Telling your creditors you are dealing with debts
I got advice and am setting up a repayment plan
Let your creditors know you are setting up a plan.
I would like to make a temporary payments arrangement
A temporary payment arrangement is when you offer to pay what you can afford for a short time.
Add details of how much you can pay and for how long.
Request a payment suspension
Use this letter to tell the people you owe that you are experiencing financial difficulty and ask them to stop interest and charges.
I cannot afford to pay my arrears. But I can make my monthly payments
Tell your creditors if:
- You cannot afford to pay your arrears but
- You will still make normal monthly payments
I can pay some money toward my arrears on top of my monthly payment
Use this letter to tell the people you owe that:
- You can make your full monthly payment
- You can pay a bit extra toward your arrears, but you cannot pay them in full at this time
I cannot afford to pay my arrears or my full monthly payment
Use this letter to tell the people you owe that:
- You cannot afford to make your monthly payment
- You cannot afford to pay toward your arrears
- You have made an offer for a lower payment and you are getting help from StepChange
I cannot pay my CCJ
England and Wales only
Ask the court to look at what you pay each month. Tell them you cannot afford to pay your County Court judgment (CCJ).
You can only do this if:
- You sent back your claim forms on time
- The court replied
Read our guides to dealing with a CCJ.
Telling your creditors you are disputing a debt
Read our guides to:
I need you to prove I owe money
Find debts covered by the Consumer Credit Act (CCA).
The law allows you to see:
- The agreement
- The terms and conditions
- A list of everything you have paid
Asking for this is called a 'CCA request'. You have to pay £1.
This includes most consumer debts, like:
- Overdrafts
- Personal loans
- Credit and store cards
- Catalogues
- Hire purchase
I still have not had the information I asked for (CCA request follow up)
The debt becomes 'unenforceable' if the people you owe do not send the information you ask for.
This means they might not be able to take you to court.
It does not mean you can ignore the debt.
I think my debt is 'statute barred'
A statute barred debt cannot be 'enforced'. This is because a certain amount of time has passed.
Use this letter if you live in in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
I do not admit liability for this debt (Scotland only)
Use this letter to tell a creditor if you think a debt is prescribed. A debt is considered 'prescribed' if:
- The creditor could have sued for the full balance of the debt over five years ago
- No payment has been made by yourself, a third party, or a joint account holder in over five years
I want to apply for my CCJ to be redetermined
Use this letter to write to the court and ask for your judgement to be redetermined.
Dealing with harassment
I want creditors to stop calling me
You do not have to put up with being harassed by a creditor.
- Write to them
- Ask them to stop calling you
- Tell them how it is making you feel
Find out more about making complaints to creditors.
I am a vulnerable person
If you are considered vulnerable according to the Taking Control of Goods: National Standards 2014, you can ask that the people you owe stop enforcement action.
Find out more about enforcement action.
Stopping automatic and recurring payments
I do not want my bank to take money from my bank account
In some cases, your bank can take money from your account to pay off arrears to other debts you have with them.
This is called their right of offset.
You can write to protect the money you have with them.
I need to stop money going out of my account
Some lenders will keep taking money from you. They do this using a 'continuous payment authority' (CPA).
You can stop this by writing to them or to your bank.
Our page on cancelling recurring payments explains your rights in more detail.
I want to cancel my hire purchase agreement
Use this letter to ask your creditor to cancel your hire purchase agreement.
Offering settlements
I can pay off a debt in full
You may want to make a settlement offer if you receive a lump sum of money.
Use this template letter to make an offer for the full amount.
I want to offer a settlement based on a percentage of the debt
You may get a lump sum that could cover part of an outstanding debt.
You can offer this to a creditor as a full and final settlement.
Letters to us
How do I give someone else permission to talk to StepChange about my debts?
Use this letter to give us permission to speak to someone else for you.
This could be a friend or relative.