Skip to content
Check my options
All debt solutionsIVADebt Management PlanDebt Relief OrderBankruptcyBreathing SpaceFull and final settlementProtected Trust DeedDebt Arrangement Scheme
All types of debtCredit card debtCouncil tax arrearsPersonal loansEnergy arrearsOverdraftsRent arrearsHMRC debtBuy Now Pay Later
All compareIVA vs DMPIVA vs DROIVA vs bankruptcyDMP vs DRODMP vs bankruptcyDRO vs bankruptcy
All toolsSolution comparisonMy Debt MapBudget calculatorCouncil finderDebt glossaryUK insolvency tracker
All urgent helpBailiff at the doorCouncil tax summonsCourt letter or claim formEviction threatEnergy disconnectionWages being deductedCan't afford foodCreditor threats
All local helpEnglandScotlandWalesNorthern IrelandWest MidlandsBirminghamWolverhamptonAll locations
Debt glossary How we make money
Check my options

IVA payment breaks: pausing without failing

An IVA is designed to survive real life. A documented rough patch is handled inside the arrangement, not by abandoning it.

Written by The My Debt Cleared editorial teamLast reviewed 23 August 2026Jurisdiction England, Wales & Northern IrelandEditorial policy
Under the 2025 IVA Protocol a supervisor can agree payment reductions or breaks totalling up to the equivalent of 9 months’ payments across the arrangement, with the term extended by up to 12 months to recover them. It is discretion, not entitlement: you ask before missing, evidence the reason, and the pause becomes part of the arrangement rather than a breach.

How it works

Contact your supervisor the moment trouble is visible — job loss, reduced hours, illness, an essential one-off cost. They can flex the arrangement within their discretion: a short break, a temporary reduction, or both, up to the equivalent of 9 months’ payments in total, with missed amounts recovered by extending the term by up to 12 months.

Why asking beats missing

An agreed break is the arrangement working. An unagreed missed payment is a breach that starts a formal process and can end in failure, with fees paid and debts back in force. The difference between the two is one conversation had early.

If the change is permanent rather than a patch, a variation or a different route may fit better — that assessment belongs with your supervisor and an authorised adviser.

Check my options — about 60 seconds