- Llewellyn & Co
- Malcolm J Boyd
- McEwan Hogg
- Miller McKenna
- Nelson James
- Rutherford & Macpherson
- Thomas Hannah & Co
No guides match that. Try a different word, or .