Debt and money advice
Some basic rules for dealing with debt problems are:
Don't:
- disregard debt problems
- ignore court papers or letters from creditors
Do:
- deal with all your debts
- fill in and return any court forms
- go to any court hearing
Citizens Advice: debt and money has lots of useful information. Go to Citizens Advice: work out your budget to get help understanding:
- what you're earning
- what you're spending
- where you might be able to cut costs
Free independent advice
The independent services below can offer free and confidential advice if you are struggling to deal with your problems.
Money Helper gives independent advice and guidance on money matters. Money Helper was previously known as the Money Advice Service.
: 0808 808 4000
National Debtline is an independent debt advice service run by the charity Money Advice Trust.
: 0808 278 7877
: 0800 138 1111
StepChange free debt advice includes an online debt help tool that can help you make a personal action plan for the best way to deal with your debts.
: 0808 802 2000
Turn2us helps people in financial need to access welfare benefits, charitable grants and other financial help.
You can also get advice at GOV.UK: Options for dealing with your debt.
Loan sharks
Loan sharks are illegal moneylenders who often charge very high interest rates. You can check if a company is authorised to lend money and report loan sharks anonymously. Go to GOV.UK: Report a loan shark.
For more information, go to our loan sharks web page.
Fair debt collection
Our policy for fair debt collection and recovery is provided below.