Free debt help, explained
If your debts have stopped feeling like something you can manage, please read this — because there is a way through, it’s free, and reaching out early makes it far easier. Debt problems shrink the moment you get the right help, and the UK has excellent free services whose entire job is to sort this out with you, calmly and without judgement.
This is information, not financial advice. If you’re struggling with debt, contact one of the free services below — the sooner the better.
First: get free advice (today)
The single most important step is to talk to a free debt-advice service. They’ll look at your whole situation, deal with creditors on your behalf if you want, and recommend the right solution for you. They are free, confidential and used by millions:
- StepChange — free debt advice and managed plans.
- National Debtline — free advice by phone and online.
- Citizens Advice — free, face-to-face and online help.
- MoneyHelper — the government-backed service, with a free adviser locator.
Do not pay a company for this. Fee-charging firms offer the same solutions the charities provide for free — while taking money you can’t afford to lose. If anyone asks for an upfront fee for debt advice, stop.
Breathing Space: press pause
If creditors and interest are piling on faster than you can think, there’s a legal pause button. The Breathing Space scheme (the Debt Respite Scheme) can freeze interest, fees and enforcement action for 60 days while you get advice and make a plan. There’s also a version for people receiving mental-health crisis treatment that lasts as long as the treatment. A free debt adviser can set this up for you.
The main ways out of debt
Which solution fits depends on how much you owe, what you own and your income — a free adviser will steer you. In brief:
- Debt Management Plan (DMP). An informal arrangement, usually set up free by StepChange or National Debtline, where you make one affordable monthly payment split between your creditors. Flexible, and you can change it if things change.
- Debt Relief Order (DRO). For people with low debts, little spare income and few assets. It freezes the debts for a year and then writes them off. Since 2024 the debt limit is £50,000 and the application fee has been scrapped — so it’s free to apply through an authorised adviser.
- Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA). A formal, legally binding deal (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) to pay what you can over a set period, with the rest written off at the end. It has real consequences, so take the free advice first.
- Bankruptcy. A last resort that clears most debts, with significant effects. Again — get advice before considering it.
(Scotland has its own routes, including the Debt Arrangement Scheme and sequestration; the free services can advise.)
Priority debts come first
While you get advice, remember the order that matters: priority debts — rent or mortgage, council tax, energy, court fines — come before credit cards and loans, because the consequences of missing them are far more serious. Our guide on which debt to clear first walks through this.
You are not alone in this
Debt is far more common than the silence around it suggests, and the people at these charities have helped millions of others in exactly your position. Making the call is the hardest part and the most important — everything gets more manageable from there. Please reach out today.
Last checked 31 July 2026. Free help: StepChange, National Debtline, Citizens Advice and MoneyHelper. Debt Relief Order limits (£50,000; no fee) apply in England and Wales.
Sources
Just so you know: this guide is information and journalism, not financial advice, and we don't recommend specific financial products. Your circumstances are your own — if you need personal advice, speak to a suitably qualified adviser. Information was correct at the "last updated" date above but things change; always check the linked primary sources.