Dealing with money concerns

Take some easy steps to help deal with your debt:

• Work out a budget and prioritise your outgoings and debt payments putting essentials such as mortgage or rent payments at the top.
• Make a list of organisations or creditors to contact according to your priority list whether you are in arrears or not, the earlier you make contact the better. You may be able to move existing debt to a lower rate temporarily.
• You may be entitled to some government benefits to help increase your income. Contact your local benefits office or visit Turn2us for more information.
• If you are ill or have been made redundant you may have insurance policies in place that can help.
• Seek independent advice. There are lots of organisations that can provide confidential, impartial and free help and advice. We've listed some later on this page.

Doing nothing could make things worse

Never ignore missed repayments, they will not go away. You could end up paying more in interest and charges and missed payments could affect your credit rating and make it more difficult to get credit in future.