Your debt doesn't have to define what comes next.
Understand every option available to you in Britain — what each one actually costs, what it does to your credit file, and who it suits. Then decide, with your eyes open.
What are you dealing with?
Pick the debt that is causing you the most difficulty. We will take you to what actually happens with that debt, and what your realistic routes out of it are.
Four main routes, and they are not interchangeable
The right one depends on how much you owe, what you can pay, what you own and where you live. Here is what each one really involves.
IVA
For people with a reliable monthly surplus and multiple unsecured debts, who want one affordable payment and legal protection from creditors.
Learn how it works →
DMP
For people whose difficulty is temporary, or whose debts are repayable in a reasonable period, and who want to avoid a formal insolvency on record.
Learn how it works →
DRO
For people on a low income with few assets and no realistic prospect of repaying. It costs nothing and lasts twelve months.
Learn how it works →
Bankruptcy
For people with no realistic prospect of repaying, whose debts are beyond what a DRO allows, or who own assets that need dealing with properly.
Learn how it works →
You are very far from alone in this
These are official monthly statistics, and we update them on the UK insolvency tracker every month.
Britain does not have one debt system. It has three.
Most debt websites quietly assume you live in England. That is a problem if you live in Glasgow, where IVAs and Debt Relief Orders simply do not exist, or in Belfast, where the thresholds are different again.
Enter your postcode and we will show you which legal framework applies to you before we show you anything else.
| IVA | DRO | Trust Deed | DAS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formal insolvency | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Where it applies | England, Wales and Northern Ireland | England and Wales (Northern Ireland has its own version with different thresholds) | Scotland only | Scotland only |
| Typical duration | 60 months, or 72 with home equity | 12 months | Normally 4 years | Until repaid in full |
| Monthly payments | Monthly, affordability-based | No payments at all | Monthly, affordability-based | Monthly, until cleared |
| Your home | Excluded; equity sets the term | Not available to homeowners | Equity usually assessed | Not affected |
| Credit file impact | 6 years from the start date | 6 years from the order date | 6 years | Recorded for the duration |
| Public register | Listed on the public Individual Insolvency Register, which anyone can search. Your address can be withheld only on evidenced safety grounds. | Listed on the public Individual Insolvency Register. | Recorded on the public Register of Insolvencies, maintained by the Accountant in Bankruptcy. | Recorded on the DAS Register, which is public. |
| Fees | Paid from your monthly payments | Free — no application fee | Paid from contributions | Free; interest frozen by law |
| Creditor protection | Legally binding on included creditors | Full protection, then write-off | Binding once protected | Statutory protection |
Two England-and-Wales solutions and their two Scottish counterparts. They are not equivalents — a Debt Arrangement Scheme writes nothing off, and a Trust Deed runs four years rather than five.
We are a marketing introducer. We publish information and, if you ask us to, we pass your details to an FCA-authorised debt advice firm we work with so they can contact you. We do not give debt advice, we do not provide debt solutions, and we do not decide whether any solution is right for you. We are paid by the firms we introduce people to, never by you. Read exactly how we make money.
You never have to pay for debt advice. MoneyHelper (government-backed), StepChange, National Debtline and Citizens Advice all give free, confidential advice with no obligation. We would rather you got good advice somewhere than bad advice from anyone.
If it is urgent, start here instead
Some situations cannot wait for you to read a guide. These pages give you the immediate answer first — what is legal, what is not, and what to do today.
Common questions
Is My Debt Cleared a debt advice company?
No. We are a marketing introducer. We publish information about UK debt solutions, and if you ask us to, we pass your details to an FCA-authorised debt advice firm so they can contact you. We do not give advice, we do not run debt solutions, and we never charge you.
Will you tell me whether I qualify for an IVA?
No, and be wary of anyone who says they will from a web form. Eligibility depends on a full assessment of your income, outgoings, assets and debts, carried out by someone authorised to advise you. What our tools do is narrow down which options are worth understanding, so that conversation starts from a better place.
Does using this site cost anything?
Nothing, ever. We are paid by the firms we introduce people to. That does create a commercial interest, which is exactly why we publish how we make money in full and why we tell you where to get free advice on every page.
Can my debts really be written off?
Some debts are written off in some solutions — a Debt Relief Order and bankruptcy both discharge qualifying debts, and an IVA writes off what remains at the end of the term. But nothing is guaranteed, the amount depends entirely on your circumstances and on creditor decisions, and every one of these routes has real costs and consequences. Be cautious with headline write-off percentages. What can be written off depends on the solution, your circumstances and, where relevant, creditor approval — an advert cannot know what will happen in your case.
What if I live in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
The law is different and it matters. Scotland has Protected Trust Deeds, the Debt Arrangement Scheme, sequestration and the Minimal Asset Process — IVAs and DROs do not exist there. Northern Ireland has its own insolvency legislation with different thresholds. Our tools route you to the right framework rather than assuming England and Wales.
Not sure where you fit in any of this?
Answer eight questions about your circumstances. You will get a plain summary of your own situation, the legal framework that applies where you live, and the routes worth understanding. Nothing is decided, nothing is promised, and you are under no obligation at the end of it.