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What happens at the end of an IVA?

The last payment is not quite the end. The certificate is — and what follows it matters for years.

Written by The My Debt Cleared editorial teamLast reviewed 23 August 2026Jurisdiction England, Wales & Northern IrelandEditorial policy
After your final payment and any remaining obligations are met, your supervisor issues a completion certificate confirming the arrangement is concluded and the remaining included debt is written off. The Individual Insolvency Register entry is removed shortly after completion, while the credit-file record runs its course of six years from the date the IVA starts.

The administrative tail

Expect a short gap between final payment and certificate while the supervisor closes the estate: final reports, last distributions to creditors, resolution of any outstanding obligations such as an equity requirement. Chase politely if it drags — the certificate is the document that proves the write-off, and lenders may ask for it years later. Keep it permanently.

What happens at the end of an IVA, step by step

Final payment made. Supervisor confirms any closing obligations are met — a final review, an equity requirement for homeowners under the Protocol’s 72-month route. Final report and distributions to creditors. Completion certificate issued. Individual Insolvency Register entry removed shortly after. Credit-file marker expires six years from the arrangement’s start date. Creditors who were bound can no longer pursue the written-off balances — if one does, the certificate is the answer.

Afterwards

Your register entry comes off shortly after completion. The credit-file marker expires six years from the date the IVA starts — for a standard 60-month arrangement, roughly a year after you finish. Defaults recorded on included debts should show as satisfied or partially satisfied; checking your files after completion is worth an hour.

Related: the credit file in detail and finishing early.

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