Government debt consolidation loans and advice

Some debt management companies use phrases in adverts like ‘government debt consolidation’ and ‘government debt advice’ to wrongly suggest they are endorsed by the Government. In fact, there’s no such thing as government debt consolidation or government debt advice.

People are misled by these adverts into thinking these debt consolidation services are free or official. In reality these companies charge a fee to provide the same debt management services that are available for free from charities like us.

Similar companies also charge to set up an IVA. Sometimes they do this without suggesting options which may be more suitable for you.

What is meant by ‘government debt consolidation loans’?

The only government-related ways to deal with debts are the formal debt solutions that have been introduced by the UK and Scottish governments.

These debt solutions include:

• Bankruptcy – or Sequestration and Minimal asset process in Scotland
• Debt relief orders (DROs)
• Individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs)
• Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS) – Scotland only

Read our guide to the differences between debt management and debt consolidation

What’s being done about these ‘government debt consolidation’ adverts?

These adverts are very misleading and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who regulate the debt advice sector, has taken action against some companies to stop this type of advertising. The FCA continues to bring these types of companies to account.

Hopefully this means you won’t see any more fee-charging companies advertising debt consolidation in this way, but if you do, please remember that:

• However you choose to deal with your debt problems, it’s important to get free, impartial help with your debts before going ahead with a solution – you should never have to pay to get debt advice
• Debt consolidation may be a suitable option for you, but there are risks, especially if there’s a chance you may struggle to keep up with making payments over time

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