How this article was researched

The article addresses a reader decision using primary sources and clearly labelled illustrative examples. It does not rank every available product.

Commercial status: There are no affiliate links in this edition. Providers did not pay for inclusion or approve this copy.

A debt-help advert, caller and adviser may use different names. Start by writing down who contacted you and who would give the advice. A sheet of paper is enough. Keep the advert or message beside it.

This guide helps you check the identity, budget and proposal before agreeing. You do not need to choose a debt solution from an advert. If a court document has a deadline, tell a qualified adviser straight away.

Notice the warning signs before answering

The FCA's warning of 22 September 2026 identifies pressure, coached budget answers, missing fee-free alternatives and unclear identities. It concerns unsuitable fee-paying referrals. This is continuing guidance, checked on 6 October, rather than a new enforcement announcement.

Save the claims made to you, including the date and contact details. If somebody wants a decision during the call, ask for the proposal in writing. You can read it alongside your own records and take it to another advice appointment.

A promise about writing off debt leaves many questions unanswered. Put the exact promise in your notes. Ask what conditions it depends on and what happens if your circumstances change. Keep an unanswered question visible rather than filling it with an assumption.

Write down each organisation's role

Give the advert's trading name, its legal name and the proposed adviser separate lines. Add who would administer an arrangement and who would receive your details. Ask the caller to explain any change of organisation.

The FCA says introducers should provide factual information and refer people to authorised or licensed advisers. Check relevant permissions and contact details through the FCA Firm Checker. An insolvency practitioner handling an IVA or trust deed also needs the appropriate licence.

Compare the details you found independently with the message you received. A matching name leaves the telephone number and service permissions to check. Keep a dated note of the result. Use a verified contact route to resolve a mismatch.

Before sending statements or personal information, establish who receives them and why. Save the privacy notice supplied for that journey. If the caller cannot explain where your information goes, pause and find an advice route independently.

Make a budget you can explain

Gather the income record and bills you already have. Write down essentials, debt payments and less frequent costs. Mark missing figures as estimates. Show the adviser the gaps so you can agree which documents to gather next.

For income that changes, record a weaker month as well as a normal one. Note which receipts are confirmed and which are expected. Do the same for irregular costs, such as annual bills, so the strongest month does not become the only picture.

If someone suggests changing a figure, ask for the reason and supporting record. Correct a genuine mistake when you find one. Keep your own version if the change is intended to make a particular solution fit rather than describe your finances accurately.

You can bring uncertainty to an advice appointment. Say which bill is missing or which payment you cannot identify. There is no need to make the form look complete by guessing a confident answer.

Ask for the whole proposal

Make spaces for payments, duration, fees, included debts and debts left outside the arrangement. Add what would happen if income fell or a payment was missed. Ask which alternatives were considered and why the recommendation fits your circumstances.

The FCA explains that IVAs and trust deeds have setup and management fees. It warns that an arrangement's failure can leave remaining debts unwritten off. UK debt solutions differ by nation; ask an appropriate adviser to explain the consequences for you.

Use a small illustrative worksheet to keep the gaps visible. A hypothetical £120 payment for 60 months totals £7,200. That multiplication establishes scheduled payments only. It does not establish fees, money reaching creditors or the legal outcome.

Write “not confirmed” beside each missing figure. Ask for the fee explanation and the treatment of any excluded debt. If another proposal has a smaller monthly payment, compare its duration and unresolved obligations as well. Keep both documents.

Find a free conversation through a separate route

MoneyHelper's Debt Advice Locator lists free advice and offers online, telephone or face-to-face choices. Its guidance says advisers keep the information you share confidential.

Choose a channel you can use and prepare your short identity record, budget and proposed arrangement. Tell the adviser which UK nation you live in. Mention joint debts, business debts and urgent letters so those details enter the assessment.

You can start with the records available now and ask what to gather next. The aim is a suitable assessment of your circumstances. A second conversation does not promise a particular solution or a reduction in what you owe.

If you have already agreed, keep a timeline

List the first contact, information shared, recommendation, documents signed and payments made. Keep messages and replies with the dates. Describe what happened in ordinary words; you do not need to decide its legal classification yourself.

Take that file to a qualified adviser before changing contractual payments. A general checklist cannot tell you to stop an existing arrangement. Ask what is appropriate for the documents and deadlines in your case.

The FCA warning identifies regulator reporting and an authorised firm's complaint process, with the Financial Ombudsman Service as a further route after an unsatisfactory response. Check whether that route applies to the service and circumstances involved. Reporting does not guarantee redress.

This edition has no affiliate links or paid debt-help referrals. Free advice remains available alongside the checks. Our debt-consolidation cost guide can help you prepare questions about another borrowing proposal; it cannot choose a solution for you.

Use your identity record to arrange one conversation through a verified free advice route. Bring the proposal, even if parts are missing. That gives you a practical next step without agreeing to the advert's recommendation first.

From comparison to calculation

Check the terms in the offer you actually receive.

Credit Over Debt’s Offer X-Ray compares the amount financed, fees, payment schedule and modeled cost using the figures you enter.

Open the free toolkit

Primary sources and product pages

Product details last checked Oct 6, 2026; next scheduled review Nov 5, 2026. This UK-focused guide is educational information, not individualized financial, legal or tax advice. Product terms, offers and eligibility can change.