Debt Advice

It's very common for people to avoid confronting debt issues, often dreading the sight of final demand letters. However, ignoring debt will only make things harder in the long run. Advice centres regularly speak with individuals who struggle to keep up with their bills, and with energy prices on the rise, it's more important than ever to seek help now.

Across Lincolnshire there are FREE and CONFIDENTIAL advice centres - these are listed below.

Go to your local Advice Centre

You can call your local advice centre, you will likely need to take your bills and bank statements, so have these ready when you go to your appointment. Use the citizens advice branch locator to find your local branch: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/contact-us/

Use a budget planner

Budget Planner | Free online budget planning tool | MoneyHelper

A budget planner can show you exactly where your money is going and how much you're bringing in. Learning to manage a budget and tracking every pound is a crucial first step towards becoming debt-free.

Claim the benefits you are entitled to

Now, more than ever, it's important that you are making sure you are getting any benefits you are entitled to. Check this on the benefits calculators:

Turn2us Benefits Calculator

Benefits Calculator

You’ll need accurate information about your:

savings
income, including your partner’s (from payslips, for example)
existing benefits and pensions (including anyone living with you)
outgoings (such as rent, mortgage, childcare payments)
Council Tax bill

Budgeting advance

You might be able to get a loan as part of your Universal Credit if you need to cover a specific expense - this is called a 'budgeting advance'. Find out more on the website: Getting a Universal Credit budgeting advance - Citizens Advice

Alternatively, you can send a message to your work coach in your universal credit journal.

Call a helpline

Below are two charities that provide free, confidential, expert debt advice:

National Debtline - 0808 808 4000
StepChange - 0800 138 1111

Free advice in the UK

Choosing where to go for advice can feel overwhelming. Below are some of the free and impartial debt advice services in the UK.

If you’re struggling with debt, it can be hard to know where to turn. There are lots of free advice services available across the UK, you can find help in a way that’s best for you.

The Citizens Advice webpage has information about debt and solutions to debt problems.

Free debt advice is available online and via telephone from a number of providers.

StepChange Debt Charity

www.stepchange.org

0800 138 1111

Advice, budget support and solutions to help you manage your debts.

Citizens Advice Web Chat

www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Free, independent, confidential and impartial debt advice through their web chat service. There is also an advice line on freephone 0800 144 8848.

National Debtline

nationaldebtline.org

0808 808 4000

National Debtline offers free debt advice online through its My Money Steps tool and its web guides, fact sheets and sample letters.

Debt Advice Foundation

www.debtadvicefoundation.org

0800 622 6151

Debt Advice Foundation is a national debt advice and education charity offering free, confidential support and advice to anyone worried about debt.

PayPlan

Debt Advice | Free Debt Help | Debt Solutions | PayPlan

0800 280 2816

PayPlan offers free debt advice and a range of solutions on their freephone service and a range of online services. Chat with debt experts on our online live chat option, over email, via WhatsApp or simply request a call back on our debt help request form. Their website also offers a wealth of online resources and tools.

Christians Against Poverty Debt help

No matter how large or small your problem is, we can help. Our free, expert debt help will advise on the best route out of debt, and offer different types of support to help you become debt free.

The first step is often the hardest, but it’s really worth it. Asking for help can be daunting, particularly for many people who have reached a crisis point before calling to book an appointment. The appointments are face to face with one of the local debt coaches.

Our friendly New Enquiries team is the first port of call. We’d love to listen to you and see how we can help get you started on your journey out of debt.

CAP Debt Help is available in and around Lincoln, Boston as well as southern Lincolnshire. See our website to see if your postcode is covered:

https://capuk.org/get-help/cap-debt-help

To find face to face advice, a search facility is available via the Money Advice Service website on the debt advice locator webpage.

If you're struggling to pay your bills, it's important to prioritise the most critical ones first. Some bills carry more severe consequences if left unpaid. To manage your finances, you can divide your bills into three categories:

Priority debts
Non-priority debts
Debt emergencies

If you're facing a debt emergency, such as the risk of court action, bailiff visits, disconnection, or eviction due to mortgage or rent arrears, it's essential to consult a debt adviser.

Money Helper Bill Prioritiser

Money Helper also offers a bill prioritiser tool that allows you to select the bills you need to pay. It then provides a personalised list, showing you the order in which to tackle them.

Bill prioritiser: which debts or bills are most important? | MoneyHelper

If you have a loan with the same bank where you hold your account, the loan repayments are often taken directly from your account. If your account is heavily overdrawn, any incoming payments may be absorbed by bank fees.

In such cases, you might want to consider switching to a new bank account. Be sure to formally close the old account and transfer all direct debits to the new one.

You can find helpful guidance on this topic on the How to open, switch and close a bank account | MoneyHelper website.

You might be visited by a bailiff or enforcement agent if you do not pay debts such as Council Tax bills, parking fines, court fines and county court, high court or family court judgments.

Bailiffs will write to you before they visit, so you must not ignore letters saying that bailiffs will be used.

There are different kinds of bailiffs, known as:

‘Certificated enforcement agents’ (also known as ‘civil enforcement agents’)
‘High court enforcement officers’
‘County court and family court bailiffs’
Bailiffs who enforce magistrates’ court fines and warrants for arrests (either ‘civilian enforcement officers’ or ‘Approved Enforcement Agents’)

A bailiff may also visit your home for other reasons, for example, to serve court documents or give notices and summons.

GOV.UK

The Government's website explains what can happen if a bailiff visits your home and what rights you have. Visit their website for more information:

Bailiff powers when they visit your home: What you can do when a bailiff visits - GOV.UK

Citizens Advice

For advice on what to do if you get a letter from a bailiff regarding a debt, or what to do if one is at your door for this reason, Citizen’s Advice has some useful information:

Bailiffs - Citizens Advice

Shelter England

The guidance is different if a bailiff is coming to evict you. Shelter’s website has some advice on what to do:

What happens when bailiffs evict tenants - Shelter England

If your business is in debt you can get advice on the Business Debtline website.

If you have been declined for credit, you may have borrowed, or be tempted to borrow, money from a loan shark.

The Illegal Money Lending Team (also known as Stop Loan Sharks) is a national organisation that investigates and prosecutes illegal money lenders and provides specialist support for people affected by this crime. When people are in desperate need of some quick cash, loan sharks may seem like the answer – but they're not. Loan sharks are criminals. They don't care about a person’s situation; they just want to make money out of them. They will pretend to be their friend and make them feel that they are helping them out, but they are not.

Stop Loan Sharks have helped thousands of people escape the clutches of illegal money lenders. People can speak to a member of their support team in confidence by calling 0300 555 2222 (24 Hour), emailing reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk, or via live chat on their website.